Gotta Get At This: Lay's USA Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper Walmart Exclusive

Do you guys remember back when Lay's unveiled the "Do Us A Flavor" 10 Semi finalists. IDK, if yall remember me saying that this flavor sounded so good that it should be a permanent flavor... but I did and I guess Walmart felt similarly. Right now, as a tie in to the "Do Us A Flavor" competition (That's stupid and weird btw Lay's), you can find the "Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper" flavor exclusively at Walmart. I don't know how limited the run of it will be, but it is a bag being carried by Walmart outside of the competition, so it could stay a store exclusive. That's weird, but I think Walmart got a good deal. These are a sure fire seller regardless of what they taste like.

So... if you want to try these, climb over the mountain of homeless people outside and make your way down the stinky aisles of Walmart to hunt these down. Who knows how much longer you'll be able to.

Happy Hunting!

Lay's USA Everything Bagel

I caved guys. I caved.
Here is a bag of the Kettle Cooked "Everything Bagel" flavor from Lay's USAs current "Do Us A Flavor" competition.
In the lead up to trying it, it didn't sound very good. I imagined heavy cream cheese flavor (like a "sour cream & onion" bag) and minimal "everything bagel" flavor. I was wondering how they could replicate the unique potency of poppy seeds and all the other treasures on an everything bagel... well, now we know.
First of all, I was shocked by how mild the cream cheese flavor was. I could almost go out on a limb and say they could have added more; but I don't want to nit-pick. It was very tasty, just enough cream cheese flavor to compliment the garlic, onion, AND.... poppy seed... real... poppy seed!
What shook me the most about this bag was how strong that flavor of "Everything Bagel" really was. When I gave the chips a better look, I noticed they were actually covered in REAL poppy seeds. I didn't think Lay's would pull off that move... but they did; and it pays off big time with this bag. It lends an incredibly authentic flavor to what they were trying to accomplish with this bag. The bag really tastes like an Everything bagel.
Lastly, I just want to touch on the fact that the Kettle Cooked chips used to be my favorite cook on chips from Lay's USA... but today I consider it hit or miss. These fell somewhere in between. I can't say I loved the texture. But, they were cooked, not burnt, and tasted very fresh, so, It was just the texture that I didn't care for as much as the seasoning.

Anyways, let me know... have you guys tried these? Have you tried the competition yet? What did you think? Did they surprise you like they surprised me?

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.

Contest: Lay's USA Do Us A Flavor 2017 Finalists

Well, it was a nice run America.
We tried to do some cool shit here. But then somehow we got a Cheeto for a President, and we got these 3 bags of dumpster garbage as our "Do Us A Flavor" Finalists.
I read about this in the book of Revelations, and I thought it was all a Metaphor. I was wrong. So wrong.

Look, Ima keep it 100 with yall. I'm not going to buy these for review. They all sound stupid and gross. If someone shares one with me, and I don't die of potato chip poisoning, I might discuss. But otherwise, I refuse to give Lay's USA my money here.

You can read my thoughts on these flavors in the last post I wrote about Lay's USA's Semi-finalists. I'm not going to reiterate how lackluster all of these sound. I will note that here in California, the only flavor I've heard anyone even debate tasting is the Crispy Taco flavor... which to me also seems like the only one of the 3 that might pack any sort of interesting flavor.

So, here are your finalists America. Enjoy the End of Days.

Contest: Lay's USA Do Us A Flavor Semi-finalists 2017

HEY FAM! Here are the 10 Semi Finalists for 2017s Do Us A Flavor USA Contest.
I'm not going to go too in depth on these because only 3 of these flavors will actually get manufactured and get sold in stores. In fact, the point of releasing 10 semi finalists is STUPID. It's just going to piss people off when a flavor that sounds good to them doesnt end up being made. AND the 3 finalist are going to be announced in less than 10 days from the announcement of these 10 flavors... SO this news is stupid. Period.

So, here we are, I'll give yall some short thoughts along the way.

So, we have "Crispy Tacos" and Kettle Cooked "Smoked Gouda & Honey"...

Crispy Tacos are gross knock offs of real, authentic tacos.

I feel like these would taste like "El Paso" Taco seasoning thrown on chips.

I also didn't love the "Smoked Gouda & Chive" Limited Edition chips that came out 2 years ago. I couldn't identify the Smoked Gouda flavor... HOWEVER, my friends could.

Either way, I think a Cheese & Honey flavored chip actually sounds INCREDIBLE. So, I'd be excited for this bag.

Wavy "Fried Green Tomato" & Wavy "Avocado Toast"... These are 2 flavors that sound DOPE on a menu, then you think about them and it sounds BLEGH. In my mind, Fried Green Tomatoes are bland green tomatoes that have been fried. They need something else like a sauce to taste good. So this bag would be a snore.

"Avocado Toast" is delicious, but it's another plain taste. How does this get conveyed in a bag of chips? If it was guacamole toast, then I'd feel different, but... It just sounds in my mind like another snore.

These Two flavors sound INCREDIBLE. Wavy "Spinach Artichoke Dip" & "Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper".

"Spinach Artichoke Dip" seems like something that would taste great on a chip, mostly because its something that goes well on a chip in real life. I can see the seasoning being creamy and acidic and really tasty.

"Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper" is a sure fire win if they do it right. Lay's already makes great Bacon flavored chips, Jalapeño flavored chips, and cream cheese flavored chips. If they combine these 3 seasonings well I could see this becoming a permanent chip bag.

"Toasted Ravioli" & "Nashville Hot Chicken".

"Toasted Ravioli"? It could work, maybe. I think it would be like a tomato & cheese flavor combo... the chip will play the part of the pasta. Hmm. IDK.

"Nashville Hot Chicken"... sorry guys. I do not know what this tastes like in real life. Wikipedia says its a form of fried chicken that originates (obviously) from Nashville that is marinated in a water-based blend of seasoning; then floured, fried, and sauced using a paste that has been spiced with Cayenne pepper. (Oh, I'm allergic to Cayenne, I can't try these yall). Also, served often with Pickles.

It definitely can work in chip form. The previous "Fried Chicken & Waffles" pulled off Fried Chicken convincingly, AND bags like "Sriracha" have shown an uncanny ability to replicate types of Hot Sauce. Could be a big hit if they produce it.

The last 2 semi-finalists are "Sloppy Joe" and Kettle Cooked "Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese".

"Sloppy Joe flavoring actually could probably lend itself easily to chips. But, in the same way I felt "Crispy Tacos" could just be generic Taco seasoning. This bag could literally end up tasting like McCormick Sloppy Joe seasoning.

"Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese"? OKAY. SO. Cream Cheese. Just say that Lay's. "Cream Cheese" flavored Lay's. Sounds do-able, but weak for this contest. MEH.

So those are my quick thoughts on these... which ones do you think Lay's will choose? Which do you want to try? Share your thoughts 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!

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 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 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!

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 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.

Lay's USA Do Us A Flavor 2015 Winner & Flavor Swap 2016 Contest

In case you hadn't heard elsewhere, Southern Biscuits and Gravy was announced the 2015 Do Us A Flavor Winning Flavor. (I haven't reviewed it yet, as it is still unopened in my kitchen #DietLife, but it had to have been better than the Reuben flavor). Hailey Green, the flavor's creator, won a Million Dollars for her flavor. That's FRIKIN incredible! If you preferred the other flavors in this contest, go ahead and snatch them up now as they are still available presumably til early February.
BUT
let's move on to the more interesting news. Lay's has decided to mix it up with contests finally & try something new for 2016. The "Flavor Swap" contest pits existing Lay's flavors against new versions. Customers will vote beginning February 8th online at www.flavorswap.com. The flavors that get the most votes of the duos will stay on shelves indefinitely. This means some beloved favorites could end up gone for good.
I'm loving this concept!
The 4 match ups will be between....

 NEW Smoked Gouda & Chive vs CLASSIC Cheddar & Sour Cream

 NEW Kettle Cooked Olive Oil & Herbs vs CLASSIC Kettle Cooked Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper

 NEW Korean Barbecue vs CLASSIC Honey Barbecue

NEW Fiery Roasted Habanero vs CLASSIC Flamin' Hot

Soooo, who will you be voting for? All the new flavors sound delicious, but will they be worth losing classic flavors over? I'm intrigued by all the new flavors but really looking forward to the new Olive Oil & Herbs flavor and the Smoked Gouda & Chive. YUM!

Share your thoughts with us in the comment box below!

Lay's USA New York Reuben

I probably should have reviewed these a lot sooner, but frankly, all 4 of these limited edition flavors bore me to death.
The first bag I'm gonna talk about is "New York Reuben", and before I do that, I will preface that I have never tried a Reuben sandwich. I don't know what this is supposed to taste like guys!
To me, it tasted similar to a Pastrami sandwich, which I have tried. And based on that, I can tell you this bag does have a very authentic brined, seasoned meat, flavor. It also has a salty, tangy cheese flavor. I'm guessing that is to mimic the cheese and dressing that is typical on this type of sandwich.
As for the typical flavors of Rye Bread and Sauerkraut, I'm not sure that either of those are present here. Although, as with a majority of Lay's sandwich flavored bags, the potato does a good job of playing substitute for the bread.
Now, as someone who isn't keen on these type of sandwiches, I can say, that while this bag is not overtly offensive to me, It just BORES me! ...I could eat it if I had nothing else, but I don't want to.
Nothing about this bag is compelling, that could be totally different for other people. Like, I loved the BLT bag when it came out, but it didn't last very long, so I imagine I was one of the few.
I guess what I'm saying is, if you like these typical NYC Deli flavors, then you will enjoy the bag. If not, it'll put you to sleep. zzzz.

Do you agree? Am I wrong? Is this your pick for the best "Do Us A Flavor" finalist?
Sound off in the comments below...

Contest: Lay's USA Do Us A Flavor 2015 Finalists Announced!

They announced these flavors last week, but I was on vacation so sorry if you didn't hear the news here. However, if you didn't already find out... GUESS WHAT! Lay's announced the 4 flavor finalists in their Do Us A Flavor competition! This batch of flavors is pretty wild; this year's premise was that they've been inspired by local, regional flavors, so let's see what we've got and walk through them together.
First up, a Kettle Cooked option, "Greektown Gyro" a Gyro and Tzatziki flavored chip inspired by a Gyro shop in Texas. For this flavor to work, it's probably gonna be pretty hearty when paired with that thicker Kettle Chip. The Costco bag of Tzatziki chips I reviewed the other day was pretty authentic and delicious, so I'm hopeful these are gonna follow suit.
Next up, the Wavy option, "West Coast Truffle Fries". These are inspired by dressed up French Fries from Irvine, CA. Since, I live pretty close to Irvine, I'll just go out on a limb and say, this is not a typical thing. Yes, we do have a hipster foodie scene that sells all sorts of things on top of French Fries, but Truffle is not something I have found specifically often. These are probably pretty delicious though, since the Wavy chip only has to do the job of Fries. Not that hard to mess up. Right?
Third up is "Southern Biscuits and Gravy"; now this says regional flavor to me! It's another flavor of a dressed up starch, so if they can nail that gravy flavor and a hint of floury biscuits, these should be awesome.
Last one is "New York Reuben", again a flavor that sounds super regional to me and makes perfect sense. I'm a huge fan of the way Lay's USA handles Sandwich flavors, so I have no doubt this will be great. I anticipate it will have the corned beef flavor, and a sour note from either sauerkraut or pickles or both, and then a sweetness from rye bread.

So what are your thoughts about this year's finalists? Are they too extreme? Or are you excited?
Share your opinions in the comments section below.