The Seattle jalapeño cheddar bagel jamboree: Loxsmith Bagels

What's better for a rainy Seattle day than a jalapeño cheddar bagel?

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Welcome back to The Seattle Jalapeño Cheddar Bagel Jamboree. You can read the previous entries here, here, and here. So far, a decent number of the Seattle JCBs have been impressive. Let’s find out if Loxsmith Bagels’ version can keep that streak alive.

I found myself perusing Instagram on a very rainy Wednesday, in part because I was checking on reactions to my chat with BagelFest founder Sam Silverstein (which you can watch here). While scrolling, I was served a Story from Loxsmith featuring one of their jalapeño cheddar bagels, which, I gotta say, looked pretty good.

I threw on my raincoat, left my umbrella at home like any self-respecting Seattleite, and hopped the light rail down to Beacon Hill to grab one.

I rolled up and nearly walked right into owner Matthew Segal. He told me about some exciting things coming soon from Loxsmith (stay tuned) and then let me pick my bagel. I did my best to pick a winner.

Let’s find out if I did.

As a reminder, while my general bagel rankings are based on whims and vibes, I’m handing out actual scores in the jalapeño cheddar rankings. Each bagel will get a score from 1-5 on Bagel Quality, Jalapeño Factor, Cheesiness, Middle, and Overall Experience, as well as an Intangibles bonus (which can add or remove points to the overall score). I’ll add all those points up for a Total Score out of 25.

Initial Thoughts

I thought the JCB looked really good. From a distance, I liked the color, the pepper placement, and the proportions of the bagel. It seems like there was solid cheese coverage across the entire top and most of the sides as well.

Bagel Quality

The bagel was a good size, slightly large with a medium center. I noted a lot of blistering across the top and sides. The top was crinkly and slightly soft while the bottom was firm (with no Cornmeal Ring of Doom). All of which is what I’m hoping for with a good JCB.

The bagel offered a good bite, with an appropriate softness inside and out. There weren’t any distracting textural aspects. The interior was fluffy but still had the density needed to maintain a good chew. The bagel did what it needed to do and let the flavors do the talking.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Jalapeño Factor

I counted six jalapeños ringing the bagel on top (two of them were piled together). I wouldn’t have hated one or two more on there to ensure I got some pepper with every bite. When I did bite into one, the jalapeños had a nice kick. The kind of heat that gets you in the right spot and lingers just long enough before receding (I believe I read they pickle their own jalapeños). The bites without a pepper don’t pop as much but I was able to get at least part of one most of the time.

Score: 4 out of 5

Cheesiness

I really liked the color of the melted cheese. That kind of amber and brown mix that comes from classic cheddar. The top was slightly oily, which you’d expect with a JCB (I’d be more concerned if it wasn’t like that). There were crackly whisps of cheese protruding off the sides at various points, which made for a crispy treat.

The cheese flavor was subtle. It didn’t overpower the jalapeños or the bagel, but you always knew it was there. That was also good for the pepper-less bites, ensuring that flavor was present.

Score: 4 out of 5

Middle

You never quite know what you’re gonna get with a JCB middle. For Loxsmith, the center was sealed from the bottom with a layer of crispy cheese. It made for a cheesy amuse-bouche midway through the main course. Had a jalapeño snuck in there I wouldn’t have said no, but it was solid as-is.

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Overall Experience

I liked this bagel. Sometimes it’s just that simple. It ate well, the flavors were strong, and I kept wanting to go back for another bite until I’d eaten the whole thing. As noted, I would have loved to have gotten another jalapeño or two, but that’s about the only nit I can pick.

It would be really interesting to do a blind taste test between this JCB and the Backyard Bagel version because I noted a lot of similarities. I went into this jamboree thinking I knew what to expect from Seattle but I gotta admit, I wasn’t familiar with your game.

Score: 4 out of 5

Intangibles

N/A

Final Score

Tallying up the points, Loxsmith comes in with an extremely respectable 20 points even. That puts it a smidge behind Backyard in the overall rankings but in the mix among the top JCBs in town. I’d be happy to grab another one of these anytime. The jalapeño cheddar bar just keeps getting higher and higher around here.

Seattle Jalapeño Cheddar Bagel Jamboree Rankings (11/14)

1. Little Rachel’s (22.5)

2. Backyard Bagel (20.5)

3. Loxsmith Bagels (20)

4. Cafe Argento/Safeway (15.5)

5. Rubinstein Bagels (14)

6. Westman’s (6.5)

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