Lay's Spain Gourmet Corte Fino

Mmm. These are fantastic!
These "Corte Fino" or "Fine(ly) Cut" chips from Lay's Spain are simplicity at it's finest. The chips are lightly salted and cooked in Sunflower oil which gives them a really delicate flavor.
They are thin cut, however they have a lot of crunch...i'd guess they are small batch or kettle cooked.
Unlike the Olive Oil cooked chips Lay's Spain offers, which I found to be a bit bitter and unpleasant... these chips offer similar distinct oil taste but with salt and without the bitterness. That Sunflower oil makes such a difference in taste and really elevates this from a simple bag of salted crisps.
There isn't really much more to say about these. They are SO simple, but SO addictive.
If you pass through Spain and can get your hands on these, I highly recommend them!

Lay's USA Lime & Sea Salt

OH HELLO BEAUTIFUL!
Look what we found in the wild guys! A Limited Time Flavor from Lay's USA! I found these "Lime & Sea Salt" Lay's when I was cruising Fremont Street in Las Vegas, NV. I had heard NOTHING about them, but that flavor looked DELICIOUS, especially in the 100 degree heat.
The potato is thin and has a nice light yellow color. The light cook on this chip really lent itself well to such a refreshing flavor. The flavor was VERY complex. There was a noticeable sweetness from the Lime but also a refreshing sour/ acidic taste. Sharing this bag with my friends, we all compared the bag to "Salt & Vinegar" but noticeably sweeter. The sour flavor is very clearly juicy Lime.  And the Salt is the perfect amount for this bag.
So it's this beautiful, even balance of Salt & Sour with a bit of refreshing sweet. I really LOVED this bag. It was really perfect for a day in the desert, lol.

I haven't heard a peep about these online, so I don't know how long they will be available. I would guess it's a Summer flavor. So, if this sounds like something you'd want to get a hold of, I would start looking now. If you can't find it in Supermarkets, I'd suggest checking liquor stores or gas stations. This is THEE Summer bag for fans of Lay's "Limon" or "Salt & Vinegar". Happy Hunting!

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!

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 

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 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.

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.

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.

Lay's Spain Al Punto de Sal

When you are sitting poolside tanning in Seville Spain and you just want a bag of chippies, Lay's Spain has the perfect bag for you. "Al Punto de Sal" is Lay's Spain's take on Basic Salted Chips. Salty Crisps sound so simple, but they can go wrong so easily. Lay's Spain does a nice job of frying these babies up perfectly and evenly. The chips offer up a nice amount of potato flavor, and are seasoned well. The salt brings out the richness of the potato, as it should. All is good in the world.
Now, to keep it real, on a scale of Lay's Mexico quality chips to Walkers UK, it's obviously not as great as a bag of Walkers... but I definitely think it is well over the line of positive bags.
The bag lasted about 10 minutes and it was down to crumbs, so I really think it's a win.




When in Spain, it's a no brainer to pick it up.

Lay's France Sel & Vinaigre

Going to France, I was really excited to pick up so many bags. The Lay's France website has so many beautiful sounding bags, like Cheeseburger and Parisian Sandwich. Sadly, this was LITERALLY the only bag I could find while I was there. Luckily though, it is a great bag of a favorite flavor that is pretty hard to eff up. "Sel & Vinaigre" is France's take on the Salt and Vinegar chip, and they even advertise it as the favorite flavor in the UK (how cute). I thought this bag was truly perfect. An awesome balance of potato, salt, and bright vinegar. A few years ago, I first tried France's version of Lay's and I found the potato chips to be thin and flaky, and all-together kind of weird tasting. But since then it really seems they have stepped up their chip game. I would say the chip texture is comparable to US chips, and the taste is much richer and more flavorful than both the US and what the French chips used to be like. This bag was really well balanced, and I definitely destroyed the whole thing in a few minutes.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's France Deep Ridged and Limited Edition Flavors

More Deep Ridged Chips yall! France is getting in the game with "Barbecue", "Nature", "Sweet Chili", and "Sour Cream & Onion". BUT WHO CARES, everyone has these lame-o flavors and Deep Ridges! The real dopeness is the Limited Edition flavors they've just launched; "Summer Salsa", "Piment Basque (Basque Pepper)", and "Sandwich Parisian". All 3 of those flavors sound wild! What does French Salsa taste like? And Chips that taste like Sandwiches are ALWAYS good, that is a fact!
I'll be in France in a few weeks, so I'm gonna hunt these down hard. Wish me luck.
Has anyone tried these? I'd love to know if they hit the mark or not. Share your thoughts in the comments section below :)

Lay's Canada Salt & Vinegar

You know when you open a bag of chips and you start eating and then there are no chips left because you inhaled them like a starving beast? Ya? Me too. Cuz thats what I did to this bag.
This is Lay's Canada's Salt & Vinegar... a tangy, salty, burn your lips kinda bag, that is ever so hard to get just right.
The bag smells so Vinegar-y when you pop it open, a good sign. Then you bust out the first chip, and you think to yourself, "ow, do I have water nearby?", but the feeling goes away quickly and you are left with a bag of chips that are just delicious. Ok, so the potato was just basic, and the salt was relatively mild, but that Vinegar was so perfect it makes up for the rest of the bag just being standard. The vinegar is bright and acidic, with a hint of sweetness at the end. It makes this bag really forgiving and easy to demolish.
Compared to the US version of this flavor, it is a lot easier to eat, the US equivalent burns and the Vinegar is so strong you have to put the bag down often.
All in all, I consider this bag a great bag, easy to eat, good flavor, satisfying. A+

Gotta Get At This: More Deep Ridged Chips! Lay's Romania & Hungary MAXX Deep Ridged & Lay's Denmark Deep Ridged

Here are some more newly launched Deep Ridged Lay's from around the world.
Romania recently launched the MAXX line including flavors "Paprika", "Salt", and "Cheddar & Onion". Hungary launched the MAXX line this past February with the flavors "Salsa", "Cheese & Onion", "Kebab", "Bacon", and "Ketchup". And lastly, Denmark has expanded their Deep Ridged collection that began last year with "American BBQ" and "Naturel" to include "Sour Cream & Onion".
I'm not gonna lie, Hungary's collection looks DELICIOUS! Kebab, Salsa, Bacon, and Ketchup.... YUMMM to all of those x1000000. I believe the "Bacon" and "Ketchup" flavors are marked as Limited Edition, so if those sound like must haves to you, I'd suggest you hunt them down quickly.
Have any of you guys tried the Deep Ridged chips in these Countries? How do they stack up to the originals? Tell us in the comments section below.

Gotta Get At This: Walkers UK Mixups Popcorn Mix Sweet & Salty and Sweet & Spicy

Last post we talked about Walkers new Mixups snack collection in the UK. This time around we are talking about another subcategory in the Mixups line; the Popcorn Mix. The Popcorn Mix comes in 2 flavors: "Sweet & Salty" and "Sweet & Spicy". I'm not well versed enough in Walkers extensive collection of products in the UK, so I'm not sure if they currently offer any popcorn. I don't really think of Lay's when I think of Popcorn, so this is a strange choice for me. I also don't get the "Sweet & Spicy" combo. That kinda sounds gross. Now, the "Sweet & Salty" that is something I can get behind. YUMM. That sounds like a good plan. I really would love to read some reviews on these to know if they are a success or not. If you've tried them, please comment below.
So what do you think? Do you wanna eat Walkers branded Popcorn? Do these flavors sound good to you? Comment below!

Lay's USA Simply Lay's Sea Salted Thick Cut Potato Chips

Well well... Here is a US bag I've never seen nor heard of. I was driving from Phoenix, AZ to LA after enjoying the Superbowl weekend festivities (my Pats won, eeeee), when I pulled into a random truck stop for gas. The place was massive and on my way down the chip aisle I discovered these. I figured I had to pick them up. They're called Simply Lay's and they make a very clear distinction that they are free of artificial flavors and preservatives, as well as being thick-cut. The ingredients list is wonderfully short; just Potatoes, Expeller Pressed Sunflower Oil, and Sea Salt. I ripped this bag open mid-drive and taste tested them. And sadly, they were very very very unimpressive. The Salt Level was flat out scary. It was like licking a salt brick. I figure this is done to compensate for the cheap quality of flavor in the potatoes Lay's uses (literally the chip alone was flavorless), and also to compensate for the lack of crazy oil mixes they use that usually impart flavor in their chips (like Corn and Canola). The chips were beautiful and had a nice yellow color with very rare burnt bits. I included a chip in this photo for you to see how large the chips were on average. Most were bigger than the Lay's logo (this is the large $3.49 bag to give you a size comparison)... and VERY few were broken, which was cool. But, these chips had something just straight-weird going on with the texture. The closest thing I can compare it to is staleness. The chips are thick cut, so they have a hard crunch, but then the center is kind of soft, and somehow the combo makes them taste very stale... and I don't know if it was legitimate staleness due to the lack of preservatives or just because these chips are wack... it was very weird and off-putting. The weirdest thing though was, the freshness of the sunflower oil. See, with such a flavorless chip, after I ate a few chips and drove, I started to get that taste you have after you eat shelled sunflower seeds. The nutty but light flavor of Sunflower. Since I was driving, not reading the bag, I didn't connect the dots, and I thought it was suspicious (hmm, why do I feel like I just ate Sunflower seeds? Weird) but, reading that the oil comes untarnished from an expeller press, it makes perfect sense that the oil would retain it's maximum flavor and infuse that into these chips. So, I have to give them a bit of kudos for the quality of the cooking oil. But, sadly that's where it ends.

I'd love to see them use a more flavorful, and high quality, potato for these bags. And generally, you find that kind of flavor in smaller potatoes than those Goliath slices I was pulling out of the bag. I'd also like that flavor to speak for itself, so a less heavy handed approach to the salt would have been welcomed. If both of those elements had been on point, I could forgive the weird texture.

At the moment, this is not the healthy alternative to Lay's that I would be looking for.
And in regards to that, I'm sure Lay's know it's not up to snuff, because a little internet digging told me that this bag started it's life as "Natural Lay's" then "Simply Natural Lay's". Since then, the term "Natural" has received quite some criticism, so the collection was re-branded as "Simply Lay's" in January of last year... which is a much more suitable name for what is in this bag.

All in all, I like what they were attempting to do with this product, I'd just love to see it perfected.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Portugal Gourmet Colors and Artesanas Snacks de Milho

2 new bags from Portugal...

Lay's Gourmet colors, using naturally colored potatoes. The Gourmet line already contains one bag of just simple gorgeous salted chips. These are Awesome, I have not seen a cool bag like this from Lay's before. It probably looks fantastic poured in a bowl at a party!

Lay's Artesanas Snacks de Milho (Corn Chips). The Artesanas line exists in a few different countries, but I don't think I've seen it include Corn Chips before. This bag is flavored with Salt, Pepper, and a touch of Garlic. Sounds YUM.

So here are some new Portuguese bags for you to hunt down in your foodie adventures. Let us know in the comments if you get the pleasure of tasting these beauties. Enjoy!

Lay's Canada Kettle Cooked Tzatziki

Nope. Nope. Nope. This is not "Tzatziki". I don't know what this is, but "Tzatziki" it is not. "Tzatziki" is a refreshing yogurt dip made with Cucumber, Mint, and a bit of Garlic Salt. The flavor is meant to be light and refreshing. This bag should basically be re-labeled "SALT X 10000000". It was so salty that it was nearly inedible. It reeked of Garlic, and the flavor of Garlic competed with the Salt, giving the chip an overwhelmingly bad, off-putting, queasy, Garlic Salt flavor. There was a hint of Cucumber that came through on maybe one of every 9 chips. There was also a cheesy hint that I assume was meant to represent Yogurt but instead it sickened the Garlic Salt combo. The only bright star on this chip was the texture and cook of the Kettle Cooked Potato. As a person of middle eastern decent who eats "Tzatziki" at least a couple of times a week, this bag is an insult. It's like whoever made it didn't understand the basic flavors of the "Tzatziki" inspiration. Again, like the "Jalapeño Mac N Cheese", this bag tasted like it was part of a test batch in a lab, not ready for consumer palettes. Steer Clear of this one guys (even though it has already lost Canada's Do Us A Flavour contest... it's not worth the hunt).

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Chile Sensaciones Collection Salmón Ahumado con Queso Crema, Queso Parmesano, Costillar con Finas Hierbas, and Original

 Lay's Chile is launching a beautifully packaged new collection called the "Sensaciones" collection. It's similar to the Sensations flavors found Globally in that the line is composed of complex and intriguing flavors. However, Chile makes the collection their own by making it a Kettle Cooked collection. This is the only Kettle Cooked Sensations line that I am aware of. The bold collection consists of a "Queso Parmesano/ Parmesan Cheese" flavor, "Salmón Ahumado con Queso Crema/Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese" flavor, "Costillar con Finas Hierbas/ Rack of Ribs with Fine Herbs", and "Original". All of these flavors, even the overly fancied up Original, sound exquisite. I'm very happy to see a Parmesan bag and the Rack of Ribs sounds epic. All in all, I'd say this collection is hunt worthy! What are you feeling? Sound off in the comments below.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Belgium Winter Edition Naturel Oven Stars, Oven Crispy Thins Emmental Cheese and Olive Oil & Herbs, and Collection Tapas Olive and Pesto

Lay's Belgium has a lot of new releases hitting shelves recently, all of which look DELISH! Here's what's new...

Winter Edition Naturel Oven Stars is a FANTASTIC idea! In celebration of the Winter Holidays, they've released a Natural flavored (This is the same as Original or Ready Salted flavor) Star shaped chip. These are the same as Belgium's current "Naturel Oven" ridged, baked chips; but shaped like festive stars. Here in the states you can buy the regular shaped equivalent under the "Ruffles Original Oven Baked" moniker. The shape adds a little Holiday kitch to it, and that's something I'm a big fan of... but as far as being a bag worth chasing across nations, it may not be worth the hunt for just a shape change.

Belgium has also added a completely new collection to their repertoire... the "Collection Tapas". This is a collection France debuted back in 2013 composed of an "Olive" flavor and a "Pesto" flavor. The Olive flavor had some very favorable reviews online and both of them make perfect sense as potato chip flavors. If the collection is spreading, it would be great to see them hit the states, I can see them being a hit here.

Lastly, Belgium is extending their Oven crackers collection, it started with biscuits and now has reached out to include "Crispy Thins". These are just airy, thin, potato-based crackers flavored as "Emmental Cheese" and "Olive Oil & Herbs". Emmental is just a fancy way of saying Swiss Cheese which is a subtle cheese that probably compliments the cracker well. And Olive Oil and Herbs is pretty straight forward too. They sound yummy, and I assume the collection is selling well because it is expanding. What do you think? Is this beyond the scope of what you expect from Lay's? Or do they sound yummy? Let us know your opinions in the comments section below!