Tonka bean oil Tonka bean oil Tonka bean oil is extracted from the seed of "Dipteryx odorata". The oil is composed primarily of coumarin, which is used to flavor tobacco. It is neither a pressed oil, nor an essential oil, but was traditionally obtained by soaking the large, single tonka bean seed in rum or other alcohol for 24 hours, after which crystals of coumarin appear on the outside of the seed, and are then collected. The seeds contain up to 46% oil by dry weight. In recent years, most commercially produced coumarin are synthetic, which has reduced the demand for tonka beans
Vanilla production in French Polynesia major producers of the crop, with native families involved in its growth from "seed to pod." However, in the 20th century, the Chinese, who came initially as labor for the plantations, became the primary actors in processing the crop for, marketing to, and making the crop available to the international market, though still some farms are owned by people of French and native origins. Vanilla is grown on small patches of land both as a single crop as well as an inter crop. As it needs lot of water for growth, it is largely grown on the rainier windward side