OK Here's Some Late News: Lay's Canada World Flavourites & Chalet Sauce

These came out last year, I missed them, I know I did... but THANKFULLY, none were truly original flavors.
The flavors were part of Lay's Canada's "World Flavourites" (get it, like, Favorites?) a promotion that ran last Summer in Canada. The Thai inspired flavor is "Thai Sweet Chili", which is a favorite of mine when Walkers in the UK makes it. The Canadian inspired flavor is from Lay's Canada's 2014 "Do Us A Flavour" competition... it is the "Bacon Poutine" flavor. And The UK inspired flavor is "Cheese & Onion"... one of the classic Walkers UK flavors... I think this tastes like "In & Out" a local fast food chain here in California, it's an awesome flavor combo. Sooooo.... sorry for the outdated news, but the bags are still something cool to look at. I've never seen this packaging before from Lay's and I really like it. It blends the "Do Us A Flavor" packaging with a new look.

Secondly, there was a new Canadian release last Fall with the flavor "Swiss Chalet Chalet Sauce". The bags are exclusive to select Swiss Chalet restaurants in Canada. They emulate the flavor of the Chalet Sauce, a cult favorite since the sauce was developed in 1954. Apparently, these sold out SUPER fast, so Lay's ordered more. I'd guess you can still hunt these down if you were to call up a few Swiss Chalets.

That wraps it up for late news, there are also a pair of new flavors from Canada that just released, I'll give you the details about all that asap. Enjoy & happy hunting.

Lay's Spain Mix Jamon & Queso

Two Flavors in One!!
Here is a mix bag from Lay's Spain that combines "Jamon & Queso" aka "Spanish Ham & Cheese".
I think my bag was pretty Jamon heavy, but it was still pretty tasty. The Jamon chips taste a bit like Bacon & the Queso chips taste really lightly of cheese. Not Cheddar like in America, but generic cheese similar to swiss but not strong enough to say swiss. I don't know if this is typical of these bags, but I really thought almost all of mine were Ham chips. When I didn't get a Ham flavored one, the other chips seemed lightly flavored by comparison, so I can't really say this bag lived up to it's promises. BUT I really love the Jamon flavored chips from Spain, so that isn't really a complaint. I don't consider this a perfect bag but still edible and enjoyable.
Have you tried these mix bags from Spain before? Did anyone else have these imbalanced flavor problems? Let us know in the comments below!

Lay's USA Poppables White Cheddar

What are Poppables you ask? Well, obviously they are "Perfectly Poppable Crispy Potato Bites"!
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WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?
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I'll tell yall the secret. These... are... potato... CHEX!

Thats also the whole review:
These are potato chex. YUM.

In all seriousness, these taste nothing like chips. They taste like potato chex, but that is not an awful thing. They are fun to munch on. I pretty much inhaled them. The texture is fun and makes them a bit addictive. The flavor didn't do much for me though. It was kind of like Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream flavor. Which I personally don't like. It was VERY rich tasting.
I actually think these would be BOMB in Cheetos flavored Cheddar. That just reminded me of the OLD school 3D Doritos... the texture is SUPER similar. But, back to these, the flavor was too much for me. The texture was the highlight of this bag. So, I'm interested in trying the second flavor in this collection... "Sea Salt" (although I don't know that that flavor is well suited to this shape either). I'd love to see it in more flavors.  If you are a fan of the Ruffles "Cheddar & Sour Cream", this is probably a great bag for you. It's a good party bag for sure, but not for me.

What do you think? Have you had poppables? Do you miss Doritos 3D? OR the lil Mini 3D Doritos? (aawww). Discuss in the comments below :)

Lay's France Cheese & Onion

Here is a flavor from France that felt familiar; "Cheese & Onion".
Opening that bag gives off that lovely scent you expect of Cheese & Onion, but as I've said many times before, the visuals in French Lay's leave much to be desired. The chips are overly bright yellow, they are thin and transparent, which often leads to a bag full of broken chips, most of which are burnt. However, the flavor was very nice. They tasted like Ruffles Cheddar from the US, but much more subdued. I wouldn't say the onion flavor was significant though. I could only find it at the tail end when I really racked my palette looking for it. There was a bit more when you ate more of the chips. But, again, fairly tame. I good bag for that person who loves Cheesy chips. Nothing too spectacular though.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's USA Poppables

Lay's USA got some recent additions to their brand... "Poppables" in "Sea Salt" and "White Cheddar" hit the shelves back in February. I don't know what they are but Lay's describes them as "Perfectly Poppable Crispy Potato Bites"... super descriptive.
Anyways, do you wanna try a potato disc filled with air that will surely be discontinued before the end of the year? Tell us why in the comments below!

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.

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!

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 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!

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: 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: 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 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!

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?

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.

OK Here's Some Late News: Walkers UK Market Deli & Sensations Lime with Thai Spices

Walkers in the UK has also launched the Market Deli line I talked about the other day from Holland. They've got 3 of the same flavors "Balsamic Vinegar of Modena", "Flame Grilled Spanish Chorizo with Roasted Onion", and "Wiltshire Cured Ham, Mature Cheddar and Farmhouse Chutney". Plus 2 more flavors "Cornish Mature Cheddar" and "Anglesey Sea Salt". As I said before, the sophistication of the flavors makes these really exciting and unique in the world of Lay's.

Another differentiation between the UK range and Netherlands is the expansion into Pita Chips and Tortilla Chips. Even though I don't really mention these usually, I might as well cover the expanded range. The Pita Chips are available in "Roasted Garlic and Mediterranean Herbs"and "Sweet Roasted Red Pepper with English Tomato". The Tortilla Chips are flavored as "Roasted Red Chilli with Mediterranean Sundried Tomato" and "Anglesey Sea Salt with Cracked Black Pepper".

Real Talk: These are beautiful and I want them. That is all.

(Apparently this line came out first, and that's why it's a more comprehensive line than the Dutch one)

 Last little Bonus is that the Sensations line has added a new potato chip flavor in their "Gently Infused Lime with Thai Spices" flavor. Sounds literally perfect. Lime and spice go great together. The Sensations line has always been that more sophisticated line of Potato chip flavors from Lay's/ Walkers. And even with the new Market Deli collection, it still will be an elevated flavor experience from the run-of-the-mill chips. So this new flavor seems to just be a continuation of that experience.

Gotta Get At This: Walkers UK Tear N Share

More Walkers News! I'll be brief, its a new line of Walkers Chips in Classic flavors like "Lightly Salted", "Cheddar Cheese & Onion", "Salt & Malt Vinegar", "Sticky BBQ Ribs", and "Sweet Chilli".
The chips are a thicker cut chip, and from everything I've heard online they are actually just a re-branding of the "Extra Crunchy" line. (Read My Review of "Sticky BBQ Ribs" here). The real news here is the bag. It's basically a "bowl", so you tear off the top, and the bag becomes a shareable bowl. In case you have no bowls at home, or you want to have the ugliest snack table ever at a party. You know.
We have stuff like this here in the US, most notably Orville Redenbacher Popcorn has a "Pop up Bowl". So you can go from the microwave to the couch without that laborious bowl pouring.

So, what do yall think about these Tear N Share bags? What's more exciting, the packaging? Or that Extra Crunchy crisps are back? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Netherlands Winter Editions & Market Deli

 Netherlands always has the fun stuff! This Winter season they've released some limited Winter Edition flavors:"Cheese Fondue" & "Bratwurst". They've also released the Lay's Gourmet bag for a limited time (if you don't know, Gourmet is a popular permanent range in other Countries like Spain).
If you are popping into the Netherlands or can get these through a Dutch vendor. Pick these up while they are still in stock!

 

There is also a completely new range making it's way across Europe called "Market Deli - From the Makers of Lay's". Netherlands has launched the collection with 3 flavors: "Balsamic Vinegar from Modena", "Flame Grilled Spanish Chorizo with Roasted Onions", and "Wiltshire Cured Ham, Mature Cheddar, and Farmhouse Chutney". All 3 of these sound DELICIOUS! These are the kinds of flavor I would CHASE down eagerly. The packaging is hella cute and the flavors are a bit more sophisticated than the typical salted faire. Looks good to me Holland!