Bake(d) Five

Heinz launched their new “Five Beanz” baked beans on 10th June 2012. I know this for a fact, as they proudly announced the product’s first birthday on their Facebook page in June 2013. Yes, Heinz Beanz really do have their own Facebook page. And I am almost embarrassed to say that I “like” it, to use the social network’s own terminology. It was this notification, as well as a resurgence in the company’s advertising of the product around the same time, which prompted me to give them a try.

It’s quite a radical move for Heinz in some ways; as long as the brand has been in existence, it has always been haricot beans (also know as navy beans) that they have been smothering in their signature tomato sauce and sealing in tins. Perhaps erring on the side of caution, they wisely keep the haricots present in this new product, but add red kidney, pinto, borlotti and cannellini beans into the mix, which will no doubt have raised a few eyebrows among bean purists. 

Catering to the tastes of the more cosmopolitan bean-eater seems to me like a good move on the company’s part though. While probably not aimed directly at “foodie” types - these are still tinned baked beans, after all - there is certainly a sense that these are beans for a more acquired, discerning palette - “Beanz for Grown-Upz”, as the advertising campaign for the product describes them. 

Heinz No Beanz?

Cracking it open, it looks at first as if the tin is just full of sauce - not a single bean breaks the gloopy tomatoey surface. The reason quickly becomes apparent when I dredge up a spoonful and line up one of each bean on a slice of toast. The humble haricots are dwarfed by their tin-mates - it is no wonder that beans as dense as those lurk in the depths of the tin. Note the choice of bread here - I felt that only multi-grain would be appropriate, given that this is a ‘multi-bean’ tin. 

The unusual suspects: (l-r) red kidney, haricot, pinto, borlotti, cannellini

The remainder of the beans are heated on the hob and piled on to the toast. (A geekier bean-fan might take a note of the time it takes to heat these larger ones through compared to a standard tin, or count the number of each bean you get, but frankly that would be taking things too far. I’d wager you get less beans in total though, given their superior size). For me, the differing sizes and colours of bean create quite a visual feast, but you can imagine that the very different look to standard beans might cause children to turn their noses up at them - these are “beans for grown upz” in every sense. Added to a big vat of chilli (or similar) though, I am sure they would go unnoticed and be wolfed down by younger mouths.

On eating, the main thing that strikes you is not so much the taste as the differing textures of the beans - most notably the pinto beans, which are positively al dente compared to the soft haricots, and also the red kidneys, whose skin has an almost leathery quality between the teeth before yielding to the soft, unmistakeable taste of the bean within. Again, you can see how these beans might not appeal to children, for whom the texture of foods can so often be the cause of whether they like something or refuse to eat it.

I find the whole experience of eating them quite enjoyable, though the sauce doesn’t seem to taste any different to that of your average tin. You wonder if Heinz might have tried to do something a little more interesting there, but perhaps that would have been rocking the boat too much. Or maybe that’s something for other tins, and other blogposts - watch this space...