The Process
About the green-to-black vanilla process (which can take up to a year):
- It takes 6 to 7 kg of green vanilla to make 1 kg of black vanilla.
- Blanching – green vanilla is immersed in water at 63 degrees for 3 minutes
- Steaming – vanilla is placed for 12-14 hours between woolen blankets, thus drying until the color of dark chocolate is obtained.
- Drying – the pods are dried for a couple of hours a day. In the beginning in the oven, then in the sun, then in the shade.
- Refining – the pods are placed in wooden crates with a lid and checked frequently, allowing it to develop its aroma and to check for possible rot.