Vanilla comes from two plant species: Vanilla planifolia and Vanilla tahitensis. Tahitian vanilla is more expensive due to its distinctive flavor and limited production areas. Vanilla is a vine that requires artificial pollination and is labor-intensive to produce. Tahitian vanilla is a hybrid of Vanilla planifolia and Vanilla odorata and supplies only 5% of commercial vanilla.
Only two plant species supply the world’s commercial supply of vanilla. One is Vanilla planifolia, which is the most common, and the other is Vanilla tahitensis, also known as Tahitian vanilla. Tahitian vanilla has a distinctive flavor and is found in only two areas of the Pacific, so it is more expensive than vanilla planifolia.
Vanilla originally came from America and then was grown commercially in many areas of the world after the continent was rediscovered by Europeans. In America, the beans were used as an ingredient in cocoa drinks. The only other commercially sold vanilla, Vanilla planifolia, includes the types known as Mexican vanilla and Bourbon vanilla. Tahitian vanilla does not have large subgroups.
The popular edible vanilla flavor comes from the beans of the vanilla plant. The plant is a vine that wraps itself around a tree for stability. Tahitian vanilla pods are darker in color and contain more oils than vanilla planifolia. Also, the beans are not long and thin like vanilla planifolia seeds.
Beans contain fewer seeds and do not have a thick skin like V. planifolia. Tahitian beans have a floral and fruity scent and a distinctive flavor. They may smell like licorice, have a wine-like aroma, or a fruity cherry smell.
Tahitian vanilla does not grow naturally in the wild but is restricted to commercial plantations and growing wild in French Polynesia and Papua New Guinea. Vanilla is a member of the orchid family of plants. Vanilla plants are usually grown using artificial pollination and propagation. This is because a certain type of hummingbird and bee species are required to pollinate plants naturally, and these species only live in specific areas of the American continent.
Any vanilla flower grown outside the native vanilla area must be hand pollinated. Therefore, vanilla production is labor intensive, which is cheaper in some countries. The beans are harvested when green and then cured and dried. This can take up to six months.
Vanilla tahitensis supplies only about five percent of commercial vanilla worldwide. According to a 2008 genetic study of Tahitian vanilla by researchers at the University of California, the plant appears to be a hybrid of vanilla planifolia and another non-commercial species of vanilla called Vanilla odorata. The species is more expensive than the more common seeds of Vanilla planifolia.
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