We get constant inquiries about fresh ground vanilla beans and though we supply them to our largest wholesale customers, they are not a product we recommend.
Fresh-ground vanilla beans are just what they sound like. They are also sometimes called powdered vanilla which causes a lot of consumer confusion (we will get to that later). The first reason we do not suggest using ground vanilla beans is that the beans that are used to make this product are inferior, both to the beans used in extraction and gourmet whole vanilla beans. This is because in order to grind the vanilla beans without clogging up the grinding machines, the beans must be very dry. When beans are dried out to this extent, the oils that carry the delicious flavors of the vanilla bean do not exist and the result is a vanilla bean which is flavorless. This problem is further compounded by the fact that the beans set aside for grinding are inferior in grade. Extraction beans and whole gourmet vanilla beans have to meet standards of quality that are visible to the purchaser- flavor, appearance, moisture content, and aroma. These grades of vanilla beans must be free from mold and other contaminants. The beans that are used to make fresh ground vanilla beans are mostly cuts. Cuts are the lowest grade of vanilla beans and they earn their name because the mold and undesirable parts of the vanilla bean are cut off then the "good" parts of the bean are dried out and ground up. Imagine this process being used for a different product. Could you imagine "cuts" of grapes used to make wine? Some bad grapes with mold and bugs just cut off and the rest of the grapes are thrown into the vat to make an inferior wine? Yet, this is exactly the process from fresh ground vanilla beans.
Having assessed the quality of the initial beans used to produce fresh ground vanilla beans, we will now look at another issue with this product. This is because fresh ground vanilla beans are not labeled ready-to-eat. They are covered in microbes making their microbial count too high to be sold as ready-to-eat. Even in the best farms, vanilla beans are grown in the wild and are often cured on small village plots of land shared with chickens, dogs, cats, and other animals. Even organically certified vanilla beans are cured in these conditions. This is not a problem for traditional uses of vanilla beans. Extraction in alcohol and water eliminates any significant microbial presence as does the high temperatures and pressures of a hot extraction. Vanilla beans used by chefs are usually opened up and the contents from the inside of the vanilla bean are used to flavor food. The inside of the vanilla bean is protected from bad external microbes. If the husk of the bean is used, it is usually subjected to high cooking temperatures.
Some companies sell ready-to-eat fresh ground vanilla beans. There are a few ways to sterilize ground vanilla beans, but the most common is through high heat. This high heat will destroy any remaining flavor in the ground vanilla beans, as they are essentially cooked. The other main way is through UV lights. This is a better method but very expensive and is not employed very often. The long and short of it is that these beans are dirty. You should be cautious to add them to any food that is not cooked. Thus, there is very little vanilla flavor imparted in the resulting baked goods or desserts.
Finally, fresh ground vanilla beans are expensive. They are vanilla beans that require more processing than usual which adds to the already high price of vanilla beans.
All around we believe this is a terrible product. Fresh ground vanilla beans use the worst quality cut vanilla beans. These horrible beans are then dried out so much that they lose any good flavor and aroma they once had. They are covered in dirt, grime, and bad bacteria. There is no meaningful extraction and so very little, if any, flavor is imparted to the final product. Finally, it is an expensive product. Just don't buy this product. If you want to use only vanilla beans, then we recommend you purchase whole vanilla beans.
Lastly, I mentioned that the rise in popularity of this product has caused confusion for vanilla consumers. This is because, as per the FDA, a vanilla powder is extracted vanilla flavor added to food powders like powdered sugar, dextrose, and corn starch. We are required to label such products as "vanilla powder." However, some sellers of fresh ground vanilla beans market their products as vanilla powder and some consumers are disappointed when they find they have not purchased ground vanilla beans, but vanilla flavor in a powdered food base. We understand and sympathize with the confusion and are looking into how this labelling problem can be resolved ethically and legally.
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