EUGENE KLIPFEL

For the past hundred years, almost all of the thousand Polynesian Vanilla growers have no longer prepared their own vanillas (drying); they pick them and sell them to the few preparers active in the territory. The result is that each preparer obtains vanilla from at least one hundred planters spread out over the entire archipelago. All of the vanilla from the various plantations and islands are thus mixed together and prepared at the same time. Once the notion of terroir was abandoned, the vanillas were no longer distinguishable. Only fruit which has reached full maturity(dark brown color) is selected, a selection process identical to that used with grapes for “Vendanges Tardives ” and the “Sélections grains nobles” fines Alsace wines. This very late harvesting process, unique in Polynesia, makes it possible to enhance the taste and aromatic qualities of Tahitian Vanilla.