


Vanilla
XXL Vanilla Bean
The secret behind the best taste and texture
The biggest vanilla beans Chef Justin has ever seen.
In June 2025, Chef Justin stopped by the Paris boutique of his good friend, master chocolatier Jean-Philippe Casteuble (Fifi la Praline). A young sales representative for a company specializing in rare ingredients from Madagascar happened to be at the counter, handing out honey samples. Then he pulled out a vanilla bean almost 30 cm (nearly a foot) long.
Justin couldn't leave France without bringing some home.
- XXL size: 20 to 25 cm (about 8 to 10 inches) long.
- At least 20 g per bean: roughly four times the weight of a typical 3 to 5 g bean.
- From Madagascar: sourced through a company specializing in rare Malagasy ingredients.
Compare them with ordinary vanilla beans in the photos.
Provenance
Four generations at one mill on the Loire.
DuBon flour is milled by the Girardeau family, who have run their mill in the Loire region since 1843, grinding French heirloom wheat chosen for flavor. Never bleached or bromated.