01 · blend
blend
Monin — Sirop Vanille Bourbon
- Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, not lab vanillin
- Brown sugar base holds up to espresso
- Included pump delivers 10 ml per press
- 700 ml yields roughly 70 servings
- Works hot or cold without thinning
- Vanille de Madagascar·
- Cassonade
Un classique de barista — profondeur sans être écœurant, dosé avec la pompe incluse.
- Weight
- 700 ml
Price11 €
1
In stock · Ships in 48h after roast
02 — The Story
The Bourbon designation comes from Madagascar's Île Bourbon, not the whiskey, though the richness suggests both. Monin's vanilla syrup uses extract from Vanilla planifolia pods grown in the island's northeastern slopes, where volcanic soil and 2,000 mm annual rainfall produce beans with vanillin content above 2%. The result is a syrup that tastes like actual vanilla—floral on the front, warm and resinous in the finish—not the lab-made vanillin that dominates supermarket bottles.
Most vanilla syrups collapse under espresso's bitterness, turning either cloying or invisible. This one holds its architecture. The brown sugar base (beet-derived, if you're keeping score) provides body without the flat sweetness of corn syrup, letting the vanilla's complexity come through even in a 20g dose against a double ristretto. The standard ratio is 15-20 ml per 240 ml beverage, but start at 12 ml if you're working with naturals or pulped coffees that carry their own fruit-forward sweetness. The included pump delivers 10 ml per press—two pumps for a flat white, three for a 350 ml latte.
The 700 ml format yields roughly 70 servings at standard dose, making it the workhorse size for home baristas who don't want a liter gathering dust or a 250 ml bottle gone by Wednesday. Store it upright in a cabinet below 25°C; refrigeration after opening is optional but extends the vanilla's brightness past the six-month mark. The cap's inner seal prevents oxidation better than most pump-top bottles, which matter when you're paying for real extract rather than artificial flavoring.
This is for the barista who understands that sweetness is a lever, not a default—who knows that 18 ml of good syrup in a cortado can make a bright Kenyan approachable without erasing its grapefruit acidity. It works in cold brew (dose cold, 25 ml per 300 ml), in shaken espresso (15 ml, always), in the morning cappuccino your partner requests with "a little vanilla, not too much." The brown sugar backbone means it doesn't thin out over ice the way clear syrups do, and the Madagascar vanilla reads as warmth rather than perfume, even at higher doses. If you've been making vanilla lattes with supermarket syrup and wondering why they taste like scented candles, this is the correction.
04 — FAQ
Questions, answered.
How much syrup per drink—does the pump help?+
The included pump dispenses 10 ml per press. Standard ratio: 15-20 ml per 240 ml beverage, so two pumps for smaller drinks, three for large lattes. Start at 12 ml (just over one pump) if your coffee is naturally sweet—pulped or natural processed beans often need less.
What makes this different from vanilla extract or paste?+
Extract is alcohol-based and bitter in coffee; paste is concentrated and clumps. Syrup dissolves instantly, hot or cold, and the brown sugar base provides body that complements espresso's texture. This tastes like vanilla beans, not vanilla flavoring—the Madagascar extract shows floral and resinous notes, not just sweetness.
Does it need refrigeration after opening?+
No, but refrigeration extends the vanilla's brightness past six months. Store upright below 25°C, away from direct light. The inner cap seal prevents oxidation better than most pump bottles. Use within 12 months of opening for optimal flavor.
Will this work in cold brew or iced drinks?+
Yes—dose at 25 ml per 300 ml cold brew, stirred before ice. The brown sugar base doesn't thin out over ice like clear syrups. For shaken espresso, 15 ml shaken with ice and a double shot integrates cleanly without separation.
Is this actual vanilla or artificial flavoring?+
Real Vanilla planifolia extract from Madagascar's Île Bourbon region, where volcanic soil produces beans with vanillin content above 2%. No artificial vanillin. You'll taste the difference—floral on entry, warm and slightly woody in the finish, never flat or one-dimensional like lab-made versions.
