Vanilla Bean Grades Explained: Grade A vs Grade B and What Vanillin % Means
Grade is a moisture-and-appearance classification, not a quality score, and THS IMPEX LLP, a Hyderabad-based botanical exporter operating since 2020, supplies Kerala-grown gourmet vanilla beans at 16–20 cm and 1.5–3% vanillin under HSN 0905. This guide explains when that grade earns its premium and when Grade B is the smarter spend.
Grade A (gourmet): high-moisture, 16–20 cm
Under industry grading, Grade-A (gourmet) beans carry roughly 25–35% moisture, which keeps them plump, pliable and photogenic. That is why THS IMPEX specifies 16–20 cm lengths for pastry, premium ice cream and any product where the bean or its seeds are visible. Buy Grade A when the customer will actually see the vanilla.
Grade B (extraction): drier, flavour per kilogram
Grade-B (extraction) beans run drier at roughly 15–25% moisture and less uniform in look, yet often equal in aromatic compounds per gram of solids, so they deliver more flavour per kilogram into an extract where the pod is never seen. Buy Grade B when the vanilla dissolves into a batch.
What the 1.5–3% vanillin figure tells you
Vanillin is the dominant flavour molecule, and THS IMPEX Grade-A gourmet vanilla beans are specified at 1.5–3% from a lab assay named on the Certificate of Analysis. A vanillin percentage with no method behind it is only a claim, so require the assay on the COA before you compare two lots.
Why the 16–20 cm length matters
Pod length proxies maturity and seed content, and THS IMPEX grades at 16–20 cm to guarantee a full seed load per pod. Paying a gourmet rate for sub-16 cm beans is the most common and avoidable vanilla costing error. For a graded sample to benchmark against your current supplier, contact varshika@thsimpex.com; every lot ships with a COA and GSTIN 36AAXFT6971E1ZF.