A bagel and a schmear. As a lifelong New Yorker, I'm pretty sure there is a certain amount of Yiddish that has been added infused into the local lexicon. And when it comes to bagels there is a reason for this.
Taste and review
While so many people enjoy a low-carb diet, there are certain quintessential New York foodie items that we have mastered. Pizza and bagels immediately come to mind. It doesn't matter where you travel, they're never quite the same when you go elsewhere.
So back to this schmear business. Up until now, you had some options at Trader Joe's if you want something on your bagel (or another food item), you had whipped, regular, vegan, and the seasonal pumpkin cream cheese. But now, you are getting a tub of cream cheese that is heavily infused with the flavors of onion and chive.
Onion and chive might not jive with everyone but is a common bagel store item. It naturally pairs with the other item that you'll find on a New York bagel: lox.
Unlike what you get at a bagel store, this relies on dried herbs that are mildly rehydrated by placing them into this cream cheese spread. They don't have much texture, but they were heavy-handed in adding them here.
Right off the bat, I was a bit concerned with how my tub handled itself in the refrigerator. Mine developed an air pocket which made me wonder if the contents inside were any good. The foil was inflated like a mylar balloon, which had me wondering.
I did what was natural: I went for the sniff test. Nothing seemed off.
Here you end up with a thick cream cheese that doesn't shy away from the flavor of chives or raw onion. There are even hints of garlic.
But mine was acidic tasting, perhaps the copious amounts of onion and chive also contributed to this.
If I can say anything about this product is that the words onion and chive are in big letters because they used such a healthy quantity in this.
Overall
Would I buy this again? For $1.99 it's cheap enough to try. And while it wasn't bad, I'm still waiting to see my personal favorite cream cheese appear: strawberry cream cheese. But we will have to wait and see on that. So far, Trader Joe's has only graced us with the summer seasonal Peaches and Cream Cream Cheese.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Product photos
The container of Trader Joe's Onion and Chive Cream Cheese Spread:
Calories
Ingredients
Out of the package you get:
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.
Trader Joe's Onion and Chive Cream Cheese Spread
Product Name: Trader Joe's Onion and Chive Cream Cheese Spread
Product Description: Trader Joe's Onion and Chive Cream Cheese Spread has onions, chives, and garlic in it
Price: $1.99
Currency: USD
Availability: InStoreOnly
Summary
Trader Joe's Onion and Chive Cream Cheese Spread has onions, chives, and garlic in it.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Another variety of cream cheese that begs for lox and a bagel.
Cons
- Mine had an almost vinegar-y taste to it
Alek says
I would love to see a mixed berry cream cheese! Mango cream cheese, lemon pie cream cheese, and maybe even swirled cream cheese with chocolate & cookie butter.
becomebetty says
Hey Alek! I like your suggestions. And I believe Trader Joe's already tried the Cookie Butter Cream Cheese concept: http://www.whatsgoodattraderjoes.com/2015/08/trader-joes-speculoos-cookie-butter.html
Dagmar says
As a former East coaster I take my bagels and schmear very seriously also. I think I will give this a try and pour some of the Everything Bagel seasoning into it! I finally am free from the storm for the most part and plan on hitting Trader Joe's up within the next day or two!
Markdowns and Letdowns says
Sounds delicious. I will have to try it.
Robin says
Ooh, I have decided to have a "fancy" lunch tomorrow after I hit TJ's. I want this with the smoked salmon on cucumber rounds.
I also think it would be great on the whole.grain crisp breads with cucumbers and everything bagel seasoning.
Thanks for this post!
Ttrockwood says
Well i sure hope you used a Real Bagel and not those bagel impersonators in plastic sleeves that TJs sells....!
This doesn’t sound like it really works- maybe you could mix with some unflavored cream cheese for what you have left so the onion is less overpowering? I’m a huge fan of nyc bagel shops and have my favorites (absolute bagels are probably my favorite ever) so i usually get a bagel with (tofutti) schmear-i love the scallion version on an everything or pumpernickle!
becomebetty says
I'm a big fan of NYC bagels. We do bagels so well. And yes, I still from time to time drive into Queens to go to my favorite bagel store. Fortunately, bagel freeze really well, but there is nothing like bringing home that still warm bag. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Ilana says
I think this will go well with the pastrami smoked salmon!
becomebetty says
Hey Ilana! That sounds like a great pairing! Keep me posted on what you think of this!