Madagascar vanilla

Definition

Madagascar vanilla, marketed under the trade name Bourbon vanilla, refers to Vanilla planifolia pods cultivated and cured on the island. Madagascar supplies around 75 to 80 percent of the world vanilla bean production, which makes it the standard reference for most perfumers working a vanilla absolute (source: VanillaPura). The name Bourbon refers historically to the former name of Reunion Island, the first territory to industrialize vanilla cultivation in the Indian Ocean during the nineteenth century.

Origin and geography

Production is concentrated in the Sava region, an acronym for the four producing towns of northeast Madagascar: Sambava, Antalaha, Vohemar and Andapa. This humid coastal area grows close to 80 percent of Malagasy vanilla, which represents around 60 percent of the world supply (source: Swallow's Notes).

The sector remains exposed to tropical cyclones. Cyclone Enawo in March 2017 destroyed 90 to 100 percent of the Antalaha crop and pushed prices from around 500 US dollars to more than 800 US dollars per kilo within months (source: France 24).

Use in perfumery

The olfactive signature of Madagascar vanilla combines a creamy, buttery base with rum, light tobacco and tonka bean facets. It differs from Tahiti vanilla, which is more floral and anisic, and from Mexican vanilla, which is more spicy and leathery.

Post-harvest curing follows four successive steps over six to nine months: blanching the pods in water at 60 to 65 degrees Celsius, sweating under wool blankets, alternating sun and shade drying, then conditioning in sealed boxes. This long process develops natural vanillin and the signature aroma (source: Slofoodgroup).

The material has supported several pillars of modern perfumery: Shalimar by Guerlain (1925), Habanita by Molinard (1921), Spiritueuse Double Vanille by Guerlain (2007) and Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford (2007). In niche perfumery, it anchors most dark gourmand compositions.

Related terms

Madagascar vanilla belongs to a family of related materials and processes that are useful to distinguish in order to understand the vanilla ecosystem in perfumery.