Your article is very helpful. I made my first two bottles of extract last night. 5 split beans in each 8oz bottle. I used Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans. They were very plump and pungent scented. I wouldn't say they smell like what I think vanilla smells like, but I have a bottle of Madagascar vanilla extract and it smells the same as these beans. I noticed today there are whitish flakes in my extract bottle along with all the vanilla bean flakes. I don't know what they are either sugar crystals or mold. Mold seems unlikely to develop in an alcohol environment but I don't see any mention of whitish flakes.

• Reply