SIBONEY or QUISQUEYA Dominican Vanilla is famous around the world, because of its unique flavor. Delicious to use when baking. Imported from Dominican Republic.

The Blue Mountain Forest Vanilla Project—which started in the Loma Azul in the Cibao region of the Dominican Republic—is now flourishing in Casa de Campo as well. After years of patient practice and learning, the country now produces world-class vanilla, and Casa de Campo has become one of its hubs!

Vanilla Is More Expensive Than Ever But keep in mind that vanilla has never been an inexpensive purchase—it’s second to saffron in terms of its cost. Right now, the folks at Nielsen-Massey say vanilla is about 62 cents per teaspoon—an 8-ounce bottle retails for about $29 and contains 47 teaspoon-sized servings.

Seventy-nine percent of the world’s vanilla fields are in Madagascar. A shortage there has helped drive up the cost of vanilla beans from about $11 per pound in 2011 to $193 by the end of 2016.

Vanilla prices have climbed so high it’s worth more by weight than silver. This increase in price has to do with a number of factors, including vanilla bean theft, complex pollination, extreme weather, and the rise of the “all natural” food movement.

Why is vanilla extract so expensive? Over 80% of the world’s vanilla is grown on the island of Madagascar, which has been recently hit with terrible weather. Failed crop yields have caused the prices of vanilla beans to soar to nearly $600 per kilogram, which is 10 times more expensive than it was a few years ago.

The average cost for pure vanilla extract is around $20 for an eight-ounce bottle, and the really good stuff can run even higher. Compare that to $6-7 for the same amount of imitation vanilla, and you can see why frugal bakers often turn to the cheaper stuff.

Bourbon vanilla beans are the most popular type of vanilla, resulting from their clear and creamy flavor and the fact that Madagascar is the world’s top producer of vanilla. These vanilla beans are the thinnest of the four types and also have the most flavor.

There’s a global vanilla shortage, generally blamed on crop-destroying storms in Madagascar, which produces 80 percent of the world’s supply. Simultaneously, major manufactures increased demand for pure vanilla.

Today, the vast majority of vanilla (some 60%-80%) comes from the African island of Madagascar, and it is the second most expensive spice (only behind saffron) in the world, mostly because it’s difficult to produce. …

Vanilla beans have survived through centuries because of the melipona bee. It is (maybe was) the only bee on earth that was capable of pollinating a vanilla orchid. As a result, vanilla orchids that grow in the wild are also in danger of becoming extinct. Vanilla beans today are literally on life support.

The amount of all the vanilla beans in the world is not sufficient to flavor everything that everyone wants to flavor with vanilla. There is a problem, however: World production of natural vanilla is tiny and has been falling in recent years. Less than 1% of vanilla flavor comes from actual vanilla orchids.

When taken by mouth: Vanilla is LIKELY SAFE when taken by mouth in amounts commonly found in foods. However, some people are allergic to vanilla. It might also cause headache and sleep problems (insomnia), especially for people who manufacture vanilla extract.

Because vanilla has fewer calories and carbohydrates than sugar, it can be used to reduce your sugar intake. Using vanilla as a sugar substitute also can reduce high blood glucose levels and help you lead a more heart-healthy lifestyle.

Ingestion of vanilla extract is treated similarly to alcohol intoxication and can cause alcohol poisoning. The ethanol will cause central nervous system depression, which may lead to breathing difficulties. Intoxication can cause pupil dilation, flushed skin, digestion issues, and hypothermia.

The National Poison Control Center posted a warning on its website about the dangers of drinking vanilla extract, which contains the same type of alcohol found in beer, wine and hard liquor. Children who drink it could be at risk of alcohol poisoning, officials warn.

Organically prepared vanilla extract products contain some form of alcohol components. When you add too much of vanilla extract in your coffee, it naturally adds bitterness in your drink. If you add too much drops of vanilla extract, it makes your coffee tastes bitter or sour due to addition of alcohol ingredients.

The FDA doesn’t only require that vanilla extract contains alcohol. The federal organization also requires that all extracts, including artificial extracts, contain a minimum of 35 percent alcohol. This means that for most vanilla extracts, four to five ounces should be enough to get a person drunk.

Pure vanilla extract is made by macerating and percolating vanilla pods in a solution of ethanol and water, so it has some alcohol in it. If you drank enough of it, you could possibly get alcohol poisoning.

Give your coffee a strong vanilla taste with 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract per cup of coffee. You’ll enjoy the aroma and the overall flavor. If you want to make your coffee beans taste like vanilla, try scraping a vanilla pod into your coffee beans and let it sit overnight.