The Best Vanilla

This bold extract had its friends and its foes. First off, it was boozy. “Too much alcohol, not enough bean,” said one taster. Another disagreed: “Very expensive- and original-tasting, like pudding from a fancy restaurant.” A third was pragmatic: “At least you can't be plagued with those, ‘Wait! Did I remember to add the vanilla?’ doubts.” Described as buttery, pepperminty, bright, floral, rich, and slightly bitter, overall this “full-flavored” extract earned praise for an “elegant, interesting, and complex” flavor.

This extract was “mellow,” with milder vanilla flavor but interesting nuance—“not very bold but some complexity here,” as one person put it. Tasters described it as slightly nutty, toasty, woodsy, oaky, and floral, with notes of anise, rose water, and subtle warm spices. “Tastes richer, more nuanced, almost smoky,” said one. Overall, it was complex and interesting but not the most vanilla-y vanilla out there.

This vanilla made sweeter frosting and pudding, but tasters liked the flavor, calling it “simple,” “approachable,” “straightforward,” and “well-balanced,” with “good homemade vibes.” There was some complexity—it was “a touch bitter in a good way” and “slightly floral,” with warmer notes of caramel and a “hint” of booziness, in the vein of rum and bourbon. In sum, it had a classic vanilla flavor with some additional complexity playing an appropriate supporting role.

This vanilla is called a “flavoring” instead of a “pure vanilla extract” even though it's made with real vanilla beans because the FDA mandates that pure vanilla extract be 35 percent alcohol. It uses glycerine (a lightly sweet, colorless, odorless, viscous liquid) as an extracting medium instead. Tasters said it was “faintly floral,” with notes of caramel; it was “not very complex but [had a] nice intensity of warm, sweet vanilla flavor.”

This pure extract was fruity, lingering, and evocative. Tasters compared its flavor to those of Valentine's Day heart candies, bananas, Fruity Pebbles, Laffy Taffy, bubble gum, cotton candy, animal crackers, and Yankee candles. Some tasters appreciated the robust combination of flavors: “I like this one—feels like something extra is going on.” Others wished for more classic vanilla flavor with less background noise: “Complex but not in a way I like,” said one taster.

“Holy vanilla flavor!” said one taster trying this product in pudding. It wasn't complex but rather sang one note—VANILLA!—and sang it loudly. It has the most vanillin of any product we tried, and it likely uses a combination of pure vanilla extract and synthetic vanillin (which would fall under the “artificial flavors” on its ingredient list), although the company wouldn't confirm this. Some thought its smack-you-in-the-face flavor was a heady foil that balanced butter and sugar in desserts, others found it “fake,” like “vanilla invented in a lab.”

The classic vanilla flavor in this extract was “mild and delicate,” which makes sense since it had a lower vanillin level. But there was a lot of other stuff going on: Tasters picked out notes of caramel, rum, flowers, cherries, warm spices, and almonds. It certainly had nuance. Some found this complexity interesting, and others said it was “weird,” but almost everyone wished the classic vanilla notes were stronger.

Tasters described this extract as “subtle.” Some found it “pleasant and light,” but most thought it was a bit “bland.” It had the lowest vanillin level, and overall we preferred vanillas with more oomph; it made both pudding and frosting taste sweeter without bold vanilla flavor and extra complexity to balance things out. It was also boozy, which was divisive—some said it had a “nice sharpness,” while others found it “harsh.”