We Tried The New PopUp Bagels x Tabasco Spicy Mac & Cheese Schmear

PopUp Bagel works on a unique premise in the bagel world. Instead of the classic slice and top with schmear method, you’re meant to rip and dip them in the schmear. While not earth-shatteringly revolutionary, it seems to be taking off with the masses. So much so that they’ve taken to collaborations with brands like Tabasco now.

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This schmear collaboration is actually a team up of a few different parties. Content creator Keegan McManus brings his famous mac and cheese recipe to the table alongside Tabasco’s original red pepper sauce. That spicy, cheesy cream cheese is then, of course, lapped up with a ripped bagel from PopUp.

PopUp Bagels x Tabasco Spicy Mac & Cheese Schmear

Pros: The PopUp Bagels x Tabasco spicy mac & cheese schmear features PopUp Bagel’s cream cheese, sharp cheddar, white cheddar, and parmesan cheese. A blend of spices and a dash of Tabasco sauce adds a level of savory depth and heat to the mix. I’d say they nailed everything pretty well here.

There is some spice to the schmear but it’s not overpowering. The worst thing I can imagine is starting my morning off with a bagel and cream cheese that’ll set me up to drink an entire gallon of milk before I leave for work in an attempt to cool things down.

Though not on trial here, I think it’s worth noting that the PopUp bagels themselves are a good foundation for this schmear. They’re bready and savory―so in a sense you get that carby bit of the mac and cheese that the schmear is lacking (more on that later).

Cons: I can’t help but notice the spicy mac and cheese schmear doesn’t actually have any mac in it. Which I’m incredibly disappointed about! I don’t necessarily think it would have added anything to the overall rating. In fact, the bits of soft mac might have even been a detractor. The problem is in the fact that I was lied to! If you cowards didn’t want to put any mac into the mac and cheese schmear then you should have just made it a spicy cheese schmear. Like a pimento cheese spread.

This isn’t the schmear’s fault but I haven’t had an outlet to say this. The whole “whoa, our bagels are so unique because you rip and dip them” is so incredibly lame. It’s a bagel. Yeah, you could rip and dip them before. That’s nothing new. Your bagels might be good but the whole premise that they’re unique because of the way you eat them and not focusing on the flavor is so dorky.