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What Does Madagascar Vanilla Taste Like?

Slofoodgroup Team August 27, 2022

Madagascar vanilla is loved the world over for its decadent flavor. With notes of sweet cream and a wide array of fruits and flowers, here is something truly special about the flavor of Madagascar vanilla beans.

Why are Madagascar vanilla beans special?

Madagascar vanilla beans are known as la crème de la crème of vanilla due to their exceptionally high levels of the natural chemical compound, vanillin, and an inexplicable flavor bouquet. Vanilla beans, in general, are incredibly complex, possessing a unique aroma and the ability to enrich a palette with an unidentifiable cocktail of notes unlike any other ingredient on this planet.

So if generally describing vanilla bean flavors is a tricky endeavor, you can only imagine how difficult it becomes to further pinpoint the intricacies of vanilla beans for specific species and origins. Learn more about what makes Madagascar vanilla beans so special here.

What are the flavors of Madagascar vanilla beans?

Madagascar vanilla beans taste creamy.

Just like with wines, everyone experiences the flavor of vanilla differently and, as such, the descriptors used can vary significantly from person to person. That said, just about anytime we hear anyone describe the flavor of Madagascar vanilla it is with creaminess at the forefront. Because of this trait, vanilla has been positioned as a fill-in for cream to produce a cream-like flavor in items that contain no dairy at all—products like cream ales, sodas, and candies.

Madagascar vanilla tastes sweet.

Vanilla beans have a secret power; although they are practically void of sugar entirely, they can trick your brain into believing that you just loaded up on a sugary snack. So, although vanilla beans lean more toward the savory side of the spectrum (prior to being added to some of our favorite desserts), they do emit a false sweetness from every tiny seed. It is probably because of the combination of this and their notable “creaminess” that many folks will describe vanilla as tasting like caramel.

Madagascar vanilla tastes like flowers smell.

Vanilla beans, being the fruit of an orchid flower, justly have a floral essence to them. This trait definitely stands out more in other varieties of vanilla beans, such as the Tahitian than it does with Madagascar, or Bourbon, vanilla beans, but it is definitely present. With Bourbon vanilla beans, however, the floral notes are much more subtle, with the intensity of honeysuckle or lilac moreso than jasmine or roses.

Madagascar vanilla tastes like earth.

While the taste of “earth” might not seem very appealing to many, “earthy” is often an adjective used to describe a wide array of food and beverage products. In the instance of Madagascar vanilla, the earthy flavor isn’t used synonymously with the flavor of dirt. It is more of a way of alluding to the similarities of those nostalgic aromatic complexities of a forest floor, gentle rain, fresh cut grass, and yes, that delicate mineral essence of soil. In the case of vanilla, it is these earthy traits that help bring out the fruity and floral profiles of particular vanilla beans.

Madagascar vanilla has richness and depth.

Another ingredient that is hard to describe is chocolate and though the two ingredients have long been used to enhance one another, their flavors couldn’t be more different. Perhaps that’s why they work so well together. Despite their differences though, these two misnamed “beans” do share a similar richness and depth that many would describe, in terms of flavor, as being “nutty”.

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As you have just read, Madagascar Vanilla Beans undoubtedly have a unique flavor profile that somehow spans the full breadth of spectrums between delicate and intense, sweet and savory, rich and mild. It is these intricacies that perfectly position this ingredient for an endless array of applications. If you are looking for top-knotch Madagascar Vanilla Beans, look no further. We have vanilla beans that will satisfy even the most particular connoisseur’s preferences in our online vanilla bean store. Share: