Buy now
We've teamed up with Hodmedod on shipping of our orders - click above to order. If you opt in to marketing when ordering you will also be subscribed to the Heirloom Bean Co newsletter.
Pinto beans take their name from the Spanish for “painted,” a reference to their speckled skins. Grown across northern Mexico’s dry plains, they cook down to a plush, almost whipped texture. Their mild flavour makes them ideal for absorbing roasted aromatics, dried chillies, citrus, herbs and slow‑cooked vegetables without losing their identity.
KITCHEN SUGGESTIONS
Try them folded into roasted tomato, ancho chilli and oregano for a deep, brick‑red base, or mixed with charred spring onions, coriander stems and a squeeze of lime for something brighter. They’re also excellent mashed with rosemary, garlic and olive oil, or tossed with grilled peppers, courgettes and smoked chilli for a warm, summery plate. For something simpler, serve these wonderful Pintos with lemon zest, parsley and cracked pepper to show off their velvety texture.
COOKING THESE BEANS
Look over the beans to remove any stray bits, then rinse well. In a heavy pot, gently cook your base vegetables - onion, garlic, celery, carrot - in a little olive oil until fragrant. Add the beans and pour in enough water to cover them by roughly 5 cm. Bring to a strong boil for 10–15 minutes. Lower the heat to maintain a slow, steady simmer, partially covering the pot to keep the temperature even, and cook until the beans are fully tender, usually 1–3 hours. Add salt once the beans begin to soften. A short soak of 2–6 hours will help reduce the total cooking time.
Our tasting notes: A classy, smooth pinto with just a hint of nuttiness
Similar to: Cranberry, Flor de Mayo
Latin name: Phaseolus vulgaris
Country of origin: Mexico
Sold in resealable 500g bags
We’re pleased to announce that all our Mexican beans are fairly traded, following an agreement signed during The Heirloom Bean Co’s tour of the farms that grow them last year.
Farmers are increasingly reluctant to plant heirloom varieties: they have a longer growing period (things can/do go wrong with the weather), and local consumers are reluctant to pay more.
Advance payments (as on offer from our supplier) are only half the story: we met one farmer whose field and its bean crop was simply washed away in a freak storm, which made repaying an advance hard.
Under our agreement, The Heirloom Bean Co pays 15% on top of the farmgate price for beans. This money goes into a separate bank account and acts as an ‘insurance’ for crop losses which are no fault of the farmers.
Buy now
We've teamed up with Hodmedod on shipping of our orders - click above to order. If you opt in to marketing when ordering you will also be subscribed to the Heirloom Bean Co newsletter.
Pinto beans take their name from the Spanish for “painted,” a reference to their speckled skins. Grown across northern Mexico’s dry plains, they cook down to a plush, almost whipped texture. Their mild flavour makes them ideal for absorbing roasted aromatics, dried chillies, citrus, herbs and slow‑cooked vegetables without losing their identity.
KITCHEN SUGGESTIONS
Try them folded into roasted tomato, ancho chilli and oregano for a deep, brick‑red base, or mixed with charred spring onions, coriander stems and a squeeze of lime for something brighter. They’re also excellent mashed with rosemary, garlic and olive oil, or tossed with grilled peppers, courgettes and smoked chilli for a warm, summery plate. For something simpler, serve these wonderful Pintos with lemon zest, parsley and cracked pepper to show off their velvety texture.
COOKING THESE BEANS
Look over the beans to remove any stray bits, then rinse well. In a heavy pot, gently cook your base vegetables - onion, garlic, celery, carrot - in a little olive oil until fragrant. Add the beans and pour in enough water to cover them by roughly 5 cm. Bring to a strong boil for 10–15 minutes. Lower the heat to maintain a slow, steady simmer, partially covering the pot to keep the temperature even, and cook until the beans are fully tender, usually 1–3 hours. Add salt once the beans begin to soften. A short soak of 2–6 hours will help reduce the total cooking time.
Our tasting notes: A classy, smooth pinto with just a hint of nuttiness
Similar to: Cranberry, Flor de Mayo
Latin name: Phaseolus vulgaris
Country of origin: Mexico
Sold in resealable 500g bags
We’re pleased to announce that all our Mexican beans are fairly traded, following an agreement signed during The Heirloom Bean Co’s tour of the farms that grow them last year.
Farmers are increasingly reluctant to plant heirloom varieties: they have a longer growing period (things can/do go wrong with the weather), and local consumers are reluctant to pay more.
Advance payments (as on offer from our supplier) are only half the story: we met one farmer whose field and its bean crop was simply washed away in a freak storm, which made repaying an advance hard.
Under our agreement, The Heirloom Bean Co pays 15% on top of the farmgate price for beans. This money goes into a separate bank account and acts as an ‘insurance’ for crop losses which are no fault of the farmers.
