Making your own vanilla extract is extremely simple, but when it comes to methodology, there are a lot of mixed opinions out there. One of those mixed opinions is what the best vanilla bean for extract is, the higher quality (and more expensive) grade A vanilla beans or the more affordable grade B vanilla beans. We tested grade A and B beans against one another to find out which one makes the better vanilla and if the difference in taste is worth the difference in cost.
What’s the Difference Between Grade A and B Vanilla Beans?
The biggest difference between grade A (gourmet) and grade B (Extraction Grade) vanilla beans is the moisture content. Grade A beans are more fresh than grade B, resulting in them being less dried out with a moisture content of at least 30%. They are often sold by the bean for more “gourmet” dishes.
Grade B vanilla beans are a little older, drier, and more shriveled. They have around 10% less moisture in them on average. They are often sold by weight and much cheaper than grade A.
This can affect the vanilla making process because if you add beans to alcohol based upon weight, not bean count, you are getting more water and less bean content when using grade A vanilla beans. We suspected that this would result in a weaker vanilla extract when using grade A vanilla beans, even though they are considered higher quality.
Methodology
Recipes
We made identical batches of vanilla wafers and vanilla royal icing with the only variant being the vanilla extract used in the recipe. This allowed the vanilla to be the dominant flavor without anything else competing for the spotlight.
Vanilla Extracts
For the vanilla extract, we used my uncle’s homemade vanilla extracts made from Titful vodka, one with grade A beans, and the other with grade B beans. They were both made on the same date with identical weight measurements for the alcohol and beans. We also added a third batch with McCormick vanilla to compare the homemade vanilla batches to a common store bought batch.
Testing
We assigned a letter to each batch and had people do a blind taste test. The cookies and icings were tasted separately and the subjects then wrote down their preference for each in order from first to third. We used a point system to determine the highest scoring vanilla with 1st choice earning three points, 2nd earning two, and 3rd earning one.
Results
We have started with a small testing pool, planning to add onto it as we continue testing. If you want to also see the results from my uncle, he has had a much larger testing size. You can see his results once they are posted as well as his other articles on making the best vanilla extract here.
1. Grade A Vanilla Bean Extract
Placed 1st in Wafers and Icing: First place just barely went to our vanilla extract made with grade A vanilla beans for both the wafers and the icing, despite our expectations. It won by 1 point in wafers and 3 points in royal icing.
Color: The color of the vanilla extracts made from grade A beans at the time of testing are significantly lighter than the extracts made from grade B vanilla. This seems to indicate that the time of extraction may take longer for grade A beans. I would assume this is because of the higher moisture content in grade A beans.
Smell: The smell of this vanilla extract at the time of testing was rather light. It was slightly sweet with only a hint of vanilla. The smell combined with the lighter color makes me again conclude that a vanilla extract made with grade A beans needs longer than the three months it was given.
Taste: This vanilla produced a lighter, slightly sweet flavor that most people preferred.
2. McCormick Vanilla Extract
Placed 2nd in Wafers and Icing: Second place went to our vanilla extract made with store-bought McCormick vanilla extract for both the wafers and the icing. It ended up being ranked 4 points ahead of third in wafers and 2 points ahead of third in icing.
Color: The color of the McCormick vanilla extract is significantly darker than the homemade extracts.
Smell: This vanilla extract had a strong alcoholic smell with a heavy note of vanilla.
Taste: The McCormick vanilla extract without a doubt gives the more “classic” or “recognized” vanilla taste. It makes sense because this is the vanilla most people grew up with in their desserts. It is a little bit of a stronger “vanilla” taste, but I would argue that it has less of a sweet note than that which came with the homemade vanilla extracts.
3. Grade B Vanilla Bean Extract
Placed 3rd in Wafers and Icing: In last place for both wafers and icing, was the grade B vanilla extract. This is unfortunate since the grade B beans are much more economical.
Color: The grade B vanilla extract was much darker than the grade A extract, but still lighter than McCormick. Again, this is likely due to the moisture content difference between A and B vanilla beans.
Smell: The smell of this extract was similar to that of the grade A extract, but with a stronger note of vanilla.
Taste: The taste of this one was closer to a “classic” vanilla taste than grade A beans produced, but the level of sweetness was between the other two.
Conclusion
So, are grade A beans worth it? Maybe—but only if you’ve got the patience (and the budget). Grade B beans still make a beautiful, flavorful extract for everyday baking. The best vanilla is the one you’ll actually make and use often—and the homemade kind always wins in my book.
Thank you, Micah. These results are significantly different that what I experienced, but we used different methods. I only used vanilla wafers in the test, and I did not directly test against McCormick’s in this same test. I’ll try to replicate your test in the weeks to come to see if my results using your methodology are comparable.