Panera - Dutch Apple and Raisin

Dutch Apple and Raisin Bagel from Panera


Description from Panera Website:
Chunks of apples, cinnamon, molasses & raisins baked inside, topped with sweet walnut streusel.

First Impressions/New Bagel Name:
The crunchy-apple bagel.

Flavor:
It is quite a well balanced flavor, definitely sweet, but also fruity. I think this would be a good bagel for an afternoon snack, rather than a breakfast bagel.

Color:
The top of the bagel is densely covered with streusel. The bagel lacks a hole in the middle, but otherwise appears typical.

Texture:
The apple chunks keep the bagel moist and soft.

Bagel Top vs. Bagel Bottom:
The top and bottom have very different flavors. The top section is mostly overwhelmed by streusel, which is delicious. The bottom is more subtle, tasting of apple.

Nutritional Value:
This bagel rates a 16, due to its very high sugar content.

Schmeer Rating:
2 out of 5 schmeers.

Einstein Bros. - Powerbagel

The Powerbagel from Einstein Bros.


First Impression/New Bagel Name:
This is less a bagel than a mini-loaf of bread.

Flavor:
It tastes like a little brick of goodness, so wholesome it makes me think of hippie co-ops. I believe this bagel would be complimented well by the addition of jam or honey. The single most noticeable flavor is that of pumpkin seeds.

Color:
The bagel has a dark wheaty bread appearance, with many seeds and grains visible. The seed content was so high that birds could be seen circling hungerly overhead.

Texture:
This bagel had the dense texture of a good wheat bread.

Bagel Top vs. Bagel Bottom:
The bottom of the bagel was slightly drier and denser than the top, but this does not negatively impact the bagels taste.

Nutritional Value:
This bagel rates a 6, higher than one would expect due a surprisingly large sugar content. Einstein Bros seems to be trying to market this as a health food, giving it the "powerbagel" name. I have to say that after eating it, I did feel a slight surge in power.

Schmeer Rating:
3 Schmeers out of 5.

Einstein Bros. - Potato Bagel

Potato Bagel from Einstein Bros.


First Impression/New Bagel Name:
The Switzerland of bagels, it's not going to fight you. It almost melts in one's mouth.

Flavor:
According to the Einstein website, this bagel contains actual "potato granules," however the bagel lacks any real potato flavor. There is a detectable starchyness however, which elevates its taste above plain bagel status.

Color:
The bagel is light in color, with a dusting of flour on top. Inside, it displays large air pockets, giving away the secret to its fluffiness.

Texture:
This bagel takes lightness and fluffiness to a whole new level.

Bagel Top vs. Bagel Bottom:
The flavor is identical between top and bottom, but the bottom is slightly less fluffy.

Nutritoinal Value:
This bagel rates a -2.5 because of its very low sugar content.

Schmeer Rating:
1.5 schmeers out of 5.

Panera - Trail Mix Bagel

Trail Mix Bagel from Panera (St. Louis Bread Co.)


Description from Panera Website:
Filled with apple, banana, cherries, cranberries, cinnamon chips, maple bits & raisins, topped with a mix of granola, sunflower seeds, grains, honey, cinnamon & sugar.

First Impressions/New Bagel Name:
It tastes like I just bit into a bird's nest. There are seeds everywhere, and the texture is wildly inconsistent.

Flavor:
In spite of the huge number of flavorful components included, the bagel tastes mostly of sunflower seeds, with the occasional cranberry explosion. Although the website claims this contains apple, only one tiny piece was ever located.

Color:
It was hard to even see any bagel through the layers of nuts and fruit.

Texture:
The bagel was quite crunchy because of its contents. The texture of the bagel itself was rather dense as well.

Bagel Top vs. Bagel Bottom:
The top half of the bagel is dominated by a strong sunflower seed flavor with some cinnamon, while the bottom is more cranberry and cherry flavored.

Nutritional Value:
This bagel rates a 15 because of surprisingly high sugar content.

Schmeer rating:
3.5 out of 5 schmeers.

Panera - Choc-o-Nut Bagel

Choc-o-Nut Bagel from Panera (St. Louis Bread Co.)

Description from Panera Website:
Walnuts and semisweet chocolate bits baked into the dough, topped with pecans, cashews, caramel & powdered sugar.

First Impression/New Bagel Name:
Minty, with only a hint of chocolate in the aftertaste.

Flavor:
The aftertaste is subtle chocolate cocoa. The nuts are a pleasant surprise when encountered. There is a consistent undertone of vanilla that becomes apparent after a few bites. This bagel avoids being too sweet.

Color:
The bagel is a distinctive dark brown. It looked oddly wet around the middle and on the bottom.

Texture:
This was one of the densest bagels yet encountered. It was quite chewy and is not recommended for those with recent dental work.

Bagel Top vs. Bagel Bottom:
There is quite a difference in flavor, because the bottom half does not have the benefit of powered sugar and nut topping. It offers a more pure chocolate taste.

Nutritional Value:
Because of the high sugar content, this bagel rated a 22.

Schmeer Rating:
2.5 schmeers out of 5

Einstein Bros. - Cranberry Bagel

Cranberry Bagel from Einstein Bros. Bagels


First Impression/New Bagel Name:
Better call this bagel "Cranbarely." I needed three or four bites before my taste buds could begin registering the presence of any cranberries.

Flavor:
While the initial flavor was weak, the bagel is actually quite good. It's subtle cranberryness increases bite after bite.

Color:
The bagel is dark brown on the outside, with plenty of cranberries visible. Inside it has a nice red swirlyness from the berries.

Texture:
This bagel is the lightest and fluffiest tasting one yet reviewed. The texture was a significant contributer to the bagel's overall goodness.

Bagel Top vs. Bagel Bottom:
The flavor and texture between top and bottom was very consistent. The only significant difference is that the bottom of this bagel is covered with cornmeal, adding a bit of extra flavor.

Nutritional Value:
This bagel rates a 1 on the scale, well balanced between nutrients and fat.

Schmeer Rating:
2 Schmeers out of 5.

Bagel Review Standards

Welcome to our bagel review site, Better Than Bread.

This site aims to be the premiere resource for bagel eaters all over the United States, by providing objective reviews of bagels. Here are the ground rules for each review:

Each bagel will be eaten plain, with no cream cheeses or spreads of any kind, because a good bagel ought to be able to stand on the merits of its own flavor. The bagels will be compared on color, texture, flavor, and consistency between top and bottom. Each bagel will also receive a nutritional rating, determined by the addition of the number of fat and sugar grams in each bagel, minus the bagel's dietary fiber and protein to determine overall food value. Lower numbers are considered healthier

Finally, the bagels will be given a rating out of 5 schmeers. More schmeers indicate less bagel flavor.

Whenever possible, the first impression of the bagel will be used to come up with a new name for it, that better describes the experience of the bagel eater.

Now that the rules are laid out and the bagels purchased, let the bagel rating journey begin.

Panera - French Toast Bagel

French Toast Bagel from Panera (Saint Louis Bread Co.)

Panera Website Description:
The official Panera website says that this bagel is made with sweet maple-flavored & vanilla chips.

First Impression/New Bagel Name:
Did they give me a plain bagel by mistake? Seriously, I can't think of a better name except for "plain."

Flavor:
The first impressions of this bagel were of a weak flavor, however, after a few bites a cinnamony taste began to become noticeable and the bagel became more pleasant. Overall, the vanilla chips claimed on the Panera website were missing entirely, and the maple flavor was undetectable to all but the most refined palate. The bagel possessed none of the pungent aroma for which the French are known.

Color:
The exterior of the bagel is a pleasant tan/brown, typical of the average bagel. There is a certain unevenness to the color, which becomes more evident inside the bagel, where it shows a distinctive swirling pattern.

Texture:
Extremely fluffy, this bagel also showed great consistency in texture from the exterior crust to the interior.

Bagel Top vs. Bagel Bottom:
The top of the bagel was clearly superior, with a fluffier texture and more flavor. The bottom of the bagel was quite dry and chewy, to the point that the crust was unpleasantly difficult to bite through.

Nutritional Value:
The bagel is one of the more nutritious on the Panera menu, with a nutritional rating of 9.

Schmeer Rating:
2 Schmeers out of 5