This is really fantastic. Thanks for providing so much info to the public. The world moves forward due to people like you. I really struggle to find the words. Your parents did a good job raising you.
You are phenomenal! Thank you so very much for taking it this far to get smaller batches! 5 gallons at a time was a little much for me but this is perfect! So perfect for so many herbal uses also. Since I am not mechanically inclined I believe the only part I will have a problem with would be the base. Can you provide your email so I can email you to get the detailed drawings that you spoke about? I know you are super busy. I have been following you for about a year now and your videos are excellent! Very detailed to help everyone get the best quality of product! I am really looking forward to putting this system into use! God bless!
What a piece of art! The amount of thought, labour and money you have put into this project is truly impressive. And when you are satisfied with the construction of it, you share it with us all. From Norway, thank you for sharing your knowledge
At some point once the flavors are all washed out you will start breaking down the fibers in the vanilla beans. This will leave a little bit of a bitter taste or muddy it up hiding some of the flavors. I have done batches 4 to 8 weeks anything over 3 weeks nothing changes. This is why the manufactures have extract finished in 3-5 weeks.
WOW!!! That's wonderful. Been watching you videos for years but this is exciting. Looking forward to seeing your drawings of this full flow system when you are finished, especially connected to a larger container. Also, due to your previous video, I am running a 4 gal batch in the 6.5 gallon big mouth bubbler. I am running a reverse flow, (pump on top and flow coming out the bottom under a 2 inch platform and flow going up through the beans and back to the pump). It keeps the seed stirred up continually in the bottom but the flow through the beans does not allow the seeds to make it to the top of the liquid. Therefore I don't have the to use the filter cloth to cover my pump. Only liquid makes it to the top. Works great. Thanks again Shane.
I rewatched your video on the difference between split and whole using the jar and vacuum method. Fairly close results. I’ve now switched to the Jar and continuous circulation method you recommended. Do you think that whole beans with this method works almost as good as the split bean with jar vacuum and continuous circulation?
very cool! Would you get even better results if you primed it and filled it to the top to reduce the amount of air coming in contact with the vanilla extract?
This is what I thought in the beginning until I started talking with distillers. Aeration of alcohol is a common practice to mellow and reducing the bite or harshness of the alcohol. This making a much smoother alcohol. This also helps the chemical make up of the alcohol reducing the burning of the vanilla flavor compounds. This helps develop a more full flavored vanilla. The oldest and well known vanilla manufactures use the aeration and circulation process and I know why now. After running many batches through my circulation system I am hands down getting a better extract then I even have in the past, in as little as 8 weeks.
You really are inventing the wheel for us. Thank you for sharing all your hard work and data. I am intrigued and delighted. It seems this could be a great system for many hippy dippy botanical applications as well as top notch vanilla. I can see a whole room of these set up brewing different concoctions in my secret herb lab in the woods. Lovin the ingenuity. I would imagine the strong flavours of the brew would necessitate different set-ups for different potions.
Have you considered using Atlas Scientific's EZO Conductivity probe to build in TDS measurement into the device? That way you can get real time data and log it over time so you know when to stop circulating it and start aging?
Yeah with the inline probe I am using now it is real time data and continuous readings. I just need a data logger to read it and send it to a computer. I just manually read it now and log it and it fine for now. But I am working on some new testing equipment in the future. I do this all out of my own pocket so I have to save up before I go purchasing equipment not necessarily needed.
Just curious about the pump you used for this project, Did it last? I tried this before I saw your set up and my tiny pumped leaked and I have not tried again. Did Your pump last?
Hi Clement, how can I reach you? I am in Malaysia. Which part of US as a friend from Montreal in Canada and in Minnesota in US can reach you on my behalf
Yeah I am amazed on how well this is working and the results. I used grade B Madagascar vanilla beans this time and now I have more questions. There is a reason they use grade B vanilla beans their process. I have both A and B and the end result is widely different even though they are the same bean but differences in water %. I think the longer curing process with the dryer grade B increases the flavor compounds in the vanilla beans. Maybe more crystallization of the vanillin. Grade B are typically smaller also and left on the vine longer. I just know as right now I am not wasting my money on grade A vanilla.
What causes the vanilla extract to come out cloudy. I’m making 6 gallon batches and follow your process. One batch comes out beautifully dark and clear and then the next batch is medium brown and cloudy. Any ideas?
The cloudiness is just part of the process and it depends on the vanilla beans and the alcohol used. Let me ask you did you use the same vanilla beans and the same alcohol for each batch?
hoping someone can help me. I've made a couple bathes of extract over past few years. January of 2022 I started a new batch. added correct amount of beans as I have in the past. For second time I used New Amsterdam vodka. I am NOT a drinker so listened to these videos, and a couple of family members. Well it still isn't right. Tested it a few minutes ago in cream...very sharp...I'm so upset. I had tested it about 6 months ago and was the same way so added several more vanilla beans, split, Why?? Was hoping for holiday gifts...so disappointed. Thank you
Can you give the vanilla bean ratios you used and the alcohol proof you used. How many ounces of vanilla beans per 8oz of fluid? This will help understand a little better and give the best advice I can.
Thank you for response. I've made two previous batches and didn't have this issue. One ounce beans to each cup of alcohol. I do have a scale. Made this batch January 2023 but when tasted in cream, has quite a " bite". I use New Amsterdam, recommended by a couple of my sons. And saw in your video too. I don't drink at all or like the taste of alcohol so maybe it's just my sensitivity. Makes no sense to me that after all this time with correct measurements, it would taste this strong to me. Thank you so much. Love your videos
Thank you so much for taking us through your hard work. I would be interested in your drawing when you put that together. There are so many questions that I have for you, about this video and others that you have published.
Stir plates do not work well with vanilla beans. The weight of the vanilla beans and the structure of them make it almost impossible for them to mix up.
@@ClementFamilyFarms ahh I think I get you. The beans to vodka ratio is high so the magnetic stir plate has trouble spinning the full mass without getting thrown off. If that’s the case perhaps a sieve mesh on the bottom would protect the stir bar from getting knocked off centre and still allow a vortex to form and spin things about.
Even with a screen mesh dome the vortex or flow would be confined to that mesh area. Stirring it is really not the same unless you have some sort of baffle or twisted paddle disrupting the flow directions and the vanilla beans. Typical stir plates gets the fluid moving in one direction and works for dissoluble ingredients like sugar or mixing yeast. But once the flow starts, everything moves in one direction so the fluid and the vanilla beans will be traveling at the same rate if the vanilla beans were able to move at all. You need the fluid and the vanilla beans to be traveling at different rates or different directions to get a wash effect. Paint mixer or paddles have directional or cork screw effects pulling fluid from the bottom up through the center and then out to the sides. This is changing directions constantly. Or like the circulation set up were the vanilla stays in one location and the fluid moves from bottom to the top. We have run several test with stir plates they just don't work in this application.
Very nice setup and flexible design! The only difference I would have used Uni-strut for the base instead of welding. My curiosity had me check with my US supply houses (which aren't guaranteeing US made but do give certifications on material) on the fitting prices and they are much more expensive than the "China" supplied parts on Amazon.
Yeah I have a bunch of uni-strut supplies on hand and tried working with it and it is doable. It was faster and easier to line the pump and the tee up with a couple spacers and put a weld on it. I still might work on the uni-strut idea. The parts are all most likely all made in china. I found one company stating usa made but couldn't give me name of manufacture. Then found some that were machined in the usa but the cost was 3 times a much and the materiel was probably made in china. It sucks.
Thank you Shane. This is a great set-up and the price is reasonable. I wonder if there is a way to add a vacuum chamber so you can cycle vacuum and atmosphere into the process.
It is easy enough to add a port into this system. The limiting factor on this is the equipment and the seals. Most equipment is made to handle a certain amount of the pressure but when it comes to vacuum this were it get tricky and can be dangerous. The two are not equal when it comes to pressure. There would have to be some more modifications and some hard lines in stalled to use vacuum. It takes a lot less vacuum to implode a tank then it takes pressure to explode one. I don't think at this point you would gain enough to matter doing the pre soak and vacuum and the into the circulation.
I am in Awe!! This is amazing & I’m glad to hear the cost is fairly reasonable. I would like the list of all your components & how to build this when you get your schematic ready. One question, since it is fully sealed & fluid is constantly flowing there shouldn’t be a worry that some of the beans in the top are not completely submerged. Keep up the great work & love all your videos!! ❤
The vanilla beans get completely submerged as it runs. At the start some of the vanilla beans stick up but get constant flow over them until settle below the fluid line. Here is a link to my affiliate link and storefront. This has the a parts list and I will be working on the drawings this next week. www.amazon.com/shop/clementfamilyfarms/list/3TZA2ZCI54RQI?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_aipsfclementfamilyfarms_9G8SRP6DSQ14V6PTCSZX
Thank you very much. Looks like you are the Madd Hatter of this rabbit hole. ;-) I'm not lucrative enough for it but I would love to try the sonication method of extracting using ultrasound. I am curious how they would compare with the final product as well as overall cost. The nice thing about using the ultrasonics would be that one could reliably make smaller batches - say for taste testing and then scale up fairly easily. The big problem is that the equipment manufacturer wants to be a bit too hands on with their clients for my current situation. Has that propriety feel to it. But if one were going to do this as a business it would make sense to dive in with expert help. I'm not ready to get that deep.
So ultrasonic is being used to make extracts and the equipment is available in different sizes. But the thing I am seeing the extract made from ultrasonic is not being used as flavorings but more for cosmetic or artificial products. If it was a viable method of making a flavoring I would think we would see more of it. Ultrasonic is kinda a brutal process when your thinking about it and may not be good for flavoring. I don't have the answer but would be a good test if you had the equipment. All I know is I am getting a complete wash of the vanilla beans with in 10-15 days after a little pre soak and vacuum seal. That is pretty good in my book and far better then 6 months to a year.
Each batch is a little different as each type of vanilla beans and alcohol effects the the process and time frame. But on average with a 14 day pre soak and vacuum seal then 14 to 20 days in the circulation and 14 days on a rest. So start to finish 30 to 60 days.
The only thing that changes the alcohol content is the ratios used or if you let it air out and you get evaporation. I have done testing on ABV % after a completed extraction. Once the TDS reading levels out you basically have a completed extract meaning the vanilla beans have fully diluted the alcohol as much as they can. My testing to date shows on average the ABV drops by half on a completed extract. But that will change based on the vanilla bean to fluid ratios.
You seem a little obsessed by this, but great job 🫡🫡🫡. Have you ever tested the PPM in a bottle made the old fashioned way that’s been on the shelf for several years?
Yes that is how I started by checking extracts that were up to 5 years old. The old fashion way only allows you to extract a certain amount of flavors compounds even if you let them sit for years you still leave some trapped in the vanilla pods. With washing them like this you maximize potential and remove more compounds.
LOVE THE IDEA OF VACUME SEALING...& OMG!!! WOWZA...YOU DESIGNED THIS AMAZING MACHINE?...OUTSTANDING...YOU HAVE CREATED PERFECTION...
Thank you!
Very interesting. You are a talented man. Thanks for sharing.
I appreciate that!
This is really fantastic. Thanks for providing so much info to the public. The world moves forward due to people like you. I really struggle to find the words. Your parents did a good job raising you.
My pleasure! and thank you.
This is soooo cool! Love your new set-up and learning about making the vanilla extract process! Thank you sooo much for sharing!
Thank you for the kind words.
You are phenomenal! Thank you so very much for taking it this far to get smaller batches! 5 gallons at a time was a little much for me but this is perfect! So perfect for so many herbal uses also. Since I am not mechanically inclined I believe the only part I will have a problem with would be the base. Can you provide your email so I can email you to get the detailed drawings that you spoke about? I know you are super busy. I have been following you for about a year now and your videos are excellent! Very detailed to help everyone get the best quality of product! I am really looking forward to putting this system into use! God bless!
Aww thank you! The email is in my contact info
What a piece of art!
The amount of thought, labour and money you have put into this project is truly impressive.
And when you are satisfied with the construction of it, you share it with us all.
From Norway, thank you for sharing your knowledge
Wow, thank you!
That's awesome! Definitely am intrigued by those drawings when you get them done!
You and me both! lol
Absolutely incredible. Thank you for your hard work.
My pleasure!
WOW!! Awesome set up!!!!!
Thanks!
Amazing so cool! Thanks for sharing
looks amazing wood like to know how it working out
The best method I have ever done. I am rotating 1 gallon of extract out every 20 to 30 days.
I wonder how it would taste if you let the Vanilla Extract circulate for a year in that?
At some point once the flavors are all washed out you will start breaking down the fibers in the vanilla beans. This will leave a little bit of a bitter taste or muddy it up hiding some of the flavors. I have done batches 4 to 8 weeks anything over 3 weeks nothing changes. This is why the manufactures have extract finished in 3-5 weeks.
WOW!!! That's wonderful. Been watching you videos for years but this is exciting. Looking forward to seeing your drawings of this full flow system when you are finished, especially connected to a larger container. Also, due to your previous video, I am running a 4 gal batch in the 6.5 gallon big mouth bubbler. I am running a reverse flow, (pump on top and flow coming out the bottom under a 2 inch platform and flow going up through the beans and back to the pump). It keeps the seed stirred up continually in the bottom but the flow through the beans does not allow the seeds to make it to the top of the liquid. Therefore I don't have the to use the filter cloth to cover my pump. Only liquid makes it to the top. Works great. Thanks again Shane.
Interesting keep up the good work.
This is awesome Shane, thanks so much for sharing all this
Glad you enjoyed it!
Are your beans split or whole?
I always split them!
I rewatched your video on the difference between split and whole using the jar and vacuum method. Fairly close results. I’ve now switched to the Jar and continuous circulation method you recommended. Do you think that whole beans with this method works almost as good as the split bean with jar vacuum and continuous circulation?
very cool! Would you get even better results if you primed it and filled it to the top to reduce the amount of air coming in contact with the vanilla extract?
This is what I thought in the beginning until I started talking with distillers. Aeration of alcohol is a common practice to mellow and reducing the bite or harshness of the alcohol. This making a much smoother alcohol. This also helps the chemical make up of the alcohol reducing the burning of the vanilla flavor compounds. This helps develop a more full flavored vanilla. The oldest and well known vanilla manufactures use the aeration and circulation process and I know why now. After running many batches through my circulation system I am hands down getting a better extract then I even have in the past, in as little as 8 weeks.
You really are inventing the wheel for us. Thank you for sharing all your hard work and data. I am intrigued and delighted. It seems this could be a great system for many hippy dippy botanical applications as well as top notch vanilla. I can see a whole room of these set up brewing different concoctions in my secret herb lab in the woods. Lovin the ingenuity. I would imagine the strong flavours of the brew would necessitate different set-ups for different potions.
Thank you and yes I see the potential for other great things coming out of this.
Have you considered using Atlas Scientific's EZO Conductivity probe to build in TDS measurement into the device? That way you can get real time data and log it over time so you know when to stop circulating it and start aging?
Yeah with the inline probe I am using now it is real time data and continuous readings. I just need a data logger to read it and send it to a computer. I just manually read it now and log it and it fine for now. But I am working on some new testing equipment in the future. I do this all out of my own pocket so I have to save up before I go purchasing equipment not necessarily needed.
Just curious about the pump you used for this project, Did it last? I tried this before I saw your set up and my tiny pumped leaked and I have not tried again. Did Your pump last?
You know I wasn't expecting much from this $54 pump. But I have been running it 24-7 sense Jan and I haven't had one issue yet.
Hi Clement, how can I reach you? I am in Malaysia. Which part of US as a friend from Montreal in Canada and in Minnesota in US can reach you on my behalf
Well done, Shane!
With it leveling off around 10 days, that would agree with the complete extraction Nielsen-Massey is getting at 3 weeks.
Yeah I am amazed on how well this is working and the results. I used grade B Madagascar vanilla beans this time and now I have more questions. There is a reason they use grade B vanilla beans their process. I have both A and B and the end result is widely different even though they are the same bean but differences in water %. I think the longer curing process with the dryer grade B increases the flavor compounds in the vanilla beans. Maybe more crystallization of the vanillin. Grade B are typically smaller also and left on the vine longer. I just know as right now I am not wasting my money on grade A vanilla.
What causes the vanilla extract to come out cloudy. I’m making 6 gallon batches and follow your process. One batch comes out beautifully dark and clear and then the next batch is medium brown and cloudy. Any ideas?
The cloudiness is just part of the process and it depends on the vanilla beans and the alcohol used.
Let me ask you did you use the same vanilla beans and the same alcohol for each batch?
Wow!! Completely awesome. I am going to try it. Thank you very very much for sharing your knowledge.
My pleasure 😊
How much do you think this set up costs?
This one ended costing me around $600 to make but it was a trial and error testing. I think now it can be built for around $400.
hoping someone can help me. I've made a couple bathes of extract over past few years. January of 2022 I started a new batch. added correct amount of beans as I have in the past. For second time I used New Amsterdam vodka. I am NOT a drinker so listened to these videos, and a couple of family members. Well it still isn't right. Tested it a few minutes ago in cream...very sharp...I'm so upset. I had tested it about 6 months ago and was the same way so added several more vanilla beans, split, Why?? Was hoping for holiday gifts...so disappointed. Thank you
Can you give the vanilla bean ratios you used and the alcohol proof you used. How many ounces of vanilla beans per 8oz of fluid? This will help understand a little better and give the best advice I can.
Thank you for response. I've made two previous batches and didn't have this issue. One ounce beans to each cup of alcohol. I do have a scale. Made this batch January 2023 but when tasted in cream, has quite a " bite". I use New Amsterdam, recommended by a couple of my sons. And saw in your video too. I don't drink at all or like the taste of alcohol so maybe it's just my sensitivity. Makes no sense to me that after all this time with correct measurements, it would taste this strong to me. Thank you so much. Love your videos
Nicely done Shane!
Thank you so much for taking us through your hard work. I would be interested in your drawing when you put that together. There are so many questions that I have for you, about this video and others that you have published.
Ask away I am glad to answer anything I can.
Next level ❤. Would you achieve good results have you tried using a stir plate? Like for yeast propagation in beer
Stir plates do not work well with vanilla beans. The weight of the vanilla beans and the structure of them make it almost impossible for them to mix up.
@@ClementFamilyFarms ahh I think I get you. The beans to vodka ratio is high so the magnetic stir plate has trouble spinning the full mass without getting thrown off. If that’s the case perhaps a sieve mesh on the bottom would protect the stir bar from getting knocked off centre and still allow a vortex to form and spin things about.
Even with a screen mesh dome the vortex or flow would be confined to that mesh area. Stirring it is really not the same unless you have some sort of baffle or twisted paddle disrupting the flow directions and the vanilla beans. Typical stir plates gets the fluid moving in one direction and works for dissoluble ingredients like sugar or mixing yeast. But once the flow starts, everything moves in one direction so the fluid and the vanilla beans will be traveling at the same rate if the vanilla beans were able to move at all. You need the fluid and the vanilla beans to be traveling at different rates or different directions to get a wash effect. Paint mixer or paddles have directional or cork screw effects pulling fluid from the bottom up through the center and then out to the sides. This is changing directions constantly. Or like the circulation set up were the vanilla stays in one location and the fluid moves from bottom to the top. We have run several test with stir plates they just don't work in this application.
@@ClementFamilyFarms gotcha that makes sense.
Very nice setup and flexible design! The only difference I would have used Uni-strut for the base instead of welding. My curiosity had me check with my US supply houses (which aren't guaranteeing US made but do give certifications on material) on the fitting prices and they are much more expensive than the "China" supplied parts on Amazon.
Yeah I have a bunch of uni-strut supplies on hand and tried working with it and it is doable. It was faster and easier to line the pump and the tee up with a couple spacers and put a weld on it. I still might work on the uni-strut idea. The parts are all most likely all made in china. I found one company stating usa made but couldn't give me name of manufacture. Then found some that were machined in the usa but the cost was 3 times a much and the materiel was probably made in china. It sucks.
Thank you Shane. This is a great set-up and the price is reasonable. I wonder if there is a way to add a vacuum chamber so you can cycle vacuum and atmosphere into the process.
It is easy enough to add a port into this system. The limiting factor on this is the equipment and the seals. Most equipment is made to handle a certain amount of the pressure but when it comes to vacuum this were it get tricky and can be dangerous. The two are not equal when it comes to pressure. There would have to be some more modifications and some hard lines in stalled to use vacuum. It takes a lot less vacuum to implode a tank then it takes pressure to explode one. I don't think at this point you would gain enough to matter doing the pre soak and vacuum and the into the circulation.
How many pascal's do you vacuum your beans?
I am in Awe!! This is amazing & I’m glad to hear the cost is fairly reasonable. I would like the list of all your components & how to build this when you get your schematic ready.
One question, since it is fully sealed & fluid is constantly flowing there shouldn’t be a worry that some of the beans in the top are not completely submerged.
Keep up the great work & love all your videos!! ❤
The vanilla beans get completely submerged as it runs. At the start some of the vanilla beans stick up but get constant flow over them until settle below the fluid line.
Here is a link to my affiliate link and storefront. This has the a parts list and I will be working on the drawings this next week.
www.amazon.com/shop/clementfamilyfarms/list/3TZA2ZCI54RQI?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_aipsfclementfamilyfarms_9G8SRP6DSQ14V6PTCSZX
Capt. Morgan coconut "rum" has almost 200 grams of sugar per liter, no wonder you say it tastes sweet.
Sugar also helps the extraction process, helps keep the flavors in suspension and enhances flavors.
Thank you very much.
Looks like you are the Madd Hatter of this rabbit hole. ;-)
I'm not lucrative enough for it but I would love to try the sonication method of extracting using ultrasound.
I am curious how they would compare with the final product as well as overall cost.
The nice thing about using the ultrasonics would be that one could reliably make smaller batches - say for taste testing and then scale up fairly easily.
The big problem is that the equipment manufacturer wants to be a bit too hands on with their clients for my current situation. Has that propriety feel to it. But if one were going to do this as a business it would make sense to dive in with expert help. I'm not ready to get that deep.
So ultrasonic is being used to make extracts and the equipment is available in different sizes. But the thing I am seeing the extract made from ultrasonic is not being used as flavorings but more for cosmetic or artificial products. If it was a viable method of making a flavoring I would think we would see more of it. Ultrasonic is kinda a brutal process when your thinking about it and may not be good for flavoring. I don't have the answer but would be a good test if you had the equipment.
All I know is I am getting a complete wash of the vanilla beans with in 10-15 days after a little pre soak and vacuum seal. That is pretty good in my book and far better then 6 months to a year.
Great idea. What's the time frame from start to the finish product?
Each batch is a little different as each type of vanilla beans and alcohol effects the the process and time frame. But on average with a 14 day pre soak and vacuum seal then 14 to 20 days in the circulation and 14 days on a rest. So start to finish 30 to 60 days.
Have you measured the difference in alcohol content (proof/abv) after running this for two weeks?
The only thing that changes the alcohol content is the ratios used or if you let it air out and you get evaporation.
I have done testing on ABV % after a completed extraction. Once the TDS reading levels out you basically have a completed extract meaning the vanilla beans have fully diluted the alcohol as much as they can. My testing to date shows on average the ABV drops by half on a completed extract. But that will change based on the vanilla bean to fluid ratios.
This is awesome! 👏🏽
Thank you!!
Yes!!!
You seem a little obsessed by this, but great job 🫡🫡🫡. Have you ever tested the PPM in a bottle made the old fashioned way that’s been on the shelf for several years?
Yes that is how I started by checking extracts that were up to 5 years old. The old fashion way only allows you to extract a certain amount of flavors compounds even if you let them sit for years you still leave some trapped in the vanilla pods. With washing them like this you maximize potential and remove more compounds.
@@ClementFamilyFarmsI 100% concur with this comment.