Thomas’, the popular refined carbohydrate manufacturer, recently announced the first brand new flavor to its bagel line in over two years – Thomas’ Lemon Blueberry Bagels – to celebrate National Bagel Day 2016 on February 9th. Not only that, the company declared Thomas’ Lemon Blueberry Bagels their Flavor of the Year!

That couldn’t possibly be right…

Thomas’ Flavor of the Year Lemon Blueberry Bagels

How could a brand new flavor earn such a prestigious award? This is a question we also posed when Nestle Toll House awarded their brand new Salted Caramel Cookies their “Cookie of the Year” award. This time around, the answer is a little more clear.

Last fall, Thomas’ conducted a Facebook poll for its fans to determine which bagel would earn this impressive title and subsequently reach production. Thomas’s Flavor of the Year Lemon Blueberry Bagels beat out Apple Granola, Jalapeño Corn, and Whole Wheat Everything bagels in the fan vote. You all blew it – Jalapeño Corn would have been the correct choice.

But at least Thomas’ Flavor of the Year Lemon Blueberry Bagels sound interesting enough, even if we all know the Flavor of the Year is forever and always Thomas’s Maple French Toast.

Thomas’s Flavor of the Year Lemon Blueberry Bagels are slightly more yellow than your normal bagel, with dried blueberries mixed throughout the dough. They smell mostly bright and citrusy, favoring the lemon albeit in artificial fashion. That’s because no lemons or even citric acid appear in the ingredient list.

Trying one unadulterated, the bagels are just fine. It takes a little bit of time for that artificial lemon to come through, but the taste is similar to the expectation from the smell test. A little tart, a little sour, plenty of carbs. I would have liked more blueberry personally. Then I thought to myself – what the hell am I supposed to do with these Thomas’s Flavor of the Year Lemon Blueberry Bagels? Should I butter them? Cream cheese? Do I make a bagel smoothie?

Butter?

I tried toasted with butter first. Thomas’s Flavor of the Year Lemon Blueberry Bagels don’t taste gross eaten this way, but butter is a pretty strong flavor up against the the lemon. Butter and lemon is something of an odd pairing unless combined with plenty of sugar and sweetness, like in a dessert. Which is why I then tried them with raspberry preserves for added sweetness. This wasn’t gross either, but the raspberry mostly replaced whatever lemon/blueberry vibe was present before. If you were craving a fruit salad on a bagel, this isn’t exactly that. It’s just a bagel.

Butter not being anything exciting, I had higher hopes for cream cheese. I love cheesecake with fruit sauces, so maybe putting them on a fruity bagel would be more successful. Only problem was, I didn’t have any regular cream cheese. What I did have was an expired Philadelphia Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese.

Expired in November.

Guys, this was THE BEST. Much like butter, the pumpkin spice cream cheese completely overpowered every other flavor in Thomas’s Flavor of the Year Lemon Blueberry Bagels. The bagels provided the perfect backdrop to showcase how Philadelphia’s Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese is the GOAT – regardless of how you eat it and regardless of how expired it is. Pumpkin spice season will be here before you know it. Thank you for the reminder, Thomas.

Philadelphia’s Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Rating: 9.5 out of 10
How Much You Shouldn’t Declare a Flavor of the Year in February Rating: 10 out of 10
Overall Rating: 5.5 out of 10

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