Villa Vanilla

[Jeff in St Pete]

I had a chance to check out Villa Vanilla today. This vanilla plantation and spice farm is located about 10 miles east of Quepos/Manuel Antonio in the foothills of the mountains. It bills itself as a tropical laboratory for sustainable agriculture comprised of 27 acres of agricultural production and 125 acres of primary and secondary rainforest. Their cash crops include their major spice - vanilla, as well as cocoa, true cinnamon (Ceylon), black and white pepper, allspice, cardamom, plus exotic fruits and essential oil plants. The plantation and all of their products are certified organic and demeter biodynamic (whatever that means).

We started the tour at their post harvest warehouse where they dry, process and package their spices

[Jeff in St Pete]

Vanilla beans in different drying stages

Black Pepper

Cardamom

Drying tables

[Jeff in St Pete]

Dried beans ready for sale

Vanilla extract

This table was all about Cacao

We tried fresh Cacao first, then you can also see the homemade chocolate on the plate for us to sample

[Jeff in St Pete]

Reaching in for a piece of fruit. The flesh is sweet and kind of stringy and sticks to the seed. Most people suck on them and then spit the seed out.

Dried seeds

Cocoa nibs (cracked and roasted cocoa beans) - these are delicious. They are crunchy and slightly nutty (like almonds), with a dark chocolate finish. They use them to snack on, to mix with granola or yogurt, or to bake in cookies. We were each given a cookie to sample and I thought they were better than chocolate chips.

[Jeff in St Pete]

Fresh Cacao pods

Black peppercorns on the left and white peppercorns on the right.

The black ones are picked green and dried, the white ones are left

on the vine longer until they turn red before harvesting.

How to identify real cinnamon from Cassia

Ceylon Cinnamon in the center, Cassia in the jar on the right.

The ceylon cinnamon is much more fragile than the hard Cassia cinammon sticks

[Jeff in St Pete]

Fresh ground Ceylon Cinnamon

Cinnamon tree sections

Our guide slicing into the layer of cinnamon under the bark.

A fresh piece for us to taste

[Jeff in St Pete]

None the cinnamon wood is wasted. It is burned during the rainy season to help dry the spices. The oven is located under the spice racks.

Old grinding tools

[Jeff in St Pete]

Heading out to the garden tour

First stop was the Soil Improvement Area

This is where they compost all the empty cacao pods along with all their other organic waste

Our guide told us that they pour water over this tray, collect the compost tea underneath, and then use it on plants in the garden

[Jeff in St Pete]

Vanilla vine

Unknown plant with nice purple and blue flowers

Flowers

[Jeff in St Pete]

Next it's on to the Epiphyte Trail

There are also a lot of Heliconias and other plants along this trail

Guide talking about how the vines want to grow upwards in the trees.

The employees walk around regularly and pull the vines down to keep them looping around at eye level.

All vanilla flowers must be hand pollinated in order to get beans so they need them at a reachable level.

Bananas

[Jeff in St Pete]

Many different types of epiphytes are featured along this trail on fence posts.

Hot Lips

[Jeff in St Pete]

Ginger

The stalk was about 2.5 meters (8 feet) tall.

Ti plants

[Jeff in St Pete]

Heliconia flower emerging

Small palm along the trail. Looks like a Geonoma?

Giant leaf!

[Jeff in St Pete]

Bromeliad bloom

Cardamom plants

[Jeff in St Pete]

Vanilla beans

Tillandsia

[Jeff in St Pete]

Cacao tree

And the fruit

I want to learn how to grow cacao properly and make my own chocolate

[Jeff in St Pete]

It was raining very lightly during parts of the tour

Heliconia - Sexy Pink

Ginger

[Al in Kona]

Very interesting Jeff. Do they sell their products to you right there as well as wholesale? Would be curious about what they charge for a vanilla bean for example as it can be quite expensive at most USA stores.

I guess I should grow a few Cacao plants since I have the climate for it but just never have done so yet.

Thanks for sharing all this with us.

[Jeff in St Pete]

I asked about the rocks. She said the owner is responsible for that.

[Jeff in St Pete]

Black pepper hanging off the vine

[Jeff in St Pete]

Asterogyne and Asplundia growing together near the park bench

Another stone

And another Asplunia

[Jeff in St Pete]

Etlingera elatior flower

More Tillandsia and Broms

[Jeff in St Pete]

After exiting the Epiphyte Trail we headed towards the Viewpoint

Cabin at the Viewpoint

[Jeff in St Pete]

Areca catechu

While at the viewpoint we received cinnamon tea

[Jeff in St Pete]

At the Viewpoint we were also served samples of Vanilla Cheesecake topped with fresh mango, and a chocolate cookie with a scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream on top (didn't get any photos - too busy eating). Lastly our guide made us a hot chocolate drink made with their homemade cocoa powder (called Olmec?). They had two options - one flavored with vanilla and the other flavored with hot chili. We all tried the hot chili cocoa and it was very good with a slight kick to it.

Afterwards we headed over to the Spice Shop

Ylang Ylang tree along the way

Walking under the Gingers

The Spice Shop

[Jeff in St Pete]

Pond next to the shop. Water is muddy from all the recent rain.

[Jeff in St Pete]

My purchases: 2 bags of Cocoa Nibs and a bottle of Vanilla Extract

Looking at something along the bridge

When I caught up and asked, the guide pointed it out to me. This sack contains white peppercorns. Part of the process is to keep them underwater for two weeks.

[Jeff in St Pete]

Irartea deltoidea

Bactis gasipaes

Another Vanilla vine - you can see them spaced apart going to the left in the photo.

The plants have to be kept at a certain distance from each other. If they are planted too close, then a disease sweeps through the area.

That's all the photos. The tour was a lot of fun and we had a chance to sample many of the spices they grow on the farm.

I will definitely recommend this tour to future guests at our rental home.

[peachy]

OOOOOOOOOHH Dunno what that plant is with the huge leaves but I want 10 of them. Great pix as usual Jeff and thanks for sharing them with us who live in less salubrious locales.

Peachy

[ariscott]

Jeff,

That ginger in post #12 is absolutely stunning!!! Michael (aussiearoids)... where are you when we need you???

You can grow cocoa trees. They are quite easy to grow... to make them fruit is another matter. I have been told where I am... I have to give them overhead sprinkler to keep the humidity up in the dry season, otherwise it won't fruit. In your case, you probably don't need to. I like the tree anyway, with or without pods. I have posted pics of my young cocoa trees.

Thanks for posting...

Regards, Ari

[aussiearoids]

Jeff amazing place and great pics , thanks for the tour .

The owner must have taken lessons from Bo with the rock piles

The plant in post 9 is a Cochliostema odoratissimum , there is a purple foliage form as well .

Awesome Philo looking thing ,first pic in post 14 , think I have seen it once here . The Bromeliad looks massive as well , it looks like one of the Platyaechmea [ chantinii , tessmanii etc. ]

Ari the Costus is around .. be patient .

[paulgila]

very cool,jeff. how far from where you live is this place?

[MattyB]

Very interesting! Thanks Jeff!

[Mike Evans]

Jeff, nice tour. I wish I would have known about this place. Some of the three pleasures in life, Cocoa, Vanilla, & Cinnamon. Just happens to be three flavors describing many red wines. Can you get some vanilla orchid starts for your garden?

[Jeff in St Pete]

Peachy, According to my Costa Rica Plant book, the one with the big wide leaves in post#13 is Cyclanthus bipartitus. It is a native plant that grows wild all over this area in wet forest understories. One of my personal favorites!

Ari, that ginger cone starts off green, then turns reddish. The stalks and leaves on this one are super-sized!

I already have one Cacao tree but I didn't know much about them when I germinated it and I planted it in full sun. I've been told that Cacao trees need to be grown in the shade when young. I will try planting some bananas around it for some temporary shade until it gets bigger.

Michael, thanks for the id on the Cochliostema odoratissimum. I would love to see the purple foliage form!

Paul, it's about 10 miles from Quepos. Most of the drive is on a dirt/gravel road so it takes about 30 minutes to get there. If you and Jess are interested in doing this tour while you are here, just let me know. I can arrange for them to pick you up here at the house. Most tours in the area include transportation. It's well worth it!

Glad you liked the tour Matt

Mike, I couldn't agree more. I love Chocolate, Vanilla and Cinnamon.

I can easily get some vanilla vines, but it's a lot of work and I'm not sure I want to grow them for a hobby. All the flowers have to be hand pollinated, the vines have to be tended, then it's a long drying process for the beans. I can now appreciate why they are so expensive...

[Jeff in St Pete]

Very interesting Jeff. Do they sell their products to you right there as well as wholesale? Would be curious about what they charge for a vanilla bean for example as it can be quite expensive at most USA stores.

I guess I should grow a few Cacao plants since I have the climate for it but just never have done so yet.

Thanks for sharing all this with us.

Sorry Al, I didn't see your response until now.

All of the spices they grow are sold in their spice shop which is the last stop on the tour. You can buy dried vanilla beans for $1, $2, $3, or $4 each depending on the size.

[dalmatiansoap]

WoW! I cant even imagine all that aroma

Bravo Jeff

[ariscott]

Ari the Costus is around .. be patient .

Yeah.... like everything else. Do you know what it is called?

Regards, Ari

[Jeff in St Pete]

Thanks Dalmation!

Ari, I checked both of my Costa Rica plant books and I can't find this ginger anywhere.

I posted photos once before and Michael said it could be Costus guanaiensis. Here is the original post with more photos.

[realarch]

Very well documented Jeff, another great diversion in your part of the world.