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Buying vanilla beans in French Polynesia?


giselleacttwo
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I buy it by the Kilo, last year I bought 2 kilos.

 

The best quality and the best price if your buying in quantity will be on Moorea at this place. Just to the east of the Moorea IC. I've bought on several different islands and at the airport, this place is best for freshness, quality & quantity.

 

NonistoreonMoorea.jpg

A kilo is about 2.2 U.S. pounds, so by my quick math I'm guessing there are about 200 beans per kilo. Wow! May I ask what one would pay for a kilo of vanilla beans? -Allan

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If I recall the price was $225 USD for a kilo.

 

Fresh vanilla :)

 

Meaning it hasn't been sitting in a test tube container for who knows how long. The stuff from this place and a few on Tahaa you know it's fresh.

 

Go down to Costco and see what you pay for a couple of beans

Edited by Tikiintahiti
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If I recall the price was $225 USD for a kilo.

 

Fresh vanilla :)

 

Meaning it hasn't been sitting in a test tube container for who knows how long. The stuff from this place and a few on Tahaa you know it's fresh.

 

Go down to Costco and see what you pay for a couple of beans

 

Thanks. My wife is very interested in this. (Translated: We're getting a kilo or two.) Thanks for all your help. - Allan

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yes there is a place. I would go to Chin Lee's market. When you get off the tender on Bora Bora go to the street then left. About one block on the right side you will see Chin Lee's market.

 

You can also purchase at the airport before or after security as there are a few stores inside. Not as fresh but I'm sure it will be fine.

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Also I bought at Chin Lee 2 beers - Tabu and Hinano Ambre - that you can't get on the ship. Good stuff! By the way since I AM on the vanilla thread: put a couple of beans in a bottle of extra virgin olive oil and then a year later you will amazed at what it does for frying food and veggies. Going to try it in a bottle of rum next week.

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10 beans sliced open into 8 oz of good vodka, Shake a few times a week. In 6 months you will have incredible vanilla extract.

 

10 oz white Balsamic vinegar with 4 beans sliced open. let sit for 2 months and then mix with blood orange olive oil for salads ............ yummy

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Bought pineapple balsamic vinegar in Moorea at the fruit juice factory

Along with my case of Rotui pineapple juice and its also great. Also bought a lot of jam from the agricultural school.

Had luggage just for all that and can't believe it all made it back in one piece.

By the way, vanilla powder in eggs very good too.

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One of you mentioned going to NZ. I am not sure they will let you take vanilla beans into NZ. We went home via NZ and a few other islands. I mailed the vanilla beans to my US home address from the post office in Papeete. They sell packaging material.

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Last week my wife took me to the local Orchid Society display here where we live, and low & behold they had a person giving a lecture on the vanilla plant, had a plant to show us, talked about pollinating it, how to grow it, etc.

 

I was completely captivated on this plant, and what I was shown by the guest lecturer, what an unusual plant, and the smell was just beautiful.

 

Well, something else I have learn't this week, The Vanilla Plant, and I didn't know we could grow it here where we live. Oh, I love living in the tropics.

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  • 1 month later...

I just saw this thread. I'm curious. We will be on Windsurf July 11-18 and depart Papeete to Hawaii as we own a house on Kauai. Hawaii is very strict about agricultural imports. Any idea if the packaged vanilla is on the allowed or no no list to Hawaii? It's different than Mainland requirements.

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  • 1 month later...

We are arriving in Papeete late the evening before and arriving on Moorea the next morning. Do the AG school and the Royal Noni place take credit cards? This thread has given me a huge list of things to buy there. The beans, the jellies, the oils-Oh My! Thanks Tikiintahiti for all the information.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I did get to Royal Noni while on Moorea. I had cash but he did take a credit card for over a certain amount (had to buy a larger Monoi oil bottle to get there in addition to my vanilla beans). We also went to the agricultural school and the pineapple vanilla jam is great-I put some in dessert crepes last night. Every one in our group bought lots of jam there-I did not see if anyone charged it. They also made a really good drink by just blending up cut up pineapple. Take cash and do not miss this stop! Thanks Tikiintahiti and others for the information I got here.

Edited by tvmovielover
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