Vanilla grades: gourmet, TK, red… understanding what you’re really buying

On a product page, two vanilla beans can look identical: same origin, same stated length, similar photographs. Yet one can be worth three times the price of the other. The difference lies in a word that many sellers carefully leave out: the grade.

Gourmet, black, TK, red, cuts… these names describe the real condition of the bean: its moisture content, its suppleness, its integrity, and therefore the use for which it is intended. Understanding these grades means knowing what you are really buying — and avoiding the pitfalls of a market where vagueness rarely benefits the buyer.

Why grades exist: it all starts with sorting at the origin

Vanilla is not a standardized product. Each bean is born from manual pollination, flower by flower, followed by long months of ripening on the vine, then meticulous preparation: scalding, sweating, drying, curing. As a general rule, it takes about 4 to 5 kg of green vanilla to obtain 1 kg of cured vanilla, and curing itself lasts several months, or even several years.

At the end of this process, the beans from the same harvest do not all arrive in the same condition. Some are long, plump, perfectly intact; others split during drying; others still have lost more moisture. Processors therefore sort the batches at the origin, bean by bean, to form uniform categories: this is how grades are born.

Remember one essential thing: this sorting is not a hierarchy of good and bad. It is a classification by use. A red bean is an excellent raw material for extraction, while a gourmet bean is made to be split and scraped into a cream. The problem begins when one grade is sold as another.

Vanilla grades explained, from the most supple to the driest

Gourmet (or black) vanilla: the tasting bean

This is the top of the range. A gourmet bean is supple, plump, a deep, even brown; it wraps around a finger without breaking and releases its seeds in abundance when split. According to the standards of the trade, its moisture content is around 30 to 38%. It is the bean for fine pastry, creams and ice creams, wherever the seeds are scraped. It is the grade we favor across all of our vanillas.

TK vanilla: the semi-split at a fair price

The TK grade refers to semi-split beans, opened along part of their length during drying, with a moisture content generally between 25 and 30% according to trade practice. Aromatically, a good TK has nothing to be ashamed of: the split is an accident of preparation, not a flavor defect. It is very well suited to infusions, homemade extracts and everyday cooking. Its rightful place is below the price of gourmet — and that is precisely where a seller’s honesty comes into play.

Red vanilla: the extraction specialist

Drier, stiffer, with a hue tending toward reddish-brown, red vanilla has lost more water. It can no longer be scraped, but its aromas remain very present: it is the preferred raw material for extracts, powders and long infusions. It is also an ideal base for flavoring homemade vanilla sugar, where the bean slowly infuses its fragrance.

Cuts: pieces intended for processing

Cuts are beans cut into pieces or broken bits from sorting, bought for their extraction yield: liqueurs, extracts, industrial flavorings. Weight for weight, it is the most affordable grade — and there is no reason for it to be sold at a high price.

Summary table: grade, moisture, use, price

The pitfalls of an opaque market

Since the grade is almost never clearly displayed at retail, abuses are common. Here are the three pitfalls we encounter most often.

• TK sold at the price of gourmet. A split, drier bean, presented in a nice photo and billed at full price. Without any mention of the grade or moisture content, there is no way to know before it arrives.
• Rehydrated beans. Some dry beans are re-moistened to appear supple, glossy and heavy. The added water inflates the billed weight, dilutes the aromatic perception and, above all, creates favorable conditions for mold during storage. A bean that is abnormally moist, soft or smells fermented should alert you.
• Misleading weights. A gourmet bean weighs about 4 to 6 g. A “bean” sold individually without any weight indication can weigh 4 g or 6 g: at the same unit price, the real cost per gram is completely different. Insist on a weight and convert the price to the kilogram to compare.

This last calculation is instructive. In 2026, Madagascar vanilla prices collapsed: gourmet beans trade at around 70–95 €/kg on arrival in France. Yet some chef brands sell individual beans for between 10,50 € and 15,50 €. Direct from the growers, the same gourmet quality is available at a very different price: our Bourbon from Madagascar costs 4,50 € per bean, with tiered pricing down to 2,50 € per bean — a mechanism explained on our vanilla direct from the growers page.

Why a supple bean is not always better

This is the nuance few sellers take the time to explain. A bean’s moisture is not a quality criterion in itself: it is water, and water has no flavor. What you are paying for are the aromatic compounds.

Long curing — several months in trunks, with regular care — dries the bean slightly, but it concentrates its aromas and makes them more complex. Conversely, a very supple bean may simply be a young bean, insufficiently cured, or even rehydrated. Between a well-cured bean at 30% moisture and a waterlogged bean at 38%, the first will almost always offer more on the palate. Suppleness is an indication of grade; on its own, it says nothing about the curing work.

Vanillin frost: the sign that doesn’t lie

There is, however, one visual clue that cannot be faked: frost. On some highly concentrated beans, natural vanillin migrates to the surface and crystallizes into fine, white, sparkling needles. This phenomenon only occurs when the vanillin concentration is exceptional — impossible to simulate by rehydrating a mediocre bean. We have devoted a full article to vanilla crystallization.

Frost is so rare that it is almost a grade in its own right. Our collection of frosted vanillas brings together several origins, including a planifolia from New Caledonia with a record vanillin content of about 4%, with notes of vanilla caramel, mild coffee, ripe cherry and black tea.

How Galand Vanille grades its beans

Across the 19 origins and 8 botanical species in our catalog, no batch goes on sale on the strength of a technical sheet alone. Paul Galand selects and tastes every batch himself: checking suppleness and moisture, verifying the integrity of the beans, and above all tasting batch by batch, because two batches of the same grade and the same origin can offer very different profiles. Anything that does not meet the expected level of a gourmet bean is simply not sold as such.

This standard also applies to professionals: our pro range, sold by weight with tiered pricing, comes from the same tasted and approved batches as the beans sold individually. More than 4,000 orders confirm this method for us: the grade announced must be the grade delivered.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between gourmet vanilla and TK vanilla?

Gourmet is an intact, supple bean, with a moisture content of about 30 to 38% according to trade standards; TK is semi-split and a little drier (about 25 to 30%). TK remains very worthwhile for infusing or making extract, provided it is sold for less than gourmet.

Is a vanilla bean that has dried out lost?

No. A bean that has dried out remains rich in aromas: use it in a long infusion, in homemade extract or in vanilla sugar. To avoid getting to that point, see our complete guide to storing vanilla beans.

What is a normal price for a gourmet bean in 2026?

At online retail, 350–700 €/kg is commonly seen; some chef brands sell beans for between 10,50 € and 15,50 €. Direct from the growers, a gourmet Bourbon is available from 4,50 € per bean (down to 2,50 € per bean with tiered pricing). Always compare by weight.