Stash Vanilla Creme
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Stash Vanilla Creme

Vanilla, the most popular flavor in the world, originated in Mexico. The vanilla bean, actually a pod, was found no where else for hundreds of years. The Totonaco Indians knew of this secret flavor. When the Aztecs defeated these peaceful people they demanded the fruits of the Tlilxochitl vine, vanilla pods. In 1520, the Spanish conqueror Cortez was presented with the delightful drink "Chocolatl" (cacao beans, vanilla pods and honey) by Montezuma, the ruler of the Aztecs. Cortez, astounded by the wonderful drink, demanded the recipe. When Cortez returned to Spain, along with riches plundered from the Aztecs, he also brought back cacao beans and vanilla.

The Chocolatl drink was an instant success and extremely popular throughout Europe, especially with the nobility. For the next eighty years vanilla was used only in the chocolate drink. In 1602, Hugh Morgan, apothecary to Queen Elizabeth I, suggested that vanilla could be used as a flavoring by itself.

Vanilla pods, or beans as they are commonly called, are the fruit of an orchid. Of the thousands of varieties of the orchid, the vanilla plant is the only one with an edible fruit. The vanilla orchid is a rather small, trumpet-shaped greenish-white flower. In the center of the flower is a tube-like stamen that is pale yellow. Because of its shape, the orchid needs to be pollinated in order to produce a pod. Originally this was done by a tiny bee, the melipone, found only in Mexico. Vines were grown in other parts of the world, but without the assistance of the bees no pods developed. In 1841 a former slave, Edmond Albious, of the island of Reunion, devised a practical and speedy method of fertilizing the flower by hand. Today the beans are produced in the Bourbon Islands (Madagascar, Comoro, Seychelle and Reunion), Tahiti, Tonga, Mexico and Indonesia.

Vanilla grows well in areas 10 to 20 degrees north or south of the equator. It requires a hot, moist tropical climate with year round temperatures of 75 to 85 degrees. The vine grows best on terrain that is sloping, which allows adequate but not excessive moisture. Vanilla grows from sea level to 2000 feet. Above this altitude the flowers rarely bloom.

Each vanilla flower opens for only part of one day and if not pollinated on that day, no pod will be produced. Six to nine months after pollination the yellow-green pods begin to turn more yellow at their tip indicating they are ready for harvest. After the pods are harvested the curing process is started, which develops the flavor of the vanilla bean. The vanilla beans are immersed in hot water for a short period of time and then spread in the sun to absorb the heat. Late in the afternoon they are gathered and wrapped in blankets and straw, placed in wooden boxes and allowed to sweat over night. This process is repeated over a period of three to six months.

In Indonesia the vanilla beans are usually picked before they are ripened on the vines. And most of these beans are cured over wood fires for only two to three weeks. Early picking and poor curing explain the low flavor quality of these vanilla beans.

At Stash Tea we blend premium black teas from India and China, add freshly cut pieces of fine Bourbon vanilla beans and the best vanilla flavor from Madagascar and Tahiti. The result is a smooth, rich black tea with the wonderful aroma and taste of high quality pure vanilla. This tea is good anytime of the day but is especially good after dinner with a touch of sugar added.