The tonka bean: full of flavour with a kick!

The tonka bean, a special fruit (as with coffee and cocoa, it is not a vegetable), we see  this magical bean more often in beers. We already used it in 2017 for our beer Tonka Tonka on keg. This beer is now also available in a bottle. Time to learn more about this fruit… 

Irresistable…
The tonka bean that is a fruit comes from a Dipteryx Odorata tree from the Fabaceace family. A what? A flowering tree in the pea family that is native to Central America and South America (and cultivated in Africa). The fruit, resembling a mango, falls on the ground when it’s ripe and is ready to be picked up. So, just like with the cocoa and coffee bean, it’s all about the kernel they contain. The black, wrinkled bean has a distinctive, special odor. One described as sensual and hypnotic with hints of vanilla, cherry, almond, cinnamon and cloves. As a result, this bean is not only used in food such as desserts and ice cream, but also in perfume.

…an controversial
This slightly spicy zing is used in form of aroma in dishes such as cookies, cake, ice cream and crème brulee. Tonka bean oil used to be used for margarine, but palm oil has replaced the bean. Because of the strong flavour and coumarin content, you don’t need much of the bean in a dish. Just like nutmeg, you only grate a little bit of this and then let it sift through milk or cream. In large quantities, we are talking about 30 beans, the tonka bean is toxic to your liver (just like too much nutmeg makes you hallucinate. Fun fact: the drug XTC is synthesized nutmeg). So the dosage is key, it’s all about the aroma…

Tonka Tonka
And that aroma is the taste sensation in our Tonka Tonka. A stout with tonka beans, we have managed to bottle this wonderful smell and taste. We are certainly fans of this sensual sensation! Discover it for yourself…