Cool, I can’t wait! Myself and others would be eternally grateful for some taste bud heaven here on earth! Thank you very much!

Scott, I’m like a moth to a flame when it comes to recreating flavors so you’ve totally enticed me with the challenge. Until I can deliver, I have a spicy black bean soup that’s got some great dimension (cumin, lime, and orange juice). I almost always make black beans with onion, chipotle pepper, and an avocado leaf (Mexican style). As for Chino’s, I think you’re onto something with the vinegar or hoisin idea. Now that I think of it, I definitely remember something special about them, too. You’re totally right about tasting them side by side; I once spent a year trying to recreate my favorite hot sauce, and I finally cracked the code with umeboshi vinegar. I’ll let you know the next time I get a chance to go to Chino’s and do some research:)

Wow, thank you for the quick reply. I agree on Chinos, I been going since mid-1990’s. The black beans have a super unique flavor, salty, savory, spicy with a tad bit of sweetness and acid. They blend it, so it is like a refried bean, but this one is black and soupy thick. It certainly is not the prettiest, but once you get past the lack of visual appeal, the flavor hooks most people right in!

My five year old daughter just eats the black beans and white rice mixed, with maybe, 1 jade red chicken bite. My Thai wife thinks they might add some hoisin sauce into the beans, and I wonder if not some balsamic vinegar too for a little acid. I bet they might add some Asian chili-garlic paste for the heat. Eve’s daughter once told me it was her boyfriends mother recipe for Cuban black beans, but that doesn’t really help much. Until my wife suggesting hoisin, I thought the slight sweetness might come from dark chocolate.

Next time you go by Chino’s you can order just the beans to go. If you go on a Saturday, you can get their awesome Chocolate Volcano cookies, but their standard Snickerdoodles are always a hit. Stay away from their other cookies, they just aren’t on the same epicurean stratosphere as these two yummy darlings.

Side-by-side tasting is probably the only way to get something close to a replica – sampling it right next to what you are trying to make! I think it will be a lot like dark chocolate – you don’t really notice the real, real difference until you taste one right next to the other.

If you can nail the black beans, wow!!! So many people would love it. I always hear the majority of people rave about their black beans, jade red chicken and the jerk chicken! You can’t blame them – this trio is fantastic!

Thank you Scott! Also, I love that you found me through the Jade Red Chicken because I love Chino Bandidos. To answer your question, coconut butter is sold in a jar (usually next to the oils). It’s thick and firm and has a shortbread flavor. It’s desiccated dried coconut (good stuff). If you want to make the smoothie without it, it will still be awesome (though, I might suggest a teaspoon of coconut oil). The fat is great for when there are fat-soluble vitamins, but the coconut especially lends a little creamy factor that I like in a tropical smoothie.
As I recall, Chino’s black beans have a re-fried texture. So, YES. I will get on that soon:) Please tell me if you know what flavor profile they have. I can’t recall a specific herb or spice flavor.

Also, any chance you can make black beans similar to Chino’s – yum!