Organic Madagascar Vanilla Bean Pods - Whole Bourbon-Madagascar Beans for Baking - Cooking - Non-GMO - Kosher - Grade A - 1/4 lb (26-30 beans)

Please excuse the long review, but I got a little obsessed as the strange tale of these vanilla beans unfolded. I bought these beans in spite of the negative reviews citing mold growth. I work at a company that makes scientific instruments that measure whether mold can grow on a product, so I was pretty sure I could sidestep that problem. I tested these beans when they arrived, and noted that their "water activity" was far too high (0.98) indicating they would mold if stored at that moisture level.Another puzzler: the beans appeared to be soaked in some sort of alcohol. The brownish liquid is even visible around the beans in the product picture. Real vanilla beans aren't soaked in alcohol - they are painstakingly dried and cured over a period of months. The only reason to soak a vanilla bean in alcohol is to extract its flavor to make, well, extract. Real vanilla beans also cost about $3-4 each.I decided these beans might be usable and shelf stable if I dried them out. This worked, except they appeared to have lost all their flavor in the process. Becoming more suspicious, I set up a taste test by making 5 batches of ice cream with different vanilla flavorings. The 5 types were: 1)no vanilla (custard only), 2)vanilla extract (Kirkland Signature), 3)Real $4 vanilla beans (purchased from King Arthur online), 4)JR Mushrooms Brand vanilla beans from the bag, and 5)JR Mushrooms Brand vanilla beans that had been dried to a level that won't cause mold growth. I got 12 people to taste test these ice cream batches. The averaged scores were (from high to low)1. JR Mushrooms Brand vanilla beans, dried to a safe water activity. Score = 7.5/102. “Real” vanilla beans. Score = 7.3/103. No vanilla at all (unflavored custard). Score = 6.7/104. Vanilla extract. Score = 5.3/105. JR Mushrooms Brand vanilla beans, as packaged (wet). Score = 4.0/10With only 12 participants, some of these scores are statistically indistinguishable from others. But it’s fascinating that the dried JR Mushrooms Brand beans have the highest score, while the JR Mushrooms beans when used straight from the bag have the lowest score. Taste testers complained that the JR Mushrooms wet beans made the ice cream taste like chemicals, and left a lingering off-flavor. I’m going to guess, though, that testers reacted to both what they saw and what they tasted. Custard, made of egg yolks, cream, half and half, and sugar, tastes pretty darn good all by its self. If you’re going to mess with that flavor, I think you have to improve it, which is what the real vanilla beans did. In the case of JR Mushrooms vanilla beans, I think there was little impact on the flavor, but they gave the dish an appearance of having real vanilla beans. That seems to be the winning ticket. We had 2 testers with a lot of culinary experience, and those two both picked out the real vanilla beans ice cream as the clear winner. I think the real vanilla packs the most powerful punch, too, but I knew which batch was which, and was probably biased.Time for a brief summary. I think the JR Mushrooms beans are just vanilla beans that have been used to make extract, and then bagged and sold to unsuspecting consumers. These beans may be useful as a way to show you used real vanilla, but they must be dried, and have little flavor if you actually do that. What’s more, they make your dessert taste like chemicals and create a mold hazard in their "wet" state. That’s not much of a bargain at any price.

I initially wrote a negative review (since deleted ... read on) after the beans started to grow mold after a few weeks despite following the instructions on the package of NOT putting them into the freezer, but keeping them in a dark, dry place - our pantry.YES, they did smell GREAT when opening the package. YES, you get much more/much higher quality beans for less than at your local store. But the mold was a bummer.Even though I posted the review, I figured I'll give them at least a chance to make amends by contacting their customer service team.I didn't expect much of a reply based on other reviewers here and the fact that I placed the order well over 30 days earlier.I was AMAZED at the response I received!Not just did they reply in a very short time, but even offered to REPLACE MY PRODUCT! WOW!Regarding the mold-issue I learned that- their vanilla beans are much fresher than other products (and not dried or put in preservatives), thus they should be used up rather soon after opening the bag- freezing them isn't recommended since it can influence they aroma of the beans (read: they loose much of their flavor if frozen!)- the best way to keep them fresh if not used up within a month is to put them in the refrigerator (or make your own vanilla extract by putting them in alcohol)Again: It's rare to find a company that stands behind their products like JR Mushroom does! The beans DO fill the whole kitchen with vanilla scent after opening the package, and they are VERY FRESH, not dried at all! PLUS: Their customer service makes it a no-brainer as to who I'd place my next order with! You can't go wrong with these guys!

These are excellent beans. I bought these to restock my homemade vanilla supply and they work very well for that purpose. The beans seem very fresh and release oils into alcohol very quickly. I have been storing the leftover beans from my purchase for a couple months now, using them occasionally, and I have had no issues with mold. I also purchased beans from this seller over a year ago and those beans lasted for close to a year with no issues other than they oils started to dry out.I always follow the same procedure to store my beans and I believe it is what allows them to last such a long time. Immediately after purchase, I move them to the cupboard in the kitchen that gets opened the least to reduce exposure to light/sunlight. After opening the sealed package and using them for the first time, I wrap the packaging up tight and place it inside a ziplock bag. Then, I make sure that I have gotten every last bit of air out of the outer bag (it looks like it was resealed with a vacuum by the time I'm done squeezing all the air out) and place it back in the seldom used cupboard. The lack of sunlight reduces any evaporation that may occur from heat exposure and the air tight bag helps hold moisture and oils against the surface of the beans, keeping them fresher, longer. It is also important that your storage cupboard isn't directly adjacent to a major heat source. If your least used cupboard is above the stove or right next to the oven or dishwasher, there is going to be more heat buildup which will accelerate evaporation and dry the beans out faster.

Excellent product - would highly recommend - will buy again (see previous review for full details)

high quality product

Perfect.