Tahiti my love

Just the mention of the name Tahiti is enough to start dreaming of beaches, fragrant flowers and vanilla. But what’s so special about this vanilla? We know that this is a hybridization that was long believed to have been developed in French Polynesia, but without being able to really determine by whom and when this cross with fruity and aniseed notes was developed. Analyzes of the plant's DNA taught us that it was a cross between vanilla planifolia and vanilla odorata, but many questions remained unanswered: who had carried out this cross and how? Because the mysteries of pollination had barely been discovered in 1841 when the first crosses arrived from Manila in 1848, sold by French sailors. How did these plants get there?

It was thanks to more precise sequencing of the DNA of the at a much older time, and that it would have been made by Mayans from present-day Guatemala. So in 1848, as Manila was still under Spanish rule, it was natural to find plants from the New World there. But a cross made by the Mayans? There is reason to reassess our knowledge of this pre-Columbian civilization.

Colibri vanilla is happy to have a small collection of Xtahitensis vanilla pods which have everything to charm vanilla lovers.

Tahitensis from Guatemala

We are fortunate to have an extremely rare micro-lot of real Xtahitensis vanilla developed by the Mayans of Guatemala. Our supplier, Dario Ramirez, a passionate vanilla lover who also supplies us with the famous cribbiana vanilla, has grown several dozen acres in his plantations in Guatemala. Very small and very floral, xtahitensis vanilla from Guatemala is a little candy of happiness!

Tahitensis from the Island of Huahine, French Polynesia

All the know-how of the French colonies is contained in each pod refined to perfection and with love by our friend Rupe. Long, fleshy, fatty, Rupe's Xtahitensis vanilla pods are works of masters. Their scent of plums, chocolate and anise is pure marvel.

Tahitensis from Papua New Guinea

Tahitensis vanilla grown in Papua is a raw gem. The quality of the refining is not comparable with that of Tahiti since the country does not have a long tradition in the field, but Colibri Vanille has been working very closely to improve the products with our suppliers in the village of Mandi since now. two years, and frankly, they are starting to defend themselves well! The pods present a magnificent bouquet of very festive flavors with notes of candied red fruits and marshmallow.

Tahitensis from Indonesia

Just like Papua New Guinea, Indonesia does not have a gastronomic tradition, nor an agricultural tradition that teaches and promotes quality maturation. These producing countries have the right climate, but not the technical support like the former French colonies. They were asked by multinationals to provide green vanilla at low cost to make industrial vanilla extract, and not to provide a beautifully prepared and refined pod for baking. The Xtahitensis vanilla pods from Indonesia are interesting with their notes of black licorice and anise, and the pods that we offer at Colibri Vanille are of good quality because we carry out very careful sorting to provide you with the most beautiful pods. But even today more than 90% of our arrivals from Indonesia are dedicated to the manufacture of our extracts.

How to use the beautiful Tahitensis pods?

All Tahitensis vanillas have in common that they have, to varying degrees of intensity, fresh and aniseed notes. So one of the best ways to use it is in sorbet, ice cream or a frozen cocktail. But it still holds its own very well in all pastries, chocolates (especially white chocolate), caramels and coffee preparations. Of course, tahitensis is the vanilla of choice for making your homemade marshmallows . In savory dishes, tahitensis is a vanilla variety that goes wonderfully with fish, ceviches and salmon tartares.

Here is a little recipe that I made this week with a beautiful piece of haddock: it's a festival of flavors in the mouth !!!