Black beans for dessert?!?! Well, give me a minute.

The texture of this popsicle was smooth and creamy, like the Jell-O Pudding Pops of my youth. Though this beanie-man's texture was a bit grainier than a Jell-O pop, it nevertheless balanced a creaminess with iciness. (I do doubt, however, that the creaminess was due to cream itself).

True, the color was wholly unappetizing -- it was the similar sludgy cement color as another Chinese dessert I had previously enjoyed.

But I loved the flavor -- a mild beany flavor. Forget any flavor associations that you have with beans (pork, onions, etc.) Think the mild middle section of a plain boiled bean, and that's the flavor you have. It had an appropriate amount of sweetness, but it lacked the saccharine, fake-fruit syrupy flavor that plague western popsicles.

It reminded me of my favorite pint ice cream -- Mr. Green Tea, and his green tea ice cream. The savory flavor shines through any other additives, particularly those that enhance the sugar.

The brand also offers "green bean ice cream" -- note that these are not the same "green beans" that we think of the west. They are similar in size to the black beans.

>> Make your own Jell-O Pudding Pops (according to the link, they are "perfect for Bible School" -- so there you have it)
>> Look for Mr. Green Tea ice cream in NYC -- I've seen it mostly in Korean delis. Steve's C-Town in Park Slope also has it.