Bourbon vs Tahitian vanilla: two species, two worlds

Commercial vanilla comes from two orchid species. They are as different as Arabica and Robusta coffee.

Bourbon vanilla (*Vanilla planifolia*) is grown on Madagascar, Réunion and the Comoros — "Bourbon" being the old name of Réunion island. Curing develops vanillin to 1.5 – 2.5 % of dry weight; the flavour profile centres on warm, round vanillin with brown-sugar and dried-cream notes. Eighty percent of the world's vanilla trades as Bourbon. Best for custards, ice cream, chocolate.

Tahitian vanilla (*Vanilla tahitensis*) is a different species, a natural hybrid grown almost exclusively in French Polynesia and Papua New Guinea. Vanillin content is lower (1.5 – 1.8 %), but anisic aldehyde and heliotropin push the aroma toward cherry, anise and almond blossom. The beans are plumper, moister, with thinner skin.

The rule a pâtissier follows: Bourbon for richness, Tahiti for perfume. Creams and mousses hold Tahiti's volatiles better than high-heat applications where Bourbon's robustness wins.

A third option, rarely marketed, is *Vanilla pompona* from the Caribbean — large, tobacco-like, used mostly in perfumery. Everything else labelled "vanilla" — imitation, vanillin-based extract, tonka substitute — is another category.

Read the Latin binomial before buying.