Gotta Get At This: Walkers UK Barmy for a Sarnie Contest

This is other news I missed. Walkers UK appears to have made their Facebook viewable only to UK residents, so I keep getting Walkers news late. I honestly don't even know if you can still get these flavors, but I think the flavors are worth discussing so, I'm sharing the info anyways.

Here are 6 new flavor collaborations between Walkers and Heinz. They flavors are sandwiches featuring a specific Heinz sauce. There is "Bacon & Tomato Ketchup", "Cheese Toastie & Worcester Sauce", "Sausage & Brown Sauce", "Ham & Mustard", "Roast Chicken & Mayonnaise", and "Cheese, Cucumber & Salad Cream". All the sandwiches are pretty typical British fair, and actually make a LOT of sense as chip flavors. Bacon & Ketchup are already pretty standard chip flavors, Cheese & Worcester Sauce as well... but who knows how they taste together, I have never tried HP sauce/ Brown Sauce so I can't say what that tastes like but I know it has been a chip before by a brand called Golden Wonder chips, Ham & Mustard actually sounds the BEST of the batch... I had that flavor combo from Lay's Spain and enjoyed it, Roast Chicken & Mayo IDK but I think I could get behind it, and Lastly the Cheese Cucumber & Salad Cream combo... that is not a flavor made for me, I do not enjoy Salad Cream at all... so that one is for sure my Wildcard. All in all, the collection looks fun, edible, enjoyable, and worth a taste if you get the chance. What do you think about these flavors? Would you give them all a try? Let us know in the comments below!

Walkers UK Market Deli Cornish Mature Cheddar

THESE ARE THE BOMB. I WANT THEM AGAIN. GIMME GIMME GIMME. Actually, I'm headed back to the UK next month and I'm pretty keen to grab another bag. These chips are scrumptious. They are the "Cornish Mature Cheddar" bag from Walkers Market Deli collection. The cheese flavoring reminded me of something that I can't recall. I know, that doesn't really serve a blog well. Bare with me. This is NOT the Cheese flavor on Lay's USA's "Sour Cream & Cheddar" or "Wavy Cheddar" or "Jalepeno Cheddar". It's not like the Cheese on Walker's "Cheese & Onion" or "Cheddar Cheese & Onion". I can't figure it OUT! It's a little bit like Cheetos Cheese but not at all! Oh great, this blog is a failure!! Look, all I know, is that this Cheese flavor is totally different from other cheese flavored chips. The cheese is a tangy and strong. The chips are well cooked (as usual with Walkers), they are a Thick Cut chip so the Potato flavor comes through well... and the seasoning is heavy, but in the best way! Loads of Sharp Cheddar flavor on a well cooked crisp. You can't go wrong. It's so simple but sooo pleasing. Get these if you can. They are Perfect.

Boulder Canyon Turkey & Gravy Kettle Cooked Chips

Here's another NON-Lay's Bonus Bag! Boulder Canyon "Turkey & Gravy" flavored chips.
These are some finely cooked, crunchy Kettle Chips with a herb-y Thanksgiving inspired seasoning. I didn't really taste too much Turkey. But there was a lot of spice and a rich gravy taste to it. The gravy comes across a bit creamy, and the herbs give the flavor robust depth. There is no lack of seasoning here. The bag packs a punch.
The star in this bag, as with the other Boulder Canyon bag I reviewed was the chips themselves. They were crunchy, evenly cooked, and looked perfect. I preferred this bag to the Pumpkin Pie flavored bag. Not because of the flavor, but because the seasoning stuck to the chips better than the other bag. All in all, a solid attempt at capturing the magic of Turkey & Gravy, but they needed to commit to actual Turkey flavor.
If you are in the US and want to give this bag a try, head over to Cost Plus World Market, that's where I picked this one up.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Wavy Milk Chocolate Covered Potato Chips with Almond Bits

WHOA WHOA WHOA. Stop the presses!! I just stumbled upon this majestic beauty on FritoLay.com... upon further research it appears to be a THIRD Holiday flavor release from Lay's. If you don't know, Lay's have release Milk Chocolate Covered Wavy Chips every year for the last few years. They expanded the collection to include Dark Chocolate Covered Wavy Chips 2 years ago, and NOW it looks like they have done it again for 2016! The Chocolate Holiday line will now include a Milk Chocolate with Almond Bits variation. These are decadent and delicious to begin with, but adding Almond Bits is overkill in the best way possible!
These have a tendency to sell out rather quickly, although last year, they made it to the Target Clearance racks (PS They are a Target exclusive I believe). So, I would swoop on these quickly if you are a Sweet x Salty fan.
Happy Holiday Hunting folks!

Elma Chips Brazil Sensações Peito de Peru

This bag is so freaking good. "Peito de Peru" is a "Turkey Breast" flavored bag of chips in the Sensações (Sensations) line (it's Lay's fancy pants collection of more elevated flavors). This is the first time I've seen a Turkey Breast flavored bag, and I gotta say... people are missing out! The chips were incredible. These were my first bag of Elma's and the potato quality is off the charts good. I'd compare them to Walkers or Margaritas, but for some reason they just felt lighter on the palette. I don't know if that was due to the Olive Oil used in seasoning, or that the chips were cooked less time (you could tell that they were more yellow, less brown than you get in most bags). Either way, the chip seemed light and airy, while still packing lots of potato flavor. The seasoning was also delicate; olive oil & turkey. Simple. At first I thought this was a Ham flavor, before translating the label, but the flavor is clearly more delicate than ham. Similar though. For that reason, I'd say if you are a fan of Ham or Bacon flavored bags, you have to give this one a try.
I devoured the bag pretty quickly. Just awesome! Good job Elma!

Lay's USA Korean Barbecue

HEY GUYS! Here's another late review! You can't get these anymore BUT REALLY, I'm doing you a flavor by procrastinating, because these were mediocre at best.

To begin with "Korean Barbecue" tastes like HELLA Molasses Barbecue. It also could have been labeled Chicken Satay and we all woulda been fooled. It's tasty for sure, but I wouldn't call it Korean Barbecue. It was just kind of a basic, overly sweet BBQ. The molasses stood out pretty strong, and looking at the ingredients list, molasses was pretty high up on the list.

The chip quality was basic af too. The chips were riddled with grease bubbles, burnt edges, and a transparent, flaky texture. The potato flavor was decent, but suffered due to the chip texture.

SO, what did you miss out on? Not much. Of all the flavors in the Flavor Swap promotion, I think the major standout was the Habanero flavor. The rest; Smoked Gouda, Olive Oil & Herb, and this one, were just uninteresting.

Lay's Korea Classic

YO!
This tastes like plain salted Lay's yall!

I wish I could give this bag a solid review, but it is LEGIT the exact same thing as Lay's USA Classic.
That's a great thing though, as most other nations can't seem to get the basic Classic Salted flavoring right.
The potato quality is nothing to write home about, but they are far from bad.
I imagine that this bag is a welcome sight to a picky American eater traveling through Korea.


That's about it. Not too much to say.
No need to hunt this bag down, but if you need it in Korea, it'll be there for you. #LaysIsASecurityBlanket 

Lay's Spain Mix Pizza & Queso

This is the bomb! Take me back to Spain RIGHT NOW so I can get another bag!!
This is a bag from the Lay's Mix range, it features 2 flavors in 1 bag. Half the bag is filled with Pizza flavor, the other half with Cheese flavor.
Before we discuss flavor, I have to talk about how awesome the texture is on these chips. I ate them at the same time I ate a bag of chips from Lay's USA. The difference in chip quality was ASTOUNDING. While USA has a ton of greasy air bubbles and a flaky, transparent texture, these Spanish chips were smooth and evenly cooked. The potato flavor is rich and stands out on it's own (& while Lay's USA has done much to improve the quality of their chips recently, it's still not even comparable to the flavor in a bag like this).
Now, there are 2 flavors in here; the Cheese flavor is strong and reminded me of Jarlsberg. The Pizza flavor was more like a Tomato & Herb flavor. BUT together, it was almost scary how much it tasted like Pizza. A really cheesy pizza. It reminded me of those days as a child when I just wanted to go to a Pizza Parlor, play video games, and shovel cheese pizza in my face.
I can't complain about a single thing in this bag. The chips are well cooked, have loads of flavor, the seasoning is spot on and tasty af.
I'm a big fan of this bag, so book your flight & go get them! I hear Barcelona has some nice sights, you can probably see some cool stuff too!

Boulder Canyon Pumpkin Pie

In the spirit of the season, today we've got a NON-LAY'S bag! Here is Boulder Canyon's "Pumpkin Pie" flavored Kettle Cooked Potato Chips. This bag is CRAZY good! It tastes JUST LIKE Pumpkin Pie!
The cook on the chips is really nice, it's not that overly crunchy Kettle style, the texture is more like regular cooked chips. The seasoning is very reminiscent of these Cinnamon Sugar Cheetos Sweetos, or Lay's Cappuccino but with a Pumpkin Pie spice twist. Basically it tastes like real Pumpkin Pie with lots of Cinnamon.
There is a flaw to these chips though. While the seasoning is awesome, and the chips are well cooked, something is amiss between the 2. The seasoning seems to come off the chips really easily. When you're eating them, you basically get all the seasoning, and then it's gone, and all that's left is a plain un-seasoned potato flavor. It's actually kind of unpleasant. For me though, that was easily remedied by just shoving 18 more chips in my mouth before I was done chewing. The flavor is addictive, it just disappears quickly.
If you are a sweet chip fan like I am, or a Pumpkin Spice fan, you gotta seek these out. I picked these up at Cost Plus World Market in their Pumpkin Spice area. They are fun and unique in a world full of boring savory chip flavors.
 Happy Hunting Chip Fans!

Lay's USA Flavor All Stars 2016

Lay's USA is running another promotion to end out 2016; this time it's the return of 3 popular flavors from the last 3 years of various promos known as the "Flavor All-Stars". The 3 returning flavors are "Wavy Truffle Fries" aka "Wavy West Coast Truffle Fries" from 2015's Regionally themed "Do Us a Flavor" competition, "Smoked Gouda & Chive" from this years "Flavor Swap" promotion, and my personal favorite "Chicken &Waffles" from 2013's "Do Us a Flavor" competition.

I've reviewed all 3 of these bags here: Truffle Fries, Smoked Gouda & Chive, Chicken & Waffles

I'm pretty keen to get a few bags of "Chicken & Waffles", I absolutely loved that flavor. What about you? Excited to see an old favorite return? Let us know in the comments section below!

Lay's USA Brazilian Picanha

Another day, another bag of Lay's Passport to Flavors Chips. Today we make a stop in Brazil for "Picanha", a traditional skewered meat roasted over charcoal. The Picanha in particular comes from the Rump of the cow. The barbecued beef is served with Chimichurri sauce.

This bag, this one right here. It tastes like basic carne asada, ok?

What is going on Lay's? When you open the bag, the smell is pure molasses-sugary-sweetness. Idk why!!! If there is any sweetness in the flavor, it is barely noticeable and only on the first few chips, so why the sweet smell is so overwhelming, I haven't a clue. The flavor is beef definitely, and what I refer to as "generic meat seasonings"... there is not a single hint of Chimichurri to be tasted (which is unfortunate). As you eat further down the bag, the seasoning builds and you get a really hearty seasoned meat flavor. There is NOTHING wrong with it. But it ISN'T Brazilian BBQ. The potato, btw, is solid, nothing to talk about really. So, the stand out was that generic seasoning, and then my friend described it as carne asada, and the whole world suddenly made sense. IDK WHY LAYS, but you made Carne Asada chips, and you tried to hustle them to American who may not know the difference between Latin meat seasonings. SHAME!

But, in all honesty, these are tasty, so don't listen to my complaints and grab a bag now before they are gone for good.

Sabritas Mexico Intercambio de Sabor Promotion

Sabritas Mexico is running a promotion right now, very similar to the "Flavor Swap" one Lay's USA launched in the first half of the year... the "Intercambio de Sabor" (aka Change of Flavor) promo pits 2 classic Sabritas Flavors against 2 new Flavors to see which chip fans prefer. The first face-off is between classic "Flamin' Hot" and the new "Ali Chili" which is flavored with Chile Manzano and inspired by Egypt. The second battle is between classic "Adobadas" and the new "Aci Thai" which is flavored with Chile Acidulce and inspired by Thailand. I'm guessing "Acidulce" means "Thai Sweet Chili"; which is a pretty popular chip flavor everywhere except here in the States. The Manzano or Apple Chili is a pepper that is similar to a Serrano in terms of heat. The new flavors did not fair well against the classics here in the US, and I doubt they will beat the classics in Mexico either... so consider these 2 new limited edition flavors and pick them up while you can!

PS. I can't understand how I almost missed this... CHECK OUT THE PACKAGING! The Egyptian inspired one bares the Chipsy Egypt logo, while the Thai one bares the Lay's Thailand logo. This is how the bags are being sold in Mexico. They are worth hunting down just for that novelty. Happy Hunting!!

Lay's USA Beer 'n Brats

What is this bag yall!? I went looking for the Passport Flavors, and stumbled upon this gem! "Beer 'n Brats" flavored Lay's... IN AMERICA!
If you frequent this blog, you may remember that Romania has been doing a Beer & Brats flavor seasonally around Oktoberfest for the last few years... and even a Spicy Beer & Brats flavor. It's quite fun to see it here in the states now!
However, let's get to the literal meat & potatoes... this flavor is MEH. Something is missing. The Beer. VITAL COMPONENT LAY'S!!
I got Bratwurst flavor, but faintly... and oddly... Cheese. So, I flipped this bag over and looked at the ingredients... yup, Cheddar seasoning. WHY?! Why is there Cheddar featured as a prominent ingredient in a Beer & Bratwurst flavored bag of chips? It makes no sense! The potato itself is fine and has some potato flavor, it's cooked well, but the seasoning is off base completely! I could not taste anything Beer like. I could barely taste Brats. This is a smoked meat Cheddar bag of chips. What a shame & a disappointment. Hopefully this bag will disappear as silently as it appeared and come back with a more authentic taste, because this is a fun flavor opportunity.
If you'd like to give it a taste, I found mine at my local Stater Bros. market. They did not have the Passport flavors at the time, which have already been out for several weeks, so I don't know if that is a clue for finding these. I'd hunt for it fast, I can't imagine this bag selling beyond it's initial release, it's just not good enough.
If you do manage to find it, let me know what you thought in the comments below! Thanks!

Lay's USA Tapatio Limon

These are the bomb yall!! Another bag that scared me with red seasoning and this time a bottle of hot sauce on the outside! But, it is a gentle giant.
The Tapatio Limon flavored bag is LITERALLY the same seasoning as Mexico's Sabrita's "Adobadas" BUT with Lime! It's also pretty close in flavor to the "Chile Limon" flavor from Lay's USA. It was spicy, but not crazy spicy. The spice builds as you snack. I made my way through almost half the bag before I decided I needed to stop, so it's pretty addictive. The chips, as usual now with Lay's USA is a pretty good/ decent quality. The potato flavor definitely benefits from the comforting, tomato-y, flavor of the Tapatio, the kick from the spice, and the brightness of the Lime. All in all, it's an A+ chip. Great addition to the Lay's USA range.

Lay's USA Chinese Szechuan Chicken

Here's another bag from Lay's USA's Passport to Flavor Collection; "Chinese Szechuan Chicken".
The quickie review is this bag smells like Chinese food, you get a strong whiff of Soy Sauce and can taste it too. The chips are good quality. The spice builds up. It's a pretty solid reproduction of Szechuan Chicken.

Now, for my opinion. This should have been a Szechuan BEEF flavor. The Chicken seasoning is too mild to compete with the spicy Szechuan flavor so it get's lost. You get Szechuan peppers, no Chicken. I am much more familiar with Szechuan Beef, and I think the heavier Beef seasoning would have gone better with the strong Chinese spice. Also with the Soy Sauce.

Is this a fun alternative to ordering take-out? Yes. Will it satisfy a 3am Chinese food craving? Yes. Is it the best Chinese flavored Chip ever? NAW. Is it the best of the 4 new flavors? Nope!

But, What did you guys think? Did you love it? Am I just straight up wrong? Comment below!

Lay's Romania Strong

Lay's Romania has some relatively new chips happening... the Lay's Strong collection. I would compare these to the Walker's MAX line in the UK, they are Ruffles chips with Stronger, Bolder seasonings.
The 3 flavors that have been released at launch are "Piri Piri" Pepper, "Hot Paprika", and "Wasabi". So if you love yourself some spice, make a pit stop in Romania and grab a bag!

Lay's USA Wavy Greek Tzatziki

Here is #1/4 from Lay's current Passport to Flavor promotion; "Wavy Greek Tzatziki".

Quick Review: These are HELLA GOOD! The wavy cut chip adds a ton of potato flavor and the seasoning tastes like you've dipped a chip in a bowl or refreshing, bright, garlic-y, minty, Tzatziki. If you are a fan of the traditional Mediterranean dip, you will enjoy this flavor.

Long Review: See my post from this flavor when it was a Costco Exclusive.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's USA Passport to Flavor promotion

Lay's USA just announced 4 new flavors that will be released this month of a limited time. "Brazilian Picanha", "Chinese Szechuan Chicken", "Wavy Greek Tzatziki" and "Kettle Cooked Indian Tikka Masala".
Are you a Lay's nerd noticing something fishy here? Me too. "Wavy Greek Tzatziki" and "Kettle Cooked Indian Tikka Masala" already exist Lay's!! Don't try to trick me!! These are both previously released Costco exclusive flavors. Read my review of  Tzatziki here.
THAT BEING SAID, the flavors will still be new to the general public. And won't come in ridiculous giant sized bags. The promotion is a fun tie in with the Summer Olympics in Brazil. These types of flavors haven't really been explored in the US... so it will be nice change on shelves.

Flavors: For those out of the know; "Brazilian Picanha" is a favored cut of beef at Brazilian Churrascarias, "Chinese Szechuan Chicken" is a deep fried or stir fried Chicken dish that uses the spicy Szechuan peppers for the Szechuan province in China along with Garlic, "Greek Tzatziki" is a Yogurt dip popular in Mediterranean cuisine that is seasoned with Mint, Cucumber, and Garlic, and "Indian Tikka Masala" is a Chicken dish popular in India and the UK composed of Yogurt Marinated Chicken that is then added to a Tomato based sauce with spice mix.
All of these flavors sound bold and exciting.
They will be available in the USA July 25th. Will you be searching for any of these?

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Argentina Apasionados Por Nuestro Sabores Competition Salame, Provoleta Grillada, Ciervo Ahumado, and Humita tipo Norteña

Argentina is on board with the "Apasionados Por Nuestro Sabores" Competition too (aka "Passionate For Our Flavors"). They've entered the mix with 4 flavors..."Salame","Provoleta Grillada","Ciervo Ahumado", and "Humita tipo Norteña". Don't know what most of those things are?? Don't worry, I've googled them on your behalf. "Salame" is pretty straight forward, it's "Salami" seasoned... which is just a tasty stick of cured sausage. "Provoleta Grillada" is INSANE, and now that I know such a thing exists, I need to find it. "Provoleta Grillada" is a grilled slab of "Provolone Cheese"!! A disc of Provolone is cut, and then placed in a special disc shaped pan, seasoned and thrown on the grill. YUP, it's crazy. "Ciervo Ahumado" is "Smoked Venison", not smoked like BBQ, but smoked like cured ham. I don't know what this tastes like, but I imagine you'll get herbaceous, meaty, smokey, a little sweet, and a gang of salty. The last flavor is "Humita tipo Norteña" which means "Northern style Humita"... or as someone who grew up with Mexicans, I would call it a "Northern style Tamale". Humitas and Tamales are basically the same thing, ground corn cooked in a banana leaf. The Argentinian Northern style adds chopped onion, chopped red and green peppers, chopped tomatoes, and seasonings like Oregano to the mix. 
Sounds like Argentinians have a tasty Summer ahead of them. What do you think? Are there any flavors that have your mouth watering?

Gotta Get At This: Margarita Colombia Jamon y Miel

COLOMBIA! STOP MAKING ME HUNGRY!
Ham & Honey flavored Chips. Sounds so yummy.
Packing my bags now!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Thailand Honey Butter and Popcorn Caramel

DAMN THAILAND, BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE CRAZY ASS FLAVORS!
I LOVE Lay's Thailand, they are always doing some wacky stuff, but they make a perfectly cooked chip and authentic seasoning, so they are always pulling it off.
This year they've debuted a sweet collection, starting with "Honey Butter"... which, if you didn't know, is a flavor that SWEPT Korea last year. Literally, bags by Japanese snack maker Calbee of "Honey Butter" Chips were selling at up to $104 USD on ebay. The bags were so coveted in Korea that shopkeepers were bundling the chips with other snacks to cash in on the craze. Even McDonald's in Korea started selling "Honey Butter" French Fries! It's my understanding that they are still nearly impossible to find, but in the span of the craze, many imitators have come out with the "Honey Butter" flavor. Lay's Thailand has tapped into the mania and released their own version, albeit on a Ruffle cut chip. The sweet range also includes a regular cut chip "Popcorn Caramel" flavor that is only available at 7 eleven stores.
As with most Thai Lay's, they are pretty easy to find on ebay or Amazon, and I've already ordered these to try. So, if you don't wanna pack a bag and go to Thailand, order them from the convenience of your home. These are the kinds of fun new chip ideas I like to see, so I'm keen to try them! What do you think? Discuss in the comments section below :)

Lay's USA Kettle Cooked GreekTown Gyro

Here's a discontinued flavor from last year's "Do Us a Flavor" competition in the US. "Greektown Gyro" on a Kettle Cooked Chip.
yo. These are addictive and nasty all at the same time.
SO, you've got the Kettle Cooked chip, which to me has slowly been declining in quality over at Lay's USA (it used to be my favorite, but as the regular cut chip has improved, this one seems to be getting less attention.)
The chip has a weird texture, not quite Kettle, not quite regular. It tasted more like the Thick Cut line of chips.
The seasoning is what saves it, but only for a moment. This seasoning comes with everything you could want from a gyro flavor, it's robust and meaty, but with a hint of refreshing yogurt and cucumber. My only complaint about the seasoning is... why the fruck is it SO SALTY!!?? The level of salt on these was downright disgusting. It negates how good the complex seasoning is. That, paired with a poorly cooked potato, lead this to be a fail for me. I'm not surprised to see it not win. Which is sad, cuz I think they were close to something fun and tasty. Oh well.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Arabia Forno Fusion Lebanese Mix and Italian Mix, MAX Salt and Vinegar, and Paprika

Lay's Arabia, which is the Lay's arm across the United Arab Emirates, debuted 2 new Forno Flavor Fusions. The "Forno" range is what we in the states refer to as the "Baked" brand, but I don't think I've seen the "Fusion" branding before. The "Fusion" line appears to be spice mixes on baked chips. The 2 bags being released are a "Lebanese Mix" flavor and an "Italian Mix" flavor. Classic seasonings that work in almost every situation. Sounds yummm.

Arabia has also extended a new flavor in their successful MAX line..."Salt &Vinegar". Also Classic, Also, can't go wrong flavor.
MAX is what we call Ruffles here in the US; not to be confused with the MAXX collection in other Countries which is a Deep Ridged Chip (Which is called XTRA in the UAE).

Bonus:

PS. Here's a bag I missed in November. Arabia permanently added Paprika to their list of permanent flavors.


I'm not a fan of the chips in the standard Lay's Arabia line. I found most of the flavors off-putting, and I thought the potato left A LOT to be desired. It was poor quality potato and odd texture. BUT I can't say I've tried their Baked or Ruffled Offerings. Sooo, they could be better. Let us know if you try any of these in the comments section below, and HAPPY HUNTING!!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Guatemala Queso Cheddar y Tocino

Guatemala. You just got a gift.
Cheddar and Bacon Lay's.
Damn if that ain't worth a trip to Guatemala, I don't know what is.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Russia Баварские колбаски and Итальянскую лазанью

Russia is in on the Soccer Fever, launching 2 new flavors.
As with the other Lionel Messi/Soccer Tie-ins Running now, I do NOT know if these are a limited edition flavor launch, or newly permanent bags. Russia, Romania, and Hungary all tend to mark Limited Edition flavors with special labels, but I have yet to see that on these. Either way, I would treat these as if they are limited editions and hunt them down ASAP.
The flavors sound awesome, we've got "Баварские колбаски" which is "Bavarian Sausage" and "
Итальянскую лазанью" which is "Italian Lasagna".
I would kill either of those bags, MMMM. 
What do you think? Worth a flight to Russia?

Gotta Get At This: Margarita Colombia Apasionados Por Nuestro Sabores Competition MAXX Suero Costeño, Mazorca Asada, and Chicharron Carnudo

 

Colombia is getting in on the "Apasionados Por Nuestro Sabores" AKA "Passionate For Our Flavors" Competition! My absolute favorite International Chips are coming out the gate with "MAXX Suero Costeño (Costa Caribe)", "Mazorca Asada (Cundinamarca)", and "Chicharron Carnudo (Antioquia)"...these flavors are a Sour Cream type Cream from Colombia's Coastal Region called "Suero Costeño" on a MAXX cut Deep Ridged Chip, "Grilled Corn on the Cob" from the Cundinamarca region where the Capital is located, and "Pork Rinds" or "Fried Pork Belly" from the Antioquia region. If you are a fan of Mexican "Chicharron" or "Pork Rinds", Colombia's variation is made with thick Pork Belly and it looks like the bag will include a hint of Lime. The 3 flavors looks fun, and very tailored to the Country's Chip Buying Fans. Margarita always makes a delicious chip, so these are bound to be awesome. Check them out if you get the chance while the competition is running!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Romania Crocant, Cheese & Basil, and Chorizo

Romania is also launching some tie-in bags for Soccer/Futbol season... The "Crocant" aka "Ruffles" chips got some UEFA Championship packaging and they also got 2 new flavors "Cheese & Basil" along with "Chorizo". As with Hungary, I couldn't find out if the 2 flavors will be permanent or limited edition... but I'm guessing they are permanent, because Romania usually labels limited editions. Either way, if you are cruising through Romania, give these a taste, and be sure to let us know what you think of them in the comments section below.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Hungary Chanterelles in Cream, Chorizo, and Salami Pizza

Hungary is busting out some Summer promotions in connection with Soccer/Futbol season...here are 3 new flavors (I'm not sure if they are going to be permanent or seasonal)
"Chanterelles in Cream", "Chorizo", and "Salami Pizza". All 3 look solid. Have you seen them around in Hungary? I don't even know where Hungary is on a map, but these flavors make me Hungary ;)

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Chile Apasionados Por Nuestro Sabores Corte American Empanada de Pino, Maxx Choripan, Mediterranea Queso de Cabra y Oliva

Lay's Chile is also feeling Passionate for their own flavors, and running the Apasionados Por Nuestro Sabores campaign that Peru is running.
Three flavors are up for vote: "Empanada de Pino" on a typical cut chip or "American Cut", "Choripan" on a MAXX ridged chip, and "Queso de Cabra y Oliva" on a Mediterranea style chip.
"Empanada de Pino" is an Empanada (like a Calzone) filled with a mixture of ground beef, onions, raisins, black olives, and hard boiled eggs. It is a typical Chilean filling for an empanada.
"Choripan" is a Chorizo sausage and Crusty Bread sandwich that is popular in Chile and other surrounding Countries.
"Queso de Cabra y Oliva" is "Goat Cheese and Olive" the flavor is probably accompanied by Olive Oil on the chip because it's the Mediterranea style chip. Otherwise the description is pretty straight forward. Goat Cheese and Olive are two BOLD flavors and probably taste awesome on a chip.

So, if you can get to Chile, or a friend can send you some, here are 3 awesome new limited edition flavors to chase down! Enjoy the hunt!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Peru Apasionados Por Nuestros Sabores Competition Papa a la Huancaína and Lomo Saltado

Peru is running a fun flavor contest called "Apasionados por nuestros sabores" aka "Passionate for our flavors". It seems to be a voting competition between 2 typical Peruvian flavors: "Papa a la Huancaina" and "Lomo Saltado".
"Papa a la Huancaina" is a dish that derived from the Peruvian Highlands; a cold dish of yellow potatoes, served with Huancaina sauce which is a cheese based sauce. The potatoes are usually served on a bed of lettuce and come with Olives on top.
"Lomo Saltado" is a yummy dish of stir fried steak strips with bell peppers and onions, that comes with thick cut french fries on the side.
I love that both of these flavors come with potato on the plate; that is usually a good sign of a successful flavor in the bag.
The contest started running this month, so both bags should be available now in Peru.

Lay's USA Kettle Cooked Olive Oil & Herbs

MEH

Here's Kettle Cooked Olive Oil & Herbs, a bag in the current US Flavor Swap competition.

It's not good.
The bag smells powerfully of Olive Oil, and the first chip or two has the Olive Oil flavor, but the other seasonings overwhelm the subtlety of Olive Oil. The herbs are there, but more potently you get a LOT of Garlic powder. I could feel it on my finger tips and I could taste it accumulating on my palette. The more I ate, the less this bag tasted of Olive Oil. It began to have almost a cheesy taste to it. But it was just too much Garlic powder. The bag is also over salted.
I complained that Spain's Olive Oil bag could have benefited from some salt to enhance the flavor of the potato... but this skews in the complete other direction. Too much Salt, too much Garlic.
On top of that, the chips are not cooked well AT ALL. I always have been appreciative of the cook on all the chips in the Kettle Cooked line, but these ones fail terribly. They are more like stale thick cut chips than the usual kettle cooked.

I don't know what went wrong here. I anticipated this being one of my favorite flavors, but in my opinion it's a wasted opportunity.

BOOOOOOO

Lay's USA Southern Biscuits and Gravy

Here's 2015 Do Us a Flavor competition's Winner: "Southern Biscuits and Gravy". This is by far the best of this bunch that I have tried. It REALLY tastes like Biscuits and Gravy. Lay's always succeeds when it does Bread/Sandwich based flavors... like the "Cheesy Garlic Bread" Flavor. This one is no different. The potato chip plays the part of the biscuit, and the gravy flavor comes from cream and spices in the seasoning. The flavor is creamy but not too much like "Sour Cream and Onion" flavor. The spices are super authentic and I detect a little heat in the back of my palette that builds as you eat more. I really don't know how they hit this so perfectly on the head, but they did and I'm into it.

These should be available until Summer here in the US. Grab em, they are awesome!

Cheetos Mexico Horneados Bolitas Queso y Chile and Fritos Mexico Sal y Limon

 Every once in a while I like to mix it up and not eat Lay's, lol. This time while visiting a Mexican swap meet my friend and I decided to grab some Cheetos and Fritos. I'm always suspicious about what the "plain" flavor of Cheetos is because it varies from country to country. Here in the US it's "Cheese" but in Mexico it happens to be a "Chili and Cheese" flavor and that's what you have in this bag. Cheetos Horneados are baked Cheetos and Bolitas are the cheeseball shape, but the only mention of a flavor is down in the fine print where it says "Queso y Chile".
The flavor immediately reminded me of the classic Lay's Mexican Adobada flavor, a spice mix of mostly Chipotle and Lime. But here on the Cheetos it is mixed with the classic Cheetos Cheese flavor. It is suprisingly epic!
So much is happening flavor-wise; the corn flavor from the puff is very rich. PLUS the cheese, then spice with some smokiness, and lastly some lime tang. It sounds like nonsense, but it is really yummy!! I highly recommend these. They are just weirdly good!

The other pickup that day was Fritos "Sal y Limon" aka "Salt and Lime". These were interesting. The texture is a fail. Compared to the US Fritos, the texture is much thinner and flakier. Thats pretty weird for a corn chip. The flavor however is awesome. While US Fritos are VERY Salty (but it works), the salt in this bag was way more tame. That, combined with the bright Lime flavor, was pretty delicious.
I think ultimately, what is good about these two bags is what I have cheered before in regards to Mexico's Lay's Chips: that's to say that the chip texture is weird but the seasoning always makes their chips addictive.

I think if you have the chance to pick these up, do it. They are a nice change of pace, without being full on CRAZY flavors. They are typical flavors used in Mexican cuisine, so they are being executed well.

Lay's USA Wavy West Coast Truffle Fries

Here's another bag from 2015's Do Us A Flavor contest, this bag lost the competition, but whatever let's discuss it anyways. This is "Wavy West Coast Truffle Fries".
So, here's my thoughts... If you like Fancy Truffle Fries, you will probably like these. If you are a little more low key, these may not be for you.
The Wavy potato chip adds some thick crunchiness and extra potato-y flavor. A good stand in for French Fries. But, the seasoning reeks of Truffle Oil. In my opinion, Truffle Oil tends to be over used in a lot of dishes, and the same can be said here. It gave the chips a bit of a bitter taste. This combined with a TON of Garlic, and Duck Fat, made the overall flavor a bit funky.
Were these horrible? No.
Were they brilliant? No.
They are what they are: An abundance of sophisticated flavors thrown haphazardly on a cheap potato chip.
That might sound harsh, but it's my real interpretation of what's happening in this bag.
I can't imagine the average midwest citizen wanting to eat these. Not to mention that for a "Vegetarian" flavored chip, it's inclusion of Duck Fat AND Chicken Fat put off my pickier friends.
I see why this one didn't last, and I wasn't really impressed. Try it if you can find it just for the novelty, but it's no biggie if you missed out (like the rest of this collection).
SOOOO, what did yall think of these?

Lay's Argentina Asado

Got this awesome flavor from my lovely friend who just moved to Argentina and brought them back with her on a visit. "Asado" is a "Grilled Beef" flavor, plain and simple in the best way. Unlike an American Style BBQ flavor, which would focus on the BBQ sauce, this South American BBQ is focused on the the actual Beef. This lovely bag of chips features a pretty decent potato chip with good potato flavor. These nice chips make the perfect showcase for the smokey, chargrilled, beef seasoning. It tasted so genuine, so fresh off the grill. It was a Willy Wonka moment.
The awesomely unexpected bonus to this bag was that it was actually meat free, so my Vegetarian friend who brought these with her was able to eat them. For a vegetarian chip, it was insanely convincing.
I really loved this flavor. It was simple, no gimmicks, and just tasty.
Good job Argentina!

Lay's USA Smoked Gouda & Chive

Here's another new bag from Lay's USA's current Flavor Swap promotion. The contest pits a classic Lay's flavor against a competitor, and in the end 4 flavors will make it back on to shelves permanently while 4 will be lost to history. "Smoked Gouda & Chive" has been pitted against "Cheddar & Sour Cream". While I didn't pit these 2 against each other directly to taste test, nor would I claim to be a "Cheddar & Sour Cream" connoisseur; I can say very confidently... I'm PRETTY sure these are the same flavor.

Really.

I tried these and I was like, um, so what's the difference?
They have a creamy, cheesy flavor. Maybe some mild chive that I didn't notice. I didn't pick up any smokyness, or Gouda as the particular Cheese (although 2 of my friends swore they could taste Smoke flavor, but I was skeptical).
Ultimately, it's a delicious bag of chips. The Cheesy flavor is yummy. The chips themselves are well cooked and tasty.
I think this battle is better left decided by those Cheesy chip fans who can notice the subtle differences better than I can. If the choice was left to me in this battle, I'd have to be blindfolded and just point at one. They were just too similar to give me any sort of preference.

BUT, I'd love to know what you all think? Could you taste a significant difference? Is their a smoke flavor I was just oblivious to? Gouda vs Cheddar, who do you want to see prevail?

Lay's USA Fiery Roasted Habanero

Lay's USA debuted their newest batch of flavors just in time for the Super Bowl last Sunday, and this flavor here was made for it. It's perfect for a Sunny California day Barbecuing and throwing back Beers.
This is "Fiery Roasted Habanero" a flavor, being matched against the classic "Flamin Hot". Check it: I hate "Flamin Hot", I don't understand it as a flavor. It is full blown nuclear and reminds me of licking batteries. "Fiery Roasted Habanero" on the other hand, may be the best spicy flavor I've ever tried. Really. It's a Red Pepper and Tomato based flavor that is super tasty, and then after a moment, a creep of Habanero goes across your tongue until your whole mouth feels the heat. And to me, it never got overwhelming. It was Hot, for sure, but nothing someone with moderate heat tolerance couldn't endure.
The Lay's USA Potatoes have come a long way in the last few years, and the quality now is pretty good (not great, but good). So while the potato doesn't pack in a ton of flavor, it is still a good mass produced chip, and the awesome seasoning in this bag makes up for that. Overall, I think if you are a fan of heat, you have to give this bag a shot. The friends I shared this with, were all "Flamin Hot" mega fans, and they all agreed this bag blows "Flamin Hot" out of the water. Among 5 people the bag was gone in 10 minutes.
So, what do you think? Have you tried this flavor yet? Are you a heat fan? Will you be devastated to lose Flamin Hot, even if this flavor is better? Share your thoughts in the comments below :)

OK Here's Some Late News: Walkers Bring Me Back Contest 2015 brought some flavors back

This is like 8 month old news guys. It might as well be a historical archive at this point.

I told you all I had taken a bit of a break from the blog, so that's why this story never got covered, which is stupid, because it's Walkers, so it wasn't really something I should have missed. BUT none the less I did, and I've got to Thank Georgina Malcolm over at http://cheeseburgercrisps.blogspot.com/ for bringing the contest to my attention. (PS She's got a really cute blog about all things crisps, so head over and check it out!)

Last Summer, in place of the typical "Do Us A Flavor" contest everyone has been running for the last handful of years, Walkers UK decided to mix it up and hold the "Bring Me Back" Contest.

The "Bring Me Back" contest brought back 5 classic retro Walkers Flavors back for a Limited Time, to see which would be brought back into the permanent collection. The 5 flavors were "Beef & Onion", "Cheese & Chive", "Barbecue", "Lamb & Mint", & "Toasted Cheese". The Promotion also brought back a 6th retro flavor to be permanent; "Marmite".

In the end, "Beef & Onion" was victorious and brought back as the winning retro flavor. Making both "Marmite" & "Beef & Onion" permanent flavors.

And that is why, I still felt it was important to report on this contest... because rarely do beloved retro flavors come back on shelves, let alone 2 of them. If you miss the beloved taste of either of these, track them down and enjoy.
I've only ever tried the "Beef & Onion" replacement flavor that came out as "Steak & Onion" (ps Didn't know that had been discontinued either, Walkers!) but I know "Beef & Onion" fans didn't like it as much as the original, so I see why this would be a popular choice for the win. I can't wait to hunt it down and see what all the hype has been about.

OK Here's Some Late News: Lay's Canada Do Us A Flavor 2015 & Winner

 Look guys, I haven't even OPENED the US bags, so I definitely didn't even report this contest. But these sound wack so don't trip, we missed nothing. The typical Do Us A Flavor contest was conducted and there were 4 flavors selected. The flavor finalists were "Cowboy BBQ Beans", "Butter Chicken", "Montreal Smoked Meat", & "P.E.I. Scalloped Potatoes".
I don't think any of these things sound good. I would rather eat that weird Moose meat bag from 2 years ago. If you disagree with this, comment below, I'd like to hear a defense for these gross flavors.

"Hey Terrance, you know what sounds delicious? BBQ Beans flavored Crisps."

Try to believe that sentence! It's IMPOSSIBLE!

So of course the least offensive flavor was chosen. "P.E.I Scalloped Potatoes"... I don't know what PEI stands for, and I'm not googling that shit for one second. So to me, cheesy potatoes won the contest, and since chips are potatoes already... cheese flavor, the most basic of all g-damn flavors, won the contest.
That's right. A nationwide competition for the winner to be CHEESE.

 

These finalists and this winner offend me, in case that wasn't clear. I'm done with this article.