KAF offering Free Shipping on Vanilla

Cubangirl · **Posted:** Wed Nov 20, 2013 5:21 pm

KAF is offering free shipping on a their vanilla and N&M Madagascar vanilla. Today and tomorrow till 11:59pm EST.

Tim · **Posted:** Thu Nov 21, 2013 8:38 am

But, homemade vanilla is better at a fraction of the cost.

Cubangirl · **Posted:** Thu Nov 21, 2013 11:21 am

I agree but it requires a quantity of beans and time, and I don't have either at the moment. Making my own is on my culinary bucket list. In the meantime, I like the good stuff but don't want to pay for shipping.

jim262 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 21, 2013 12:11 pm

At the price of a pint of KAF vanilla or quart or N&M, making it at home is much larger fraction of the cost of store bought than it was several years ago.

The lowest price I have found for extract grade beans is about $50\lb delivered. To make the extract I am used to, I would need to add $12.50 worth of beans [100 grams] to at least $15 [1 liter] of vodka.

KAF 16oz.@ $23 is tempting.
N&M 32 oz. @35 is a slam dunk.

Considering that I have given away much more than half of the vanilla I have made, the cost of the remainder that I have used is probably close to $120\liter. :shock:

Tim · **Posted:** Thu Nov 21, 2013 4:50 pm

jim262 wrote:

At the price of a pint of KAF vanilla or quart or N&M, making it at home is much larger fraction of the cost of store bought than it was several years ago.

The lowest price I have found for extract grade beans is about $50\lb delivered.

Jim,

This doesn't compute for me. Are you using more than twenty whole beans ($12) with a liter of vodka($15)? It really sounds inexpensive compared to buying vanilla extract.

If that is the right calculation, you homemade vanilla extract is far more concentrated than any commercial extract.

Tim

jim262 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 21, 2013 8:44 pm

From Wikipedia and confirmed from trusted sources:

Quote:

In the United States, in order for a vanilla extract to be called pure, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that the solution contains a minimum 35% of alcohol and 100g of vanilla beans per litre (13.35 ounces per gallon).

jeanf · **Posted:** Thu Nov 21, 2013 9:22 pm

In Canada it makes WAY more sense to buy Kirkland pure vanilla at Costco then to make it since our booze is so much pricier and I haven't found a cheap bulk source for vanilla beans that ship to Canada without a ridiculous shipping and duty fee. I got around that by shipping beans to hubby's office and using duty free vodka. But even then I think the Kirkland is still comparable. IIRC it's 6.99 for about 400 ml.

cmd2012 · **Joined:** Thu Oct 06, 2011 7:53 pm **Posts:** 946

Yeah, I was stuck on that $15 vodka thing. Here a litre of vodka goes for more like $25 (and that's the cheap stuff).

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