PSA: Don't waste money on those fancy imported vanilla beans

I spent $18 on two Madagascar vanilla beans for a batch of cookies and they were totally dried out and flavorless. Has anyone else fallen for the hype on expensive single-origin ingredients that don't deliver?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_faith16d ago

Used to be all about that "single origin" hype but you totally changed my mind after I wasted money on some fancy Tahitian ones that were just as bad.

val_williams16d agoOG Member

Oh man I fell for that Tahitian trap too. Paid like thirty bucks for some little bottle and it smelled nice but tasted like nothing in my baking. Straight back to my usual Madagascar beans after that.

milacraig16d agoMost Upvoted

Right, because nothing says "luxury" like paying triple the price for vanilla that tastes exactly like the stuff you can get at the grocery store. I swear half the single origin hype is just marketing for people with more money than tastebuds. Tahitian is especially funny because half the time it's just weaker and flowery, not actually better. Hope that expensive lesson at least came with a fancy jar you can reuse for something.