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!

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?

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 Wavy Greek Tzatziki

So I'm sitting here at my cousin's house, trying to finalize our next International escapade... and she pulls this bag out! I'm like "why didn't you tell me about this!!" And she thought, obviously, that because I am the mastermind behind a ridiculous chip blog, I would have already had the pleasure. BUT NO!
UM, YOU GUYS...It's "Greek Tzatziki!! In the US!! On a Wavy Chip!!

Apparently she found this bag at Costco. Costco is known to have a lot of exclusive deals with Frito-Lay, (they exclusively carry Organic Ruffles, Organic Stacey's Pita Chips, and MSG-free Doritos Supreme Cheddar) so IDK maybe they are Costco exclusives... but no matter what, I've never heard of these!

Unlike Canada's intense fail of a "Tzatziki" chip, this version.... ACTUALLY TASTES LIKE TZATZIKI! The bag smells rich of Yogurt and Garlic. mmm. Then you take a bite, and the spot on taste of Yogurt, Garlic, Cucumber, and Dill cover your palette. The thick cut wavy chip is perfect. It's hearty and tastes like you've actually taken a chip and dipped it in Tzatziki. Everything about this bag is perfect. I was so surprised!

As, I've talked about here before, I make Tzatziki all the time at home, so I know what I think it should taste like... and to me this was just very well done! Maybe a little heavy handed on the garlic if I had to nitpick... but I can't because these were just a smash.
If you have a Costco Card, I say you gotta find these. They are just soooo good. Ask your friends to get them for you, do something.
Great for fans of Sour Cream & Onion or Ranch looking for a change... or even fans of the Wavy Roasted Garlic & Sea Salt.
So... has anyone seen these anywhere other than Costco? Have you tried them? Let's discuss in the comments section below!

Love is in the air: Lay's Canada Wavy Milk Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

Are you missing the Wavy Milk Chocolate Covered Lay's from Christmas? Well hurry up and drive to Canada, because our Northern Neighbors have released the bag in celebration of Valentine's Day. I'm guessing that just like it was a seasonal Holiday item here, the same will apply to this batch, meaning it may be gone very very soon. Canadians who want to read my review of the American bag can check it out here. They are definitely a home run, and I'm looking forward to them making their return next Christmas.

So what are you waiting for, get your passport and GO!

Lay's USA Wavy Dark Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

HEADS UP! These are available right now in the Holiday Clearance section of Target. Hoard up!

This year, Lay's introduced the Dark Chocolate variant of their existing Holiday treat of Milk Chocolate covered Chips. 
I used to be a huge Dark Chocolate fan, but more recently, I've been choosing Milk Chocolate over Dark... so, I'm pre-warning you guys that this review may possibly be biased. I will nitpick after this notice: If you are a Dark Chocolate fan, just go buy these now, you don't need to read what I'm saying.

As with my review of the Wavy Milk Chocolate covered chips, you can see the lovely perfectly golden chips peeking out from the underside of the chocolate coating. The chips are beautifully even and crunchy with just the right thickness to carry the chocolate. The Chocolate is smooth and shiny (although some of these I ate had that white dusty old chocolate look, but that didn't effect taste). The Chocolate, in my opinion, is too thick. The ratio of Chocolate to Chip is about 2:1, so you are basically eating Dark Chocolate with a bit of Chip. Where the Milk Chocolate succeeds is that the Sweet Chocolate contrasts nicely against the Salty Chips... sadly, that can't be said for this bag. Instead, the Dark Chocolate is bitter and only semi-sweet paired with the Potato Chip. This just doesn't stir up the same interesting contrast for me. Maybe if you are not a fan of Sweet, or you like flavors that are tepid and subtle, you would appreciate this bag more than I did. But, for me, the small bag and $3.99 price tag are too much for a bag that I didn't necessarily love. It was fun to try, but not my favorite.
So... Did you love this? Do you disagree? Let us know in the comments below. Happy Hunting!

Lay's USA Wavy Milk Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

HEADS UP! These can now be found in the Holiday Clearance section at Target. Hoard up!

So I finally got to taste the Holiday Lay's Spectacular known as Milk Chocolate covered Lay's. Wowser. These are delicious. The smell from the bag is wonderful. DECADENT Chocolate... mmm. The chips themselves are thick and sturdy Wavy cuts. Usually the Chocolate only covers one side of the chips, so you can see a lovely perfectly cooked yellow underside. The bottom showcases Lay's USA's concerted effort to improve their chip quality which is not going unnoticed. In contrast to the crunchy, perfectly salted chip, is the sweet, luxurious Chocolate coating. For me, as a non-junk food eater in my everyday life outside of this blog, the Chocolate felt VERY heavy handed. The ratio of Chocolate to Chips was about 2:1. It's a doubley thick layer of Milk Chocolate on top. Even with that thick layer of Milk Chocolate, this all comes together wonderfully. The saltiness of the chips contrasted by the sweet of the Chocolate is a such a great combination, and I really have to credit that to the quality of both elements. The Chocolate is smooth, creamy, and sweet... much better quality that most candy bars. The bag may be a bit small, and $3.99 is kind of overpriced for the small bag, and I think the Chocolate could be a bit thinner on top... but I can't really complain about any of that, because the chips are just so GOOD!
So, have you tried these? Did you love them like I did? Let us know in the comments below.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year: Lay's USA Wavy Milk Chocolate Covered and Wavy Dark Chocolate Covered

They're back and better than ever! Lay's USA has brought back chocolate covered chips this holiday season! Last year Lay's debuted a personal 5OZ sized bag of Milk Chocolate dipped Wavy Lay's that swept the nation. These chips were sold exclusively through Target and were sold out EVERYWHERE. I could not get a hold of them... it was devastating. But I kept my eyes peeled this year and caught the 2014 edition already out in the wild.
This year, Lay's has expanded their holiday sweet treats to include a Dark Chocolate variant to sit on shelves next to the Milk Chocolate original. Bags are once again 5OZ, and the price has gone up by 50 cents making these a bit pricey at $3.99 per bag.
I expect these to fly off shelves yet again this year, so if you missed out on these, or you're just missing them, head over to Target and stock up before they are gone.
I'll have reviews up asap, but if you've already tried these give us your thoughts in the comments section, we'd love to know if these live up to the hype! Happy Hunting y'all!

All About Lay's: Russia

Hey kids. It's been slow news recently while we await to hear which flavors are going to win all these contests being held all over the world (like wtf, why are the World Cup contests still undecided in South America). So I decided to start a new segment here at The Chip Report, a segment dedicated not to the newest bag of chips, but to the standard range of flavors being produced every day in distant lands. Today, we'll start the segment with RUSSIA.

 

To begin, Lay's Russia has 3 ranges; Lay's: the traditional chip, Lay's Max: The thicker cut wavy style chip, and Lay's Strong: a Ruffles style chip that is also noted for "strong" flavors.

Lay's introduced their signature potato chips to the Russian market in 1992, a market that found salted potato slices boring. It wasn't until 2005 that Lay's did extensive market research across the whole of Russia to introduce flavors that would have more appeal to the Russian public. This research inspired Lay's to create Crab, Caviar, Pickled Cucumbers and a variety of unique flavors that would bring Lay's the success they had in their homeland. And later would lead to the introduction of Lay's Max and Lay's Strong.

Those signature Lay's make up the biggest line in Russia with flavors "Bacon", "Salted", "Cheese", "Green Onion", "White Mushrooms with Sour Cream", "Potatoes with Butter and Dill", "Sour Cream and Fresh Herbs"(which also comes in a Ruffled version, but because the flavor is mild it is just part of the Lay's line not the Strong line), "Pickled Cucumbers", and "Crab" (I can't find any official info regarding the status of "Red Caviar" flavor, but I find it unlikely it was discontinued, so I'll include it in this post... a LOT of countries only post some of the flavors they actually sell online, so it makes hunting them down a lot harder than you would think). Take a look.

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Russia's version of Lay's MAX are most comparable to our Lay's Wavy line. They are waved, thick cut, potato chips in "Meat on Coals","Cheese and Onion", and "Chicken Wings". Other nations, most notably the UK, also carry the MAX line, but as a Ruffled chip, so the brand depends on local markets.

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Finally is the Lay's Strong line. At first glance, these are Ruffles but under a different brand name... upon further inspection the Strong line shows it's character actually comes from a collection of Bold flavors. "Smoked Cheese", "Aspic with Horseradish" (don't know what Aspic is? Google it, it's Meat Gelatin bro), and "Spicy Hunting Sausages". This line is probably the most telling about the Russian market. Frito-Lay's own study found that Russian's considered the traditional Salted chip to be "boring" and the Strong collection is comprised of loud flavors. Most likely in an effort to provide Russian consumers with the bolder flavors that would appeal to them.

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So what do you think? Does any of Russia's range make your mouth water? Are you dreaming about those Butter and Dill flavored ones like I am?? Have you found and tried any of these? We'd love to know!  Sound off in the comments below.

Lay's USA Wavy Mango Salsa

I had high hopes for this bag. I like a little sweet, a little salty. Bright and Acidic. Mango Salsa kinda tricked me into thinking that was what it offered. In reality, this bag smells like perfume and tastes like Mango flavored candy. I've read a lot of reviews on China's fruit flavored bags that have a perfumey smell... I guess this was what they were describing. It is an artificial fruit candy smell. SO weird. Popping one of these chips in your mouth tastes straight-up like a mango hard candy... with a tiny hint of tomato and spice. TINY. That flavor creeps up after the initial mango taste, and doesn't really stand out. Only after eating multiple chips does it tend to build up a little... but its nothing special. The real failure of these chips was the choice of WAVY cut potatoes. The wavy cut doesn't add any thing, in fact, it seems to take away from the subtle heat and tomato. This flavor should have been on a regular cut chip, or the seasoning needed to get kicked up and put on a kettle chip. I really thought these would end up being my favorite, but I found them boring and not memorable. And my review seems a bit overly positive, cuz apparently im the only weirdo that liked that mango candy taste. My friends found it inedible. It was the only flavor from USA that I saw someone spit out during our tasting party. So, if you are a traditionalist, I don't recommend these at all. This flavor is for the daring, but, just during the dare. I doubt this is going to become a cult favorite that is missed after it is gone. MEH.

Contest: Lay's Canada Do Us A Flavour 2014 Finalists Announced

 

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DAMNYOU CANADA! Why do you always have to be so amazing???! 

Get me a needle, cuz I want to mainline ALL of these flavors!!  

now.

"Bacon Poutine"? YES PLEASE.

"Cinnamon Bun"?  YES PLEASE.

Wavy "Jalepeno Mac N Cheese"? YES PLEASE.

Kettle Cooked "Tzatzki"?? GET OUT OF MY HEAD ALREADY AND GIVE THESE TO ME CANADA!!

For the uninitiated, Poutine is a Canadian classic... it's basically gravy and cheese curds on fries. The good lord knows that Bacon makes everything taste better... and so does Lay's, cuz they added it to their poutine flavored chips... (Also, Poutine is a year round flavor offered in Canada, so they gotta make this one stand out somehow. lol). I'm guessing this is the flavor to beat. Canadians already get "Smokey Bacon" and "Poutine" chips... so I reckon they will love the combination. 

"Cinnamon Bun" is a genius idea already... flavoring a chip to taste like a "Cinnamon Bun" is Hyper-genius! If you think about the unseasoned chip as a blank canvas (like the mighty Bun) and flavor that bad boy up with cinnamon and vanilla. MMMMM. It is probably gonna be the BOMB. (or nasty. it could be nasty too. who knows.)

"Jalepeno Mac N Cheese"... here us Americans were sitting cocky with our "Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese"... while all along the Canadians were in a lab somewhere concocting THIS!!?? 

Jalepeno. ANNNND. Macaroni and Cheese!!

HOW ARE WE STILL EVEN A SUPER POWER??

Refreshingly spicy Jalepeno against decadent Mac N Cheese....seriously. There is no way this will not be incredibly delicious.

The 4th finalist is "Tzatzki"... I am half Egyptian. This is my people's Ketchup, ok? We put this on EVERYTHING... because it belongs on everything. Including potato chips. This can not be bad. There's no way. 

OH, i'm sorry, what is Tzatzki you ask? It's basically plain yogurt with mint and fresh cucumber... I add Garlic Salt... some people use fresh garlic and lemon too... but the recipe kind of depends on who you ask. This will make every meal better. I'm not joking, I've seen my dad put it on Mexican food, Chinese food, Burgers... it doesn't matter. It is THAT good.

I just got a new passport, so I'm pretty much going to go now and get these... I can be there in 3 hours... who's coming??

Are you losing it for these flavors like I am? Or do you think I'm nuts? Let us know down below...

Contest: Lay's USA Do Us A Flavor 2014 Finalists Announced

Today Lay's USA announced the 4 finalists in 2014's "Do Us A Flavor" contest. The flavors are even more exciting then I could have imagined; "Cappuccino", "Wasabi Ginger", "Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese", and "Mango Salsa". This year Lay's expanded their contest to include other textures like Kettle Cooked and Wavy which lends itself better to certain flavors. "Cappuccino" and "Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese" will both come in the standard, tried and true, Lay's cut.
"Cappuccino" sounds awesome to me, I'm a huge fan of the salty-sweet combo, and it seems to be working for Lay's. I loved "Chicken & Waffles" last year, and the Chocolate covered Wavy chips released at Christmas were such a hit that I couldn't even get a bag. "Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese" seems like the sure-to-be winner. Americans love a Cheesy chip... look how well "Garlic Cheesy Bread" did last year, eventually becoming the winning flavor. This flavor has everything foodie fans love; Cheese, Bacon, and Macaroni & Cheese. The other flavors are a bit more fun, but this one is the only one I see having mass appeal.
The Kettle Cooked option comes in "Wasabi Ginger", I'm personally not excited, but I can see people loving this. I can't bare Wasabi. But, I think if you loved "Siracha" last year, you will be intrigued by this bag. And I think the Kettle Cooked chip will suit it well. The thicker cut, richer potato flavor, and saltyness will stand up to the brightness of the Wasabi and Ginger. For a similar reason, the Wavy "Mango Salsa" bag is probably the bag I will be buying the most. "Mango Salsa" is a sweet take on refreshing salsa... that flavor, paired with thicker, crunchier Wavy chips, sounds like a perfect match.

So, are you pumped up for these flavors too? Or do they seem a bit ridiculous?
They should hit stores 7/28... Happy Hunting my friends!

Contest: Lay's Canada Do Us A Flavour! 2014

 Just like America, Canada has relaunched the "Do Us a Flavour" contest! And just like us they are adding "Kettle Cooked" and "Wavy" to the mix! Create the winning flavor and you could win $50,000 CAD and 1% of future sales of your bag! Deadline to enter is 4/23/14, so get those entries in ASAP!

Contest: Lay's Chile Copa De Los Sabores

MORE! More glorious contest flavors are popping up! Pepsi Chile announced some flavors that will be available now for their own "Copa De Los Sabores"... and wonderfully, they are different from the other South American contest flavors. Check em out below...

 From Brasil, "Feijoada", a stew dish of Beans, Beef, and Pork.

 From the home nation of Chile, "Ensalada Chilena" or "Chilean Salad", a Tomato-based salad dressed up with onion, coriander, olive oil, and chili peppers (similar to Italian Caprese but no cheese).

 Spain's "Chorizo Iberico" or "Iberico Chorizo" is pretty straight forward. A spicy, dried sausage.

and Finally, from Peru, "Pollo a la Brasa" aka "Rotisserie Chicken". Again, straight forward and delicious sounding.

These rich and exciting flavors should do well in Chile, especially on the wavy style chips that are standard there... as the ridges will hold more seasoning and add more robust potato flavor. The other thing I am LOVING is the packaging. How fantastic do these bags look with the big Country name and the delicious food photos? Not to mention, the use of the Nation's colors. Looks much more modern and hip when compared to the bags from the other South American nations who are having their own Flavor Cup Contests.

What are your thoughts? Sound off below!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Wavy Dipped in Milk Chocolate

Oh, man, oh, man! I am too excited. Looks like these little beauties are launching today here in the States! Lay's has just announced NEW Milk Chocolate covered Wavy chips. The chips will be available until New Year's Eve 2013. However, a rep for Lay's has already announced that if the treat sells well, we may not only see them return next year, but also see more flavors like Dark and White Chocolates. I'll be grabbing these this weekend if I can find them to let you know how they taste. I imagine they will be epic... I love a good salty/sweet treat! You should be able to find these starting today in a 5oz bag, Happy Hunting!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Spain Xtra Onduladas Sour Cream & Onion

New flavor added to the Lay's Spain Xtra Onduladas line... "Sour Cream & Onion". These are glorified Wavy chips. The flavor is pretty common here in the states, so it's not super thrilling for us. But yay for Spain lol!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Turkey Spoon Chips and Lay's Chile Salsa Mania

 

Lay's Turkey is spicing things up... their new "Kaşık Cips" or "Chip Spoons" come with a Turkish Baharat spice packet to be mixed in with yogurt to create a spicy yogurt dip... or you can skip the packet and just scoop up some plain yogurt. Very yummy-looking Mediterranean style chips. I gotta check these out.

And Lay's Chile is adding some flavor to their lineup... adding Salsa Mania to bags of "Corte Americano" bags. "Corte Americano" means "American cut" which is hilarious, because I don't think of "Wavy" cut chips when I think of chips in America, I don't think I've even  had a "Wavy" cut chip since I was like 6 years old lol.
I'm not sure if the bag comes packed with just Ketchup or just Mayo or both... I think it comes with both. So, if you are living in Chile, and are looking for something new, check this out. Chile also has their new finalist flavors out too... so there are a ton of yummy chip choices right now. AND, if you are NOT in Chile this is super easy to replicate here at home, so don't feel too bad about it. haha.