Tonka Bean

[Halex]

I love vanilla bean, actually vanilla bean ice cream is my fav ice cream 

H

[andiesenji]

I love vanilla bean, actually vanilla bean ice cream is my fav ice cream 

H

Mine too.

I've had several discussions about tonka beans vs. vanilla beans with my neighbor who is from Mexico, born and raised in Durango.
She won't use the vanilla her relatives bring in from Mexico and warns them about it whenever she can.  She says the reason most use it is because it is a lot cheaper but, like me, she prefers to use the best ingredients in her cooking, not the cheapest.
She makes the best flan I have ever tasted and while mine is pretty good, it doesn't hold a candle to hers.  She simmers over very low heat a split and slightly mashed vanilla bean in the milk/cream mixture that will be combined with eggs to make the flan.  She adds just a little brandy to the milk/cream as she says this makes the flavor stronger. 
I think the alcohol extracts more of the flavor from the vanilla bean. 
I can eat her flan with none of the reaction I get from alcohol so the prolonged simmering and the baking must drive out all the alcohol esthers to which I react. 
In any event, I consider it an inferior product when compared to a vanilla bean.  It's cheap because the huge trees, which are also harvested for hardwood, produce bushels of the "beans" unlike the vanilla orchid which produces one pod per flower. 

[RosieB]

andiesenji..  Where have you seen them sold cheaply?  I would love to get some to try growing them.  I have only seen them at around $140 per 100grams.  And at that price way outside my budget.  The Prime Vanilla beans are around $100 per 100g

[andiesenji]

andiesenji..  Where have you seen them sold cheaply?  I would love to get some to try growing them.  I have only seen them at around $140 per 100grams.  And at that price way outside my budget.  The Prime Vanilla beans are around $100 per 100g

The tonka beans are cheap in the countries where the trees grow wild, the northern part of South America, Central America and southern Mexico.
They are not grown in this country because of the ban.  My friend saw huge trees when she was in South America, grown as shade trees.
My Mexican neighbor says the beans are gathered from the wild, not grown on plantations like nut trees, etc.

The price you mention for vanilla is very high.  I buy from Vanilla Products   and they ship worldwide.
A pound of vanilla beans ships to Australia for $14.00 U.S.   I buy the Grade B for extract but I also use them in cooking.
I prefer the Madagascar - the Tahitian are too "perfumey" for my taste.  I also buy the Mexican true vanilla as I like to combine the two types for vanilla paste. 

If you think a pound (453g) is too much, split the order with one or more friends.  It will still be much cheaper than $100.-- for 100g. 
You can buy in lesser quantities - a dozen beans, but the shipping costs are not that much different.  Buying a pound is more economical. 
As I always have several jars of extract, started at monthly intervals, I use a lot of vanilla beans.  It makes a great gift in a pretty bottle. 

A pound of the Prime, Grade A Madascar beans is $49.94 from the same vendor. 

[Merlin]

I buy the Heilala vanilla bean syrup from my local gourmet deli. This brand also sells vanilla pods. The vanilla comes from Tonga and is grown in partnership with a New Zealand company which  helps with packaging/ distributing etc, but a large part of the earnings goes back towards the community growing the vanilla. The syrup (250ml) costs about $13 Aus but a little bit goes a long way and I use it with everything, essentially everytime I need vanilla in a recipe. It is also divine drizzled over ice cream/ desserts in general.. I have seen a few websites selling tonka beans but as far as I am concerned, nothing beats vanilla!

[RosieB]

The price you mention for vanilla is very high.  I buy from Vanilla Products   and they ship worldwide.
A pound of vanilla beans ships to Australia for $14.00 U.S.   I buy the Grade B for extract but I also use them in cooking.
I prefer the Madagascar - the Tahitian are too "perfumey" for my taste.  I also buy the Mexican true vanilla as I like to combine the two types for vanilla paste. 
A pound of the Prime, Grade A Madascar beans is $49.94 from the same vendor. 

Thank you for this link andiesenji.   I had never thought of looking at eBay for vanilla beans.
And the prices are very much better than i have ever seen..  I am going to order some and see how they go.

[RosieB]

They arrived today.  Went to collect the mail and could smell them.  How wondeful is that smell??
Now I can try making some real vanilla icecream. 
We just finished a batch of the 40 second Vanilla http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3895.0 that we found was a bit too sweet.

I bought the sampler pack to see if we can tell the difference between them.  And we rec'd a free pack that was equal to about $10.00 worth in the supermarket.  I checked again and Woolworths were $159.00 for 100grams.

[andiesenji]

They arrived today.  Went to collect the mail and could smell them.  How wondeful is that smell??
Now I can try making some real vanilla icecream. 
We just finished a batch of the 40 second Vanilla http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3895.0 that we found was a bit too sweet.

I bought the sampler pack to see if we can tell the difference between them.  And we rec'd a free pack that was equal to about $10.00 worth in the supermarket.  I checked again and Woolworths were $159.00 for 100grams.

The aroma is extraordinary.  About two years ago I ordered some that arrived in early summer, a hot spell, and my mail carrier said the aroma in his truck was so strong that when he stopped into a fast-food place for lunch, his mates commented that he smelled like a cookie factory and the other mail in the same container took on the aroma.   I told him it was from the vanilla beans and he later asked where to order some for his wife who also commented on the aroma clinging to his uniform when he got home. 

[judydawn]

Good thing vanilla has a very distinctive smell Andie, his DW might have mistaken it for perfume and then he would have been in deep trouble 

[andiesenji]

Good thing vanilla has a very distinctive smell Andie, his DW might have mistaken it for perfume and then he would have been in deep trouble 

My grandmother said she used vanilla as perfume when she was a girl as her papa would not let her use the regular stuff.  According to her brothers, she had many admirers but not for too long as she married my grandpa when she was just fifteen.