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...

Gotta Get At This: Cheetos White Cheddar Bag Of Bones

Halloween is just around the corner, and Cheetos is in the holiday mood. This year they've released "Bag of Bones" a White Cheddar assortment of skeleton pieces. I saw these in the wild at a Walmart (but I didn't pick em up cuz I'm on a diet, and I can't be eating delicious skeletons right now). This past Easter Cheetos did a fun seasonal cinnamon bag of Easter Eggs, so it's cool to see them continue the seasonal inventiveness. If you love Cheetos like I love Cheetos, grab em before the season ends... (or wait til November 1st & catch em on sale ;p ).

Ruffles Spain York'eso

Here's a fun bag that got demolished in a few minutes in a hotel room in Madrid. Ruffles Spain makes the BEST Ham flavored chips, and here is a ham and cheese flavored bag called "York'eso". It took me a while to figure out what the name meant, but York'eso is Ruffles own slang for York y Queso, which refers to York Jamon and Queso... aka York Ham and Cheese (TaDa!).

York Ham refers Ham that has been dry cured for 10 weeks using a method originated in York, UK. Today anyone from anywhere can make York Ham using this method, so the ham is pretty common place. It's basically your average Ham & Cheese sandwich filler in Spain, and thus made it's way into a bag of chips.

The flavor is awesome; hearty, ruffle-cut potatoes,
decadent cheese flavor, and a hint of sweet jamon. The cheese makes this a strong, savory bag. It feels a bit salty, but that is from the cheese, not the salt. The ham, while being subtle in comparison to the cheese, still shines, coming in after the cheese taste in your mouth. The two flavors work together with the potato to bring a nice amount of interest, and complexity to this bag. It all works together so nicely.
I know that if this bag was sold here in the states, it would be a home run. And, after inhaling it in Spain, I'm pretty shocked it's not already on our shelves. I highly recommend it.

I "think" I saw small bags anywhere they sell sodas in Madrid (for sure they had the olive oil, salted, and jamon flavors everywhere) but if not, I found this bag in a supermarket in the mall (yes, in the mall). It shouldn't be too hard to find in Spain. So, hunt it down, and let us know what you think by commenting below!

For A Good Cause: Doritos Unveils Rainbows to support The "It Gets Better Project"

Doritos has teamed up with the It Gets Better Project, a non-profit LGBT support group, to release a limited edition bag called Doritos "Rainbows". The It Gets Better Project was created in 2010 in an effort to end LGBT teen suicides. LGBT adults encourage youth to look toward the future and that things will eventually get better, through their popular YouTube Channel.
The bags can only be found on the It Gets Better website, and can be yours for a minimum donation of $10 (shipping included), with 100% of the proceeds going to the charity.

What's inside: The bag is filled with 6oz. of Doritos Minis in "Cool Ranch" flavor, in 5 vibrant Pride flag colors; Purple, Blue, Green, Orange, and Red.  

Get a bag today and support this great organization, plus get these fun and unique, once-in-history chips.
Let us know if you get these and try them in the comments below, we'd love to hear about it!

Lay's Spain Estilo Artesanas 100% Aceite de Oliva

Lay's Spain's Artesanas are an Artisinal inspired range of Chips made with Olive Oil. This bag is simply "100% Olive Oil" flavored. I'd been waiting a long time to try these and I'm not gonna lie, I felt like I kinda got jipped. I guess as an American, I presume all chips come with Salt (as we call Salted Chips "Original", and we don't have an Non-Salted option). That's where I fell down on this bag. While the chips are well cooked and offer decent potato flavor, AND the Olive Oil flavor distinguishes itself... the bag needs SALT. The Olive Oil flavor overtakes the potato flavor, it gives the chips a flat, one-note, taste. I think with the addition of Salt, this bag would have let the potato chips natural flavor shine, and added some complexity. While the "Al Punto de Sal" bag brings out flavor in the potato, this bag hides it behind the Olive Oil. Spain does offer another Artesanas flavor, that has an addition of Salt, Pepper, and Garlic; but I didn't try that one. As far as this one goes, it was meh. I wouldn't buy these again.

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.

Ruffles Canada Sour Cream 'N Bacon

I got these on my trip to Canada to go watch the Women's World Cup.
On the shelf, the bag seemed a bit odd to me. The only time I've ever had sour cream and bacon together is on a baked potato, so the flavor didn't really connect for me until I realized baked potatoes could be sliced, and fried, and made into potato chips. Who would have thought?!
Look, this review is gonna be pretty short, ok?
This flavor combo is an obvious home run. The 3 flavors of Bacon, Sour Cream, and Potato are a match made in heaven; AND Bacon and Sour Cream are 2 flavors that have a proven track record on potato chips. It was unlikely they would have messed up the seasoning. The Ruffle cut adds a nice thickness that give the whole bite extra potato flavor.
Together you get salty bacon, creamy sour cream, and hearty potato. It's a great bite, and I'm surprised we don't have this flavor here in the States. Great bag! Go get it.

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.

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 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!

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+

Contest: Lay's Dominicana Cual Es El Sabor 2015 Mystery Bag Revealed

Wow yall, wow! Lay's Dominican Republic ACTUALLY released the details of a contest ending! Amazing!! (sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm) Good for the marketing team! They finally finished a job that they were hired to do. Aww!

Ok, everyone calm down!

The mystery bag flavor for the "Cual Es El Sabor?" (What is the flavor?) contest was released and the flavor is "Tomate y Herbas" (Tomato and Herb). The picture is a pic of a bowl of tomato soup or puree with basil on top. It's a flavor we see every once and a while, I know the US had a gross version of it called "Garden Tomato and Basil" and I just talked about Romania's "Tomato and Green Herbs" the other day. I could really care less about this flavor, I think the real victory here is that DR finally showed us the winner of a contest that they've promoted online. Because now if you want to buy it, you actually know it exists.

So, do you want to try it? Did you try the mystery bag? Did you guess right?
Let us know in the comments below!

Lay's Thailand กุ้งมังกรผัดซอสเอ็กซ์โอ Fried Lobster in XO Sauce

Yo. I should not have done this. Ok. I just, I shouldn't have.
This, my friends, is Lay's Thailand's version of "Chinese Fried Lobster in XO Sauce". And you know what? It tastes like "Chinese Fried Lobster in XO Sauce".
Let's start with the smell, the bag smells like Hot Asian Seafood. Like, when you put your face right down into the plate at a Chinese restaurant and your plate is still hot, and you breathe in deep and you smell that plate. Surprisingly though, very authentic.
The chips were fine, I'm not gonna lie and tell you I was focused on the chips, cuz I wasn't. I was paying attention to the seasoning. Thailand's got a good chip though, much better than most other Countries. They looked exactly like the one on the picture of the bag, but with a brown-orange seasoning on it.
Now, the seasoning is SPOT ON. Like no joke, I tasted Lobster, and a myriad of hearty Chinese spices.You get the bold Lobster flavor, definitely shellfish, and it is hugged by a complicated mix of garlic and onion and chili and so many things.

I grew up in a largely Chinese community, went to Chinese school when I was little, and have even toured the Country... so I feel very confident saying that this bag was seasoned very authentically. If I closed my eyes, I would say these were Chinese chips before predicting Thai.

So, was this bag a success or a failure? Well, while I completely regret trying these (the things I do for this blog), I think the bag is a total success! This bag isn't made for a person like me who would sit at home and munch on Cheetos if given a choice; it's made for the Thai consumer, who have MANY more fish flavored snacks than we do in the US. And this bag was really a killer seafood flavor. It was complex with Lobster flavor finished by the variety of aromatic spices. To nail the flavor so perfectly, and to make the potato chip suit that seasoning so well, is a very hard task to achieve.

I think this bag is probably like Chip Report Level: Expert, but if you are a daring soul, you might as well just try it. Or if you are in Thailand and want to have an experience, just do it. But I don't think you need to chase these down, unless you really love your fishy flavored snacks, then by all means this is a great one! I picked these up rather easily on Amazon and just had them delivered to my door. Easy Peezy.

Walkers UK Extra Crunchy Sticky BBQ Rib

MMMM. Walkers. How I missed you.
This is an exquisite bag of Walkers Extra Crunchy in "Sticky BBQ Rib" flavor. The chip comes in the Extra Crunchy cut which is a thicker cut chip... not exactly a Kettle Cook, but somewhere between that and a regular cut. It's a great texture, really, and allows the taster to get more of that lush potato flavor from the chip. And as I've mentioned before, Walkers use some of the most flavorful potatoes around. They always use British potatoes, and it makes a huge difference.
Opening the bag, it smells fantastic, it has a sweet hearty almost meaty smell. The seasoning is typical Walkers, it's a bit similar to prawn cocktail, or ketchup, in that this BBQ flavor has a sweet and tangy brightness to it. But it is still very much a BBQ flavor. I think after trying this, they made the right choice not to just label it BBQ like the millions of other BBQ bags out there, because this isn't that flavor. It is definitely the kind of sweet, sticky BBQ you could imagine yourself licking off of your fingers after eating ribs.
This bag is a complete home run to me, and I'm highly recommending you hunt this baby down. The bag was pretty big, and I practically inhaled it in a day. Good job yet again Walkers!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Belgium Sizzling Fajita and Sweet Reggae Salsa

Lay's Belgium is launching limited edition Summer flavors!
"Sweet Reggae Salsa" and "Sizzling Fajita" will be around for a limited time only to celebrate the Summer Sun.
The bags are the first I've seen outside of the US to use these cartoon images that Lay's USA has been using for their Summer promotions. It suits these well though, considering these are seasonal.
The flavors sound kind of wack though. "Sizzling Fajita" could literally be any meat or BBQ flavor, and I don't think "Sweet Reggae Salsa" is a real thing. What does that flavor entail? They just sound like flavors made up to sound fun and Summery.
But I could be wrong, and they could be totally new and unique flavors.
If you are visiting Belgium this month, you'll have a TON of flavors to try. But, maybe this will be on your list. I'm not tripping over them, but at least they are trying to have fun with their chips.

Will you be trying these? We'd love to hear what they taste like. Let us know in the comments section below!

Gotta Get At This: Smith's Australia Meat Pie & Sauce and Tomato Sauce

 This Summer Smith's in Australia has launched two limited edition flavors "Meat Pie & Sauce" and "Tomato Sauce" aka Ketchup. The 2 flavors are launched in support of the AFL, the Australian Football League. I don't know what that is, but by all accounts it's not American Football, it's not Rugby, and it's not Soccer. Sooo, it's it's own thing. The bags are cute cuz they look like Jerseys. The flavors sound great, "Meat Pie & Sauce" isn't hard to get right, and who doesn't love Ketchup? Both come on Crinkle Cut chips.
They both look yummy.
So, are you gonna be in Australia this Summer? Sounds like the Aussie hunt is on!

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: Lay's Hungary Summer Flavors - Summer Barbeque, Summer Salad, & Summer Cheese in Herbs

 Lay's Hungary just debuted 3 new seasonal flavors to seek out this Summer.
The first new flavor is "Summer Barbeque". The bag shows off a gorgeous looking steak, so I assume this is a meaty BBQ flavor. It's hard to go wrong with BBQ. So, this is one I'd love to try.

Next up, "Summer Salad" is described as a refreshing and light mix of Cucumber and Sour Cream. I have no idea what this could taste like, I know a lot of Countries use Cucumber, but the US doesn't, so IDK how that works on a chip.
I feel like it could be similar to Canada's "Tzatziki" flavor, but hopefully not as salty.

Lastly, "Summer Cheese in Herbs" is described a soft creamy cheesy with herbs. This comes on a Ruffled Chip, so I assume it is probably a bolder seasoning. Something similar to "Sour Cream and Onion". Sounds delicious!


So, are you gonna be in Hungary any time soon? Get these quick cuz they are Seasonal flavors here just for the Summer!!

Contest: Lay's Dominicana and Guatemala Cual Es El Sabor 2015 Mystery Bags

Here's another new Guess the Flavor contest, this time happening in the Dominican Republic. Normally, I would be stoked to tell you guys about this, but I'm pretty certain that we will never actually find out what this mystery flavor is.
SEEE... I've actually ranted about the team behind Lay's in the Dominican Republic before... and while I've never tried their chips before, I can tell you their marketing is the worst. Just the worst.
In 2012 they ran a campaign similar to "Do Us A Flavor" where customers pick a winning fan flavor. But then they just stopped running the campaign online and up until this month their Facebook was just sitting there asking fans still to vote (just go on their FB and scroll down the last few photos to see the evidence). Then last year, they participated in the South American "Copa De Sabores" World Cup Flavor competition. The Dominican Republic page is STILL sitting there asking fans to vote and waiting for a Champion to be chosen, check that out here.
 Now, out of the blue, after their FB has been idle for 3 years, Lay's Dominicana is finally announcing another new campaign.
Fans just need to buy the bag, taste it, and go to www.cualeselsabor.com to submit their flavor guesses. Guess right and win some $$$.
I love these contests, but I am not holding my breath that I'll ever find out what the flavor is.
So, why am I talking about it? Well, I still think it's something worth hunting down if you are passing through the Dominican Republic. Just because the marketing department needs help doesn't mean that the chips aren't fun or delicious.
So enjoy the hunt chip fans! and let us know in the comments what you think these taste like! I wanna know!!

UPDATE: as with many other contests DR has held, they have now added Guatemala to this contest. The 2 Countries now share a contest website which now blocks you out from the US and says "this site is inaccessible from your Country". Whether the flavors are the same in both regions, I'm not sure.

Lay's Canada Cinnamon Bun

Here is my review of the last of the Lay's Canada "Do Us A Flavour" finalists from last year. (Yeah, I know, this review sat in my files for like a year, I don't have an excuse, sorry). "Cinnamon Bun" was a fun and unique flavor to see come out of this contest. Right off the bat, the color of the bag and the flavor reminded me of Lay's USA's "Cappuccino". The flavors are very similar, but there was actually another bag that I've tried that I would call a DEAD RINGER for this bag; the limited edition Cheetos "Sweetos" bag that came out at the start of Spring. Texturally you have a huge difference, but flavor wise, they are pretty much the same. These Cinnamon Bun chips have a ton of yummy Cinnamon aroma (the scent is heavenly). The Cinnamon flavor comes through well and also an underlying Buttery flavor. Canada does use a more flavorful Potato than USA, so there is moderate Potato flavor that comes through and that stops this chip from tasting exactly like a Cinnamon Bun, I would compare this more to the flavor of a Mexican Churro. Seriously, change the name to Churro and I would say the bag lived up to it's name. As a Cinnamon Bun chip, it is just OK. I have a Potato Chip blog, so obviously I find this bag fun and would eat it again. But, if I didn't, I couldn't say this bag would be something to write home about. In fact some of my conservative chip eating friends who tried it absolutely hated it. So...Was it fun? Yes. Did you miss out if you didn't try it? Not really.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Romania Tomato & Green Herbs

Lay's Romania has a nice new flavor: "Tomato & Green Herbs". It's pretty straight forward and I imagine it tastes similar to Lay's USA's "Garden Tomato & Basil". Not a favorite of mine, but if you are cruising through Romania, it could be a cool little pick-up.

Are you gonna try this one? What's your favorite flavor from Romania? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Contest: Lay's Greece Μάντεψε τη γεύση 2015 Mystery Bags Revealed!

 It's that time! The time when we find out what deliciousy flavors other people got to eat! The 3 Mystery Bags released by Lay's Greece earlier this year have been revealed, and now we can see the bags were giving some little hints as to what was inside.
Bag 1 aka the Blue bag is Chicken Tikka Masala. The bag art actually showed off Chicken and several aromatics and vibrant spices. Chicken Tikka Masala is a very popular Indian inspired dish usually made with Roasted Chicken Cubes that are cooked in a decadent sauce made from tomato paste, chillies, and a variety of aromatics.

Bag 2 aka the Pink bag is Pizza Ntiavola, now, before you ask me what that is, I have to tell you I have no idea. Ntiavola is not a real word. I Googled it. If you search the word online, all that comes up is the Lay's Greece Facebook page, so I'm guessing it is slang for something. Regardless, I think we can use the bag art for some clues. It's a Pizza flavor and we see Tomato and Cheese, but there are also onions, chillies, and black peppercorns. I'll guess it's a spicy pizza. Either way, I've never met a Pizza flavored Chip that I didn't love, so I'm sure they are probably delish!

Bag 3 aka the Green Bag is Onion Tart. Again, now we see the bag had the clues all over it. I've never tried an Onion Tart, but that just sounds heavenly. I imagine the potato chip makes a great stand in for the tart crust, and if there is one flavor Lay's can always get right, it's onion. So this is probably awesome.


In the end, the 3 flavors were figured out by 3 Lay's fans who each went on to win 10,000 Euros. Not bad! I love this contest and would love to see it hit the States. What do yall think?

Gotta Get At This: Walkers UK Mixups Crisps Mix Cheese & Bacon and Cheese & Worcester Sauce

Here it is yall! The final post in our 3 part series about the new Walkers Mixups line.
I am so dumb, I've been looking at these bags for some time now and I only just realized these are the exact same product that Belgium and the Netherlands just launched. The bag is the same, the style, and it's even practically the same font. duhh.
As with those bags, these bags mix 2 different flavored crisps in the same bag. Essentially giving you 3 flavors to choose from in 1 bag: the 2 separate, and then the mix. These are both tried and true flavors; a combo of "Cheese & Bacon" and a combo of "Cheese & Worcester Sauce". I would knock someone out for either of these, no question.
So, what do you think of these? Would you wanna see Mixups in the States? I think we could see some delicious Combos. Tell us in the comments!

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!

Gotta Get At This: Walkers UK Mixups Snacks Mix Cheese and Spicy

Walkers in the UK launched a new line called Mixups last month. The bags are all a mix of different treats, the first 2 of 6 are the "Snacks Mix" bags. The snacks mix bags are composed of 4 of Frito-Lay's most popular UK snack items: 'Doritos', 'Monster Munch', 'Wotsits', and 'French Fries'. The mix comes in 2 flavor bags: "Cheese" and "Spicy". These look like a delicious mix of the best Walkers has to offer aside from Potato Chips. Now, check out this weird-ass commercial for Cheese Mixups Snacks Mix....

So what do you all think? Looks better than Munchies in the US, right? Stay tuned for the next part in our 3 part article on Walkers Mixups.

Gotta Get At This: Lay's India MAXX Sizzling Barbeque and Macho Chilli

Last week Lay's India also released their own MAXX line of deep ridged chips. India has a love affair with Ruffled chips and bold flavors so it's no surprise to see them expand to include the MAXX line. The 2 starter flavors are Sizzling Barbeque and Macho Chilli, which both sound well suited for these thick and crunchy new chips. As with all chips in India, they are 100% Vegetarian, and you can see the unique all-veggie skewer on the BBQ bag art. So if you are a fan of Vegetarian snacks, you may wanna hunt these down. Lay's India bags are sometimes available on Amazon so, maybe we will get lucky to find these online.
Are you interested in these? Do you wanna try a Vegetarian BBQ flavored chip? Tell us in the comments section below!

Gotta Get At This: Margarita Colombia MAXX Pizza Pepperoni and Hamburguesa

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!
Colombia has jumped on board the MAXX train! That's not why I'm excited though. I'm excited because they are bringing back Hamburger flavor!! AHHHHHH. There are 2 bags in this world I consider to be my favorites of all time; one is Jamon flavored Ruffles from Spain, and the other is Margarita's discontinued Hamburguesa flavor (my review is here). I remember it fondly hitting every note of Hamburger flavor from the meat to the ketchup, mustard, and then the bright pickles. Impeccable seasoning and texture.
Now Margarita is launching the popular MAXX collection (which is subtitled Super Onduladas meaning Super Ruffled). The MAXX collection has shown up in practically every major market for Lay's; in Thailand, Belgium, Russia, Australia, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, and just this week in India. They've also been branded under the labels "Max", "Deep Ridged", and "Xtra Onduladas" (& probably more). We even have them here in the US, but you may not even know it, as they fall under the Ruffles Brand as "Ruffles Deep Ridged".
The MAXX style chip is a thicker cut chip with deep ridges and it usually makes a great base for heartier seasonings like meat flavors and spices. Both flavors Margarita is launching seem to be perfect for this cut of chip. Pepperoni Pizza flavored chips tend to be on the spicy, greasy, meaty end of the spectrum, and Hamburger will offer up a Beefy flavor with all the trimmings. They both will also fill a space in the Colombian snack world that is pretty much unoccupied, as there are few snack companies making things with bold flavors (their Cheetos are plain, cheese-less flavor... to give you an idea of what I mean).
I say this in every post about Margarita, but they really make the best Chips in the world. Period. They know how to season. If anyone can make these bags killer and amazing, it's them. I can't wait to hunt these down. YUMM.

Contest: Lay's Canada Do Us A Flavour 2015: Tastes of Canada

Lay's Canada has closed their 2015 Do Us A Flavour entry period. Now, 4 flavors that represent the "Tastes of Canada" will be chosen. As with the last few years, those 4 chosen finalists will be sold in stores across Canada and the people will go online to vote for their favorite. Last year "Jalapeno Mac N' Cheese" took home the crown. I expect this year we will see more unique flavors, similar to "Maple Moose" from 2013... which I learned the hard way, was actually Moose flavored.
Can't wait to see what comes!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Belgium and Lay's Netherlands MIX Bacon & Cheese and Paprika & Sour Cream

Lay's Belgium and Netherlands are both releasing some very creative new bags. The collection is called Lay's Mix. The concept is 2 different flavored chips sharing 1 bag. Belgium is advertising both Bacon flavor and Cheese flavor in one bag and Red Pepper flavor and Sour Cream flavor in one bag... while Netherlands is only promoting Red Pepper + Sour Cream. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if the Netherlands also has the other bag. The range is new so I expect more info in the coming months. But until then, these looks like a GREAT idea. How fun to taste one chip as one flavor, and another chip as another flavor, and a third flavor when you mix the too. You gotta love the interactivity. The flavors are solid too, so I would be surprised to not see these stick around.

So, who's got the Dutch hookup? Send me some, LOL.
What do you think? Would you buy these in the states? What would you wanna see Mixed?

Lay's Canada Bacon Poutine

Real talk. I should have posted this ages ago. I just forgot. So here is my review of Bacon Poutine flavored Lay's that you probably can't find anymore. Firstly, it is VERY forgettable. That is my excuse.
When you pop the bag open you get a hefty Bacon/Meaty smell, that is accompanied by several seasonings, so the smell is pretty strong.
The chips are fine. They are crispy and thin, & a little bit flaky. What makes this bag interesting at all is the seasoning. You can taste prominently the Bacon flavor, that is followed by a thick Cheddar/Cheese flavor. It adds richness to what would otherwise be just a meat flavored Chip. Throughout tasting both of those notes there is also a sweeter flavor. I racked my brain trying to figure out what it was, and the most similar thing I could think of was Ketchup. But, the flavor isn't Ketchup, it's meant to be Gravy. Now, I'm not Canadian, so I don't know what Poutine should taste like or what Gravy in Poutine in Canada should taste like. But, It wasn't a flavor I would have determined to be "Gravy". It felt like exactly what the sauce on the picture on the bag would probably taste like. A thinner, sweeter Gravy than I'm used to. That sweetness helps cut that rich cheese flavor, keeping this chip from feeling too heavy. Poutine can be a heavy dish, but this chip has a good balance of savoriness, sweetness, and richness. Somehow though, this made this bag just a bit too boring for me. So unless you are just obsessed with Bacon + Poutine, and you missed my posts announcing this bag's limited release, you aren't really missing anything to write home about. MEH.

Cheetos USA Sweetos Cinnamon Sugar Puffs

I know this is a "Lay's" blog... but every once in a while I have to digress. I mean, how could I NOT do a taste test on these Limited Edition Spring Cheetos?? These crazy looking things are "Cinnamon Sugar Puffs" and are cutely shaped like decorated Easter Eggs. I really loved these. They are a little bigger than a quarter and have the texture of Cheetos Cheese Puffs. The flavor is similar to a Mexican Churro, (or the cinnamon twists from Taco Bell) with the Cinnamon and Sugar flavor. But I also got an aftertaste that kind of reminded me of Butter. That was the only semi-weirdness, because these were pretty dang delicious. I took these to the park with my nieces and nephews who loved them, and then the next day had them in a hotel room in Vegas being devoured by late-night drinkers.... so LITERALLY this bag can be for anybody and any occasion. I think it's a pretty big win for Cheetos.
... and just a little fun fact for those in the "Cheetos have to be Cheesy" camp (I used to be that person)... Cheetos have always been Cheesy (or Cheese and Jalepeno-y) here in the States. But, a lot of other Countries brand Cheetos completely differently. In Colombia, Cheetos are a plain corn crunchy snack. In Korea, the standard flavor is BBQ. Sweet Cheetos have been made in Yogurt and Strawberry flavor too... so the Cinnamon Sugar idea isn't that odd.
I love to see these fun and odd ideas see the light of day here in the US, especially when executed well. For me, this is a pick up... and you better swoop on it soon before it's limited run is over. It's not exclusive to any stores, but I found mine again in the Target seasonal section (next to some yummy looking seasonal Angie's popcorn in flavors like Lime White Chocolate mmm). If you love Cheetos or Churros you gotta give this a try!

Frito-Lay Central America Kachitos Arepitas Mantequilla

This was a weird but fun bag to try. The bizarre story of determining what these actually are begins as such: My cousin brought these with him from Bolivia... but I'm guessing these were imported from Central America to Bolivia because the back of the bag lists off several Central American countries that it may be sold in, and no South American countries like Bolivia... and since it is pretty far from that region I think it was imported (I've seen it before, Sweden doesn't carry Lay's but some stores get the Danish ones that are meant for just Denmark).
The bag is filled with corn tortilla rounds called Kachitos Arepitas, in the flavor of "Mantequilla" which is Spanish for "Butter".
Now, I'm Colombian, so I know that Arepitas is a nickname for small-Arepas.

Arepas are these DELICIOUS cake/bread/pancake things made of corn... they look like thick tortillas.

In many Countries, Arepas are cut open and stuffed... but in some places, like Colombia, they are eaten just plain with melted Butter (or a piece of cheese) on top. They are pure delicious-ness in any recipe, but I love them plain with Butter. So, when I saw they were called Arepitas with Butter flavor, I thought YUM YUM, I've had something like these before!
In Colombia, there is a brand of chips called "Yupi" and they manufacture "Tosti Arepa", a tortilla chip flavored like Butter that are literally mini-Arepas. They are frikin awesome! If you can find them, I recommend them.

So, I cracked this bag open looking for the smell of Butter... but I couldn't find it... weird... then I smelled Cheese... like Aged Cheese... weird...
I tasted one... it tasted like Cheese... weird...
I flipped the bag over and read the ingredients... "queso"... that means Cheese... wtf was going on here!!?

I had another chip, I could taste the Butter come through as a secondary flavor. But it was no match for the Cheesiness. I figured the bag just didn't taste good, I mean, it say's "Butter" flavor, but it just doesn't taste like "Butter". A little investigating, and now, I think I understand what is going on.
I THINK, Kachitos are cheese flavored... like, always. I THINK, the standard base flavor is Nacho Cheese... very similar to Nacho Cheese "Doritos".
There are several bags of Kachitos brand products, but I believe the main bag is called "Kachitos Nachos: Clasico" and they are Nacho Cheese flavor. They are rounds and the bag shows off some liquid Nacho Cheese. This would explain why the Cheese flavor is not mentioned on the outer packaging of these. And the "Arepitas" bag is distinguished solely by it's addition of "Butter" flavor.

Here is a picture of the other options in the Kachitos collection.

The only evidence I have to support this crazy theory I have is that the Red bag pictured on the left is listed as "Kachitos Antojitos: Picante" flavor (Snacks: Spicy) but on Kachitos facebook page the flavor is described as 'Bacon and Cheese flavored with a hint of spice' and seeing as how the shape of the chips in that bag match the shape in the "Kachitos Clasicos: Bacon Queso" bag... It would be another example of them presuming someone knows the "Classic" flavor and only describing the bag by the additional flavor.

IT IS SO CONFUSING!! So basically all of these bags are Nacho Cheese flavored, whether they say it or not.

So what is my final review of this misleading bag of chips?? Well, I think for a chip similar to Doritos, it was actually pretty good. The cheese flavor was well developed and didn't overwhelm the chip. The Butter flavor comes through and gives the chip a fun, decadent taste. The crunch is well done, and you taste the yummy corn chip flavor. The color was nice. It was a tasty tortilla chip. However, I feel that the confusion about the flavor was distracting and frankly, poor branding. Since there are chips that exist that are butter flavored, others could very well have the same expectation I did. If I wasn't writing a blog and investigating, it would have quickly gone in the trash, I would have thought the chips were rancid... really. Because the flavor was so far away from what the bag said.
But, from a position of knowing that it is a Nacho Cheese flavored chip, I think it's worth a taste. If you like "Doritos", or even "Chili Cheese Fritos", I think you will enjoy these.


BONUS ROUND: It looks like Taco Bell Panama does in fact see these as comparable to "Fritos", because just like Taco Bell USA has stuffed "Fritos" into all their delicious treats, so has Panama done with "Kachitos"... so if you want to try some fun food in Central America, check out these beauties that are available now.

 

PS If anyone has any more insight into what the actual Kachitos flavors in each bag are please comment below or message me. I'd love to know!!