Lay's USA Do Us A Flavor 2013 finalists back for a limited time!

Lay's USA has re-released "Sriracha" and "Chicken & Waffles" for a LIMITED TIME. The two finalists disappeared for a minute after "Garlic Cheesy Bread" won the Do Us A Flavor contest... but I started to notice that a few of my friends were posting pictures of these yummy treasures on instagram still. Now, Lay's' Facebook page has made it official and announced a Limited Time return of the discontinued bags. If you read my blog a few weeks ago criticizing Lay's USA for pulling the regional flavors without any warning, you should appreciate this as much as I do. Not only has Lay's announced that these are back, but they let fans know that they are only back for a short time, and encourage fans to "stock up". So if you were missing these beauties, I encourage you to "stock up" as well... cuz once they're gone, I doubt they will be back for a 3rd round. #TeamChicken&Waffles.

Lay's France Barbecue

This bag is GOOOOD!! For realzz! Here is a bag of Barbecue flavored chips from Lay's France. The chips from France generally have a thin and flaky texture, but these ones weren't too crumbly... they held up surprisingly well and had a decent potato flavor payoff. The seasoning was definitely the star in this bag though, it was very even and used thoughtfully. Nothing is worse than a bag of just seasoning, so these were great. The seasoning had a bit of an orange glow so you could see it had perfect coverage over the whole chip. The flavor itself was that of a tangy, sweet, barbecue sauce mixed with the caramelized edges of grilled meat... mmm. The potato flavor itself  added some richness against the sweetness of the BBQ sauce flavor. It was all just very balanced. If you like BBQ flavored bags, but are put off by the heavy-handedness of seasoning in most bags (im looking at you America!) then this is your dream bag. Great bag for a snack. I downed half of it in 5 minutes, and for most, the whole bag will satisfy a powerful snack craving.

Are you trying to find Lay's Regional Flavors? Good Luck!

I just recently got back from Washington DC, and while I was there I was on the hunt for some of the regional flavors to see what I might be able to bring home. I couldn't find any. I remembered Lay's website had a map that would tell you where to find which flavors, but now, suddenly it was no longer on the site. A quick google search turned up that these flavors were discontinued this past April and the last bags disappeared off shelves within the last few months. That wouldn't necessarily bother me, except for the fact that Lay's themselves never made any sort of announcement. The reports that these flavors just started vanishing from shelves was all coming from disgruntled fans. The most beloved of these flavors was "Tangy Carolina BBQ" which was available nationwide, and for which you can read my review: here. Fans all over the internet are still sending messages of disappointment. So I have to put my 2-cents in, if Lay's had just slapped a "For A Limited Time Only" sticker on these bags in the last 6 months of production, all would have been fine. I don't see how they would just discontinue an entire line without informing their customers, frankly, it's pretty fkd up. On the flip side, I bought the ones that were available to me in my region. Garden Tomato & Basil tasted like HOT TRASH (and sadly, it is the lone flavor being kept from this collection), and Tangy Carolina BBQ was one of the few remarkable flavors that USA Lay's has ever made. So, if I am only buying the 1 flavor, and not all the time because I have other favorites, I can see why they would want to get rid of it to make way for new stuff. All I'm saying is this is bad business for the company. It would have taken just a simple, tiny, photoshop icon on the bag, to appease customers and let them know they needed to stock up. Not cool Lay's, not cool.

So, here is a little "In Memoriam" of those we lost...
-Balsamic Sweet Onion
-Chipotle Ranch
-Tangy Carolina BBQ
-Honey Mustard
-Creamy Garden Ranch
-Cajun Herb & Spice
-Southwest Cheese & Chile
-Pepper Relish

And remember, if you like the awkward taste of hot bile in your mouth, Garden Tomato & Basil is still available on shelves. Enjoy that.

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.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Guatemala Aderezo Ranch and Lomo Encebollado

Lay's Guatemala is touting some new flavors... "Aderezo Ranch" and "Lomo Encebollado", mmm. While they are calling "Lomo Encebollado" aka "Grilled Beef Loin with Onions" a new flavor, I wonder how it compares to their very recent contest-winning flavor "Lomito Encebollado" (also "Grilled Beef Loin with Onions"). "Lomito" was only declared the winner in November 2012, so I'm not sure if they are stocking shelves with 2 bags of the identical flavor, or if they changed the name slightly, or what. But they are selling this as a NEW flavor... so I'll do some digging.
The real new kid on the block is "Aderezo Ranch", or "Ranch dressing". We see Ranch on everything in the States, but in South America, it's not their go-to staple dip; so it's cool to see them getting a new and unique (for them) flavor.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Romania Sete De Bere returns with a twist

Lay's Romania had one of the most ingenious flavors I had ever heard of come out last year, "Sete De Bere" or "Thirst for Beer"... a Beer and Brats, Oktoberfest inspired bag of ridiculousness. This year, Romania has upped the ante, and released not 1, but 2 "Thirst for Beer" flavored bags. One is the original combo flavor, Beer and Brats; the second is a Spicy variation. Both are being offered this time around as thicker cut, "Ruffles"-style chips. Romania has just been killing it with clever flavor ideas, and I love that they take seasonality into consideration. Somebody mail me a bag of these! Oh Please! lol.

If you've tried them, I'd love to know. I'm really curious how they compare to the older ones, and if you can taste the brats on the spicy version. Feel free to sound off below!

Contest: Lay's Canada Do Us A Flavour Finalists 2013 announced!

 

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 The 4 Finalists have been announced in Canada's Do Us A Flavour contest... and our Northern neighbors have not disappointed! These are 4 of the most whack-a-doo flavors I've ever seen... and if I don't get my hands on them, I will cry! hahaha. The 4 epic finalists are; "Creamy Garlic Caesar", which will likely have a creamy taste similar to ranch or cheese flavored crisps, "Grilled Cheese & Ketchup", which sounds similar to the US "Cheesy Garlic Bread" that we recently had win our contest... albeit, with a tangy tomato zing (and Canada knows how to make a Ketchup chip, so I think this one is gonna be AMAZING!), "Maple Moose", which looks to be the "weird" flavor but I think it's gonna be the best by far... point #1, the best Maple syrup in the world comes from Canada, and it is delicious. Point #2, I loved the US "Chicken and Waffles" flavor because of the salty/sweet combo, and I can see that happening in this bag too. The final flavor selected is "Perogy Platter", now, I am not a Perogy aficionado, all I actually know is that they have potato in them...thus, I have to assume these will taste like whatever else goes into a Perogy and will taste pretty authentic.
The voting on these flavors begins online in 4 days on the 30th of July. And a winner will be selected for the grand prize and the bragging rights that will come along with it.

So, have any Canadians tried these yet? What's your favorite? Let us know in the comments below and hashtag which team you're on! Without even tasting these yet, I'm leaning on #TeamMapleMoose !
Happy Hunting!

New Margarita Colombia Flavors

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!
Margarita has just released 3 new flavors!!!! Im gonna die!!
Margarita, in my humble opinion makes the best tasting chips ever... and Jamon has been one of my favorite flavors for a long time... so basically, Im very happy right now.
Margarita selected these flavors themselves, and appears to be polling the market to see which ones should stick around. Interestingly, they chose to release these 3 in the packaging we've been seeing globally now associated with the "Create a Flavor" style contests. That leads me to believe either 1 or 2 of these flavors won't be around long. The last time Margarita had a "Create a Flavor" style contest, the other chips were gone as soon as the winner was announced. The 3 new flavors are "Hogao con Queso", "Queso Gratinado" and "Jamon Ahumado". Hogao is a Colombian sauce made of simmered tomatoes and onions, so "Hogao with Cheese" is probably a creamy tomato type of flavor. "Queso Gratinado" means "Cheese Gratin" but I'm thinking this is meant to taste more like Potatoes Gratin... simply meaning the Chip will play the role of Potato in the dish. These chips are "Onduladas" which is the Colombian name for "Ruffles", so the potato will definitely play a bigger role in the flavor combination. And the last bag is "Smoked Ham"... which is usually my absolute flavor ever made. Spain makes a delicious Ham flavored bag of Ruffles, and ever since I tried it, I have been hooked on Ham flavored chips. I expect this to be CRACKED OUT goodness.
Fortunately, my mom is there on vacation right now, so I am pleading with her to just empty a suitcase and fill it purely with chips lol. Fingers crossed I get to taste these little beauties. The 3 new flavors are available now.

Gotta Get At This: New Lay's Thailand Flavors

Lay's Thailand has 2 new flavors out right now. "Salmon & Cream Cheese" and "Larb Tod", which is a traditional Thai meatball made from either chicken or pork with Thai seasonings. There is some sort of vote going along with the release of these flavors, but I am not quite sure what it is, I think the winner will stay on shelves longer than the loser. To see fun photos of Salmon & Cream Cheese fans on Instagram, search for #LaysSalmonCreamCheese... and to see the photos from fans of Larb Tod flavor, search #LaysLarbTod. Hashtagged photos on Instagram will also count as votes. Very clever.
Here is a preview of the photo fun...

I love the idea of incorporating Instagram into the contest, it's by FAR my favorite social media site. The flavors look, so so, but I am sure they are more appealing to the locals. I doubt I'll get to try these, so, I'd love to hear any reviews in the comments section below.

Lay's France Chips à l'Ancienne Nature

I waited a longgg time to try this bag... and it was well worth the wait! Here's a bag of Natural flavored chips from Lay's France's Traditional line. The hallmark of these chips is that they are light and crispy and have rich, authentic potato flavor. You'll notice a difference right away when you open the bag. The chips are a bit smaller, and all the edges are curled. The cooking process puts a natural wave into the edges of the chips. They have intense potato flavor, the flavor that lingers in your mouth for a few minutes after a bite. Interestingly, these reminded me of Hawaiian style kettle chips in flavor. When you started eating a chip, a light, flavorful oil would fill your mouth. Almost, like the chips were sponges that had overfilled. But the oil wasn't heavy or greasy, it was flavorful and shared some of that potato taste. The salting was perfect and complimented the potato and oil used. I would prefer this cut and cooking method above the standard Lay's France bag any day. The chips just tasted more flavorful, and the texture was heads above the standard chips. This bag is definitely one of the best natural/original/salted bags I've ever had. Yumm!