I rarely buy just the beans (pods) as the price always seems so high right at the time I need more vanilla but have a near-empty wallet. Funny how that always ends up being the case. In addition, I am skeptical of “too good to be true” prices for beans that just don’t “look perfect.” In purchasing extracts, I have had some really good water-extracted vanilla from Mexico over the years (and at really good prices), but the stuff that always delights me most, in bean and extract forms, has been from Madagascar.