pg2 ownage. i've found that cutting your beans into 1/2" pieces helps in making extract. you can put your spent beans in sugar to use in other recipes. my rule of thumb is to agitate your extract when first starting out- once a day for a week, once a week for a month, and once a month after that.
any decent vodka works or any alcohol that isn't too strong tasting. i've used higher end vodkas and don't taste any difference. no spiced or flavored alcohols, waste of vanilla beans. bourbon is ok and i've used high proof moonshine, as well. it was a little harsh and a waste of beans.

Does cutting them yield a faster extract over splitting? I thought splitting was the best...but uve never tried cutting.


I found one of the aforementioned extract making groups on Facebook. Some of the alcohol people use just makes me scratch my head. Some people buy vanilla (artificial) flavored rum to make vanilla extract. WTF? 100% counterproductive. Just buy some artificial vanilla flavor if you want artificial vanilla flavor...why spend big money on real vanilla then adulter it with artificial vanilla? Vodka or rum, inspired, unflavored for the best vanilla.

Using bourbon is said to take at least 2 years for the extract to mellow to a pleasant extract.


Most people using Everclear are diluting it to the recommended 70-100 proof (35-50%) that is best for extraction...I would imagine full strength Everclear would probably never mellow enough to be pleasant...

i've found it makes for a little quicker and cleaner extract. i'd think splitting them would introduce more of the innards of the bean, especially if you agitate.

You can always strain & filter if you don't want the bits in it.

My bottle made from split beans has 1/2" caviar at the bottom and it's a little cloudy. I plan to strain and filter if I gift any of it but I don't mind the cloudiness or the bits.

After doing a little research here's what I found out. There are no standards as to what grade A or grade B is. Why? Because there is no central agency or authority that determines grades of vanilla beans or allows what can be sold as this or that. It just doesn't exist. Bean marketers can call any beans grade A or B or whatever. It comes down to Caveat Emptor. If you're satisfied with the beans you get from your supplier then stick with them because the rules are made up as they go along.

This is true but there is a general consensus among the big time buyers (middlemen and food manufacturers that are using real vanilla) on what each grade roughly is. Yes, it is their responsibility to inspect to make sure it meets their needs.

Some call them "extract grade" and "gourmet" instead if B and A. Generally they all mean the same thing.

Grade B/Extract grade is a bean less than 30% moisture that may have splits, short beans, etc

Grade A/Gourmet is a bean that is long, plump, not split, and has a moisture of 30-35%.

Thanks for this thread, I ordered a pound of extract grade beans from Sava.

Great thread OP with even better timing (for me!) I am getting back into baking pastries/doughnuts and have been looking into the logistics and feasibility of upgrading key ingredients, with vanilla extract being one of them. I made two different glazes this weekend. The first used "Vanilla flavoring" which we had on-hand and the other used "Pure Vanilla Extract" which I went out and purchased locally.

The flavor difference just between the two store bought vanilla's was noticeable and I can only imagine that the stuff you are currently making will only taste that much better. The glaze I'm currently experimenting with only uses 4-5 ingredients with vanilla being ~95% of the actual flavor.

Expect a text or two inbound about vanilla extract!

2 months in and my vanilla extract smells great and is a rich chocolatey brown color. I may start tapping into one soon just to see how it is!