As each Taste Test is completed, I will post the results here #01 – Homemade vs McCormick The first taste test ventures into dangerous territory: pitting Homemade Vanilla Extract made from a very inexpensive Vodka against the one Vanilla Extract everyone can name. The Homemade Vanilla Extract is from the bottle that sits in the […]
Taste Tests – An Ongoing Thread Read More »
If you have a bottle of Vanilla Extract with the original Vanilla Bean Pods intact, will adding additional alcohol to the bottle replenish the Vanilla Extract? The answer to this question is a definite “Yes, at least once, but it may affect the quality of the Vanilla Extract.” Experiments must be conducted in order to
Question 06: Can You Replenish Vanilla Extract? Read More »
The original set of instructions followed for the first bottle of Vanilla Extract said to wait “for 6-12 months before using.” Other sites claim “3 weeks is the minimum“. What’s the actual answer? A variance of 3 to 52 weeks is a bit much. Therefore, an experiment needs to be conducted which can test Vanilla
Question 05: How Long Does It Take To Make Good Vanilla Extract? Read More »
This is probably the hardest question to answer, because the answer will necessarily be highly subjective and it will require many more tests: Which vodka makes the best Vanilla Extract? There are well over 100 different brands of vodka available in the Unites States. Most retailers I’ve visited carry a wide variety of brands, each
Question 04: Which Vodka Is Best For Vanilla Extract? Read More »
Vanilla Bean Pods are unbelievably expensive. In our local grocery store, two pods are packaged together for $7.99 plus tax. They are not sold by weight, so the number of packages to add up to one ounce is unknown. My experience is that it takes about ten to twelve pods to make up an ounce,
Question 03 – Answered: What Is The Effect Of The Cost Of Vanilla Bean Pods? Read More »
It’s the first of the month, so that means there are new bottles to fill. I’m still ramping up and have no idea how much to produce at a time (other than One Litre At A Time), so I’ve chosen the following this month: The litres took just over 4 ounces of Grade B Vanilla
June 02, 2025 – First of the month! Read More »
I don’t drink alcohol, so I knew nothing about it when I started. But I’ve learned a lot this year. Some Vanilla Extract instruction indicate that “The quality and brand of the alcohol are not important.” or “This is probably the only time someone will tell you to buy the cheap stuff!!”. Consequently, when I
Question 02 – Answered: What Is The Effect Of The Cost Of Alcohol? Read More »
As of today, 24 May, 2025, this is what we believe to be best practices. Anything in italics is opinion, which, at this moment, is most of what we “know”. To make 8 oz of Vanilla Extract, use between 0.75 oz and 1.0 oz of vanilla bean pods. Use this chart to choose the appropriate
May, 2025 – Best Practices Read More »
The biggest (and most expensive) question: Which grade of vanilla beans to use? Grade A beans were used initially for no real reason other than that’s what was chosen to purchase the first time around. But the cost difference between Grade A and Grade B keeps inviting a reevaluation and a continued search for additional
Question 01: Which is Better – Grade A or B Vanilla Beans? Read More »
As a Computer Science guy, I have to start with a Hello World! I’ve been searching for more detailed information about creating my own vanilla extract since I started making my own in early 2023. That bottle that I first used in the summer of 2023 is now a very, very good extract, but I
