Stage 1: Blanching Green Vanilla Beans

The master curer determines the temperature and blanching time depending on the quality of the vanilla beans. The blanching step stops the growth of the bean and helps to release enzymes which then start the production of "vanillin," which is the main flavor component.

Vanilla beans come off the vanilla orchid a bright green and look very much like a summer green bean. It will take many steps over four months, and a lot of physical labor before these green vanilla pods transform into the beautiful shiny black vanilla pods that we are used to seeing.

After nine months of growing on the vine, the green vanilla beans ripen, with the top and bottom tips of the pod turning yellow. Only when the vanilla bean is ripe is it ready to be picked and cured for flavor development. Unripe vanilla beans can never be cured—they will always stay bitter.

There are four stages to preparing a vanilla bean:

1) Dipping

2) Sweating

3) Drying

4) Conditioning

In this article, we will take a look at the dipping stage.

STAGE 1: DIPPING

Within three days after harvesting, the green vanilla beans are blanched in 150°–170° degree Fahrenheit water for up to three minutes. The master curer determines the temperature and blanching time depending on the quality of the vanilla beans. The blanching step stops the growth of the bean and helps to release enzymes which then start the production of "vanillin," which is the main flavor component.

Dipping "kills" the vanilla bean, stopping the growth and releasing the enzymes that begin production of vanillin, the bean's primary flavor component.

These photos show the boiling area, and the tank temperature is checked before blanching the green pods. After blanching, the hot vanilla pods are put in leaves to cover and keep them warm. The pods will remain in the leaves to get their brown color before being put out in the sun for sweating.