First cultivated by pre-Columbian Mayan, the vanilla orchid blooms for only one day each year. The pollination of the flower results in the bean pod - the only edible fruit from an orchid! The cultivation, harvest and production of vanilla is similar to that of tea but takes a full year to complete. Just like tea, the vanilla bean once picked goes through a process of heating and drying to bring out the flavor and turns brown as a result. However, approximately 6 pounds of green vanilla pods only produces 1 pound of processed vanilla, whereas the ratio for tea is much better, nearly 1:1, and can produce more varieties.