A split vanilla bean infusing in warm cream is where a great crème brûlée starts, and these are the beans to start it with. Norohy source them from the Maroantsetra and Mananara regions of eastern Madagascar, sort them by size and tie them by hand into 125g bunches with raffia.

Each bean is black, plump and very oily, between 16 and 23cm long and flexible enough to bend, and left whole and unsplit until you open it.

What Is Bourbon Vanilla?

Bourbon is an appellation of origin, reserved for Vanilla planifolia grown on the islands of the Indian Ocean, Madagascar among them. Norohy work as directly as they can with growers and preparers there, and it takes more than six months of curing and checking for a black, non-split bean to reach this stage. The result carries a vanillin content of around 1.5%, the compound behind most of vanilla's flavour.

Download the Norohy 2025 Brochure to learn more.

How to Use Vanilla Beans 

Run a small knife down the length of a bean, open it out and scrape the seeds from both halves. Drop the seeds and the pod into your milk or cream as it heats, cover and leave to infuse, then strain before you carry on. Our Pecan Vanilla Eclair recipe infuses two beans in 500ml of milk for its crème pâtissière. The beans suit ganache, ice cream and every kind of pastry, and they lift savoury dishes too. Store the bunch in its bag, somewhere cool and dry and out of the light.

Take a look at Norohy's guide to using vanilla in the kitchen for some tips!

Pairings and Ideas 

Vanilla beans go with cream, eggs, white chocolate, caramel, pecans and pears.

• Pecan vanilla eclairs
• Vanilla bean crème brûlée
• Vanilla ganache bonbons
• Churned vanilla bean ice cream
• Pears poached with a split vanilla bean
• Caramel and vanilla Paris-Brest