Contest: World Cup Round-Up - Colombia, Perú, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Panama, El Salvador, Honduras, Egypt, Arabia, & Chile... and a little Ranting!

Ima put this out there right now. Some of these companies should be ashamed by how bad their online presence is. ASHAMED. The World Cup has been over for like 3 months now, however, 6 of these countries started World Cup contests and just never revealed who the winners were on their shared website. Peru, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Panama, El Salvador, and Honduras; they don't really have websites to begin with, but they launched a beautiful interactive site that was tracking the winners of each round of this contest. I kid you not, go on it right now, it's lovely but that damn site does not say who the winners are (www.copadesabores.com). Guatemala and Peru at least have functioning Facebook pages, and with a little digging I found that they did in fact announce winners on those pages (albeit the announcement was 1 picture hidden away on the timelines). This has actually happened before with Lay's Dominicana, they announced a previous contest online and then never announced the winner... check it out on Facebook, as that page is still showing off pictures from that unresolved contest. Whoever is handling South America's online marketing just needs to get it together... FOR REAL. Go look at how Margarita from Colombia handles their business. Flawlessly, they maintain a nice website, update their Facebook, and interact via Twitter and Instagram. I don't understand how it's that hard for the others to simply update a website that they've already had built.
 END OF RANT.

ok. So, let's talk about the contests that did have winners... and I apologize that it took SO long to share this info. I had really tried to be patient and 'round-up' all the winners in one post.

The only country from South America that actually announced their winner on their website was Colombia and their Margarita Chips. The winner was "Colombia Chorizo con Limon" (Chorizo and Lime). Voters chose to keep it Patriotic, and it's no surprise... Colombia had their most impressive World Cup EVER this year... plus the flavor sounds delish! This flavor is still available for a limited time in Colombia. Grab it while you can.

 Chipsy Egypt and Lay's Arabia shared their Flavor Cup and selected "Brazillian BBQ" as their winner. No surprise there. Not only does that sound yummy. But Brazil did an amazing job of hosting the World Cup and capturing the World's heart.

Chile also went Patriotic with their "Chile Enselada Chilena" and it sounds unique and tasty. I love a good acidic bag of chips. mmm.

Peru went Patriotic as well and chose "Peru Pollo a la Brasa" (Rotisserie Chicken). Can't complain, Chicken is da bomb! Good choice.

Guatemala  was swayed by flavor and chose "Suecia Queso con Especias" (Sweden Cheese with Spices). Can't go wrong with Cheese. Can't go wrong with Spices. The duo sounds awesome.

 Dominican Republic, Panama, El Salvador, and Honduras basically don't have any online presence, so if you know what flavors they ended up choosing, I'd love to know. Share it down below!

All the winners should still be available for a limited time in the Countries that conducted the contests. If you're interested in these, I'd say try to find them soon since like I said, this article is coming a bit late. AND If you're just curious and would like a reminder of what the other flavors were in this contest; click the "World Cup" tag at the end of this post.

Contest: Lay's India Football Favourites- Cheesy Jalepeno, Apple Chilli, and Tangy Herb

The Lay's Universe is getting a ton of use out of Lionel Messi, lol. Not only is he a spokesman for Lay's here in the US (you know you saw that adorable commercial with the old man sneaking a chip from Messi's bag during the World Cup, it was on like every 2 minutes), but the commercials have been reused in multiple countries (some poorly edit the bag to be red instead of the signature Yellow, and then they edit it to show a local celebrity with him, it's hilarious). Messi has also been all over Lay's Spain's bags and website for the last year or so. And Russia has this exact same picture of Messi on their "Mystery" flavored bags. Finally though, Messi's appearance actually ties into a collection of Soccer inspired flavors; justifying plastering arguably the greatest living soccer player on their bags. The 3 flavors are "Cheesy Jalepeno", "Apple Chilli", and "Tangy Herb". Chip fans can vote on their favorite of the 3 and are entered in for a chance to win a trip to see Messi 'play live'.
Pretty good use of his star power if you ask me.
However, in my opinion, NOT A ONE of these flavors actually sound good. I'm slightly intrigued by Apple Chilli... but really... how is that even a thing? I know India likes some 'loud' flavors, but these flavors are screaming. India does take a bit of this into account though... as they make all their chips in "Ruffles" form. "Ruffles" do stand up to much more flavor, so they're probably a'ight.

So, would you call these Soccer inspired flavors? Or does it look like a chance to hock some chips in the name of Messi? Would you go out of your way to try one of these? Have you tried em?
Let us know down below...

WTF? of the Day: PepsiCo, you are getting your money's worth.

I can't believe I didn't realize this until now...
Enjoy Lay's getting the most out of this commercial they shot with Lionel Messi...(the best bit is the crappy edited bags lol)

Original from Argentina.
Spain featuring Iker Casillas.
Romania featuring Puya and Cabral.
Italy featuring Fabio Cannavaro.
Turkey featuring the hilarious Yaya-type lady that is in all the Turkish Lay's commercials.
Lay's Arabia and Chipsy Egypt featuring Ahmed Helmy


I'm sure there are more. If you know of some, share them below and let the world see!!

PS if the HORRIBLE green screen wasn't obvious to you... here's the behind the scenes proof that they used a body double and shot Messi's scenes on a green screen set.

Contest: Lay's Perú Copa De Los Sabores Round 3

Tricky, Tricky, Lay's Peru. Hilariously, Peru announced that the only flavor in Round 3 of their Copa De Los Sabores contest would be the "Peru" flavor; "Pollo a la Brasa" (Rotisserie Chicken). This means The flavor representative of the host nation moves instantly to the final round against last round winner Brazil and 1st round winner Italy. Well played Peru, well played.

Contest: Lay's Argentina Copa De Los Sabores

Click to Enlarge

Look who is late to the party. Argentina joined the Copa De Los Sabores game about a month ago... a good 1-2 months behind every other country... so, I might have missed talking about it right away. BUT it's definitely their fault lol.  This World Cup collection features 4 flavors that represent Argentina's take on Mexico, Themselves, China, and Spain. They are pretty straight forward and use the fun packaging we saw from Lay's Chile. The Mexico flavor is "Quesadilla"... mmmm. Argentina is representing themselves with "Asado" aka "Grilled Beef". China is getting the hilarious "Empanadita China" which is an "Eggroll" but described as a Chinese handheld pie, lol. Lastly, Spain is typecast with "Chorizo Iberico".

I don't know how long this collection will be available, but if you are in Argentina now, feel free to eat your feelings about losing the World Cup with these before they are gone for good.

Margarita Colombia Copa De Los Sabores España Jamón Serrano

Among the delicious Colombian snacks my wonderful Aunt Gladys brought to me in Miami, was this little gem. Packed in a Copa De Los Sabores Round 2 multipack with the Brazilian flavor, was the Spanish "Jamón Serrano". This "Serrano Ham" flavor is a "Onduladas" chip, or as we know them here in the states, "Ruffles".  I had high hopes for this bag, as "Ruffles" makes a "Jamón" flavored bag in Spain that is one of my all time favorite bags ever. Sadly, I can say right now, that this is a COMPLETELY different flavor. But that doesn't mean that it is bad, it's just not my dream chip, lol.
In fact, my cousin, her boyfriend, and I tried these together, and we actually found them to taste pretty good. And definitely better than the Brazilian "Asado Brasilero".

We tasted this bag second, and while "Asado Brasilero" was subtle and uninteresting, this bag opened up and was exciting and unique. The smell is obvious. HAM. There was no question what flavor was in this bag. The moment your tongue hits the chip you are transported to a little shop in Spain, a little shop filled with salted hanging cured hams. mmm. The crunch of the Ruffled chip adds some fun texture to the bite, but it also creates a thicker, more robust potato flavor, that pairs well with the salty ham seasoning. For the same reason Jamón works on a freshly baked piece of bread, this chip is successful. And, this isn't like some cheap Oscar Meyer ham, this is Jamón, the flavor is closer to Christmas Ham or even Canadian Bacon. I could even see a repackage of this chip in the US as either of those flavors, and no one would be the wiser.
Now, I must admit, that this bag comes on strong. And after snacking on the "Asado Brasilero" our palate's had been working overtime searching for any sort of flavor, so when we tasted this bag at first it felt like too much. But, by chip 4 or 5 it became more palatable. So, be warned, I don't recommend eating them back to back because the bags are POLAR opposites. If anything, I think this one will pair really well with some Coke, Diet Coke, or a nice cold beer. I highly recommend this bag, it is the epitome of what this blog is about. Fun, international flavors, that are unique and create a flavor experience. It is good fun, and if you can get a hold of it, I suggest you try.

Happy hunting!

Margarita Colombia Copa De Los Sabores Brasil Asado Brasilero

I had the good fortune of being in Miami last week and my awesome Aunt Gladys (shout out, lol!) was sweet enough to bring me some chips from Colombia. Today, we are checking out the Brazilian flavored "Asado Brasilero" aka "Brazilian Barbecue" aka "Churrasco" (depending on what you call it where you are from). This flavor came packed in a multipack with it's Round 2 competitor "Jamon Serrano". A supermarket multipack contained 6 bags of the Brazilian flavor and 6 bags of the Spanish flavor, and encouraged buyers to taste both flavors and vote for their favorite. As we are already on Round 3, It has already been announced that this flavor won Round 2. 

So, let's get to the review. I tasted this bag with my cousin Janette and her boyfriend, both of whom had never tried Colombian chips before. The 3 of us basically had the same feelings about this bag. That overall feeling being that it is pretty dull.
When you open the bag you get the weak smell of beef. You pull a chip out of the bag and, as with all Margarita chips, you see a beautiful lightly golden perfect chip. There are no burnt bits, no huge air bubbles, you aren't picking at small flakes of chip at the bottom of the bag. It is the Typical Margarita high quality chip. At first bite, I tasted almost nothing, the flavor was incredibly subtle. But about 20 to 30 seconds after the first chip, my mouth tasted like I had just eaten a steak. It was weird. Then the more chips I ate, the more the flavor built. And this accumulation of flavor was building at the back of my mouth after the chip had been eaten. But, even after finishing the bag, I never felt satisfied. I never felt like I got to taste anything special. The meat flavor that does come across is different from any other bag of BBQ flavor I have ever tried. These chips had little to no salt, so the chip had almost the taste of unseasoned meat. There was no garlic, no onion, no herbs, no barbecue sauce, no flame grilled, and probably no salt; none of the additions that take a flavor from one-note to being more complex and interesting. In all honestly, it tasted like someone boiled a steak and soaked the chips in beef water before frying them. The flavor was just so DULL and boring. Now, I do have to mention that because Margarita uses such high quality potatoes, the potato flavor comes through strongly. You get rich potato flavor across your entire palate, but unfortunately, the seasoning on them does not do them justice.
"Asado Brasilero" is meant to be skewered, slow-roasted, seasoned, beef that is elegantly brought to your table and sliced thinly and served. This bag does little to represent that wonderfully unique preparation. I wasn't a fan, and although the people I tried it with enjoyed the novelty, they did not think the flavor was anything special either. I wouldn't recommend this bag to anyone, but if you want a beef flavor and are not a fan of Barbecue bags, this may be for you.

Contest: Margarita Colombia Copa De Los Sabores Round 3

Margarita looks like they are the only country doing a third round in their World Cup tie-in contest, but they've saved some strong contenders for Round 3.

 

For Round 3, Colombia has chosen to represent itself with "Chorizo con Limon" aka "Chorizo Sausage and Lime" flavor. Strange to me, as that is not really a flavor I associate with Colombia, Chorizo is a much more Mexican thing... but whatevs. The flavor still sounds YUMMO! They've chosen a real fun flavor to represent Peru as well, "Aji Peruismo" or "Peruvian Pepper"... this is a flavor I have talked a lot about in regards to Peru's on flavors. It is a type of Pepper that grows only in the mountains of Peru and Lay's Peru loves to use it in their Peruvian collection of chips. The bag depicts a salsa next to the peppers, so it may be a bit of a spicy Tomato salsa flavor as opposed to pure pepper. Either way, both are exciting flavors. 

Yet, I wonder if either will stand a chance. Suprisingly, both Round 1 and Round 2 went to Barbecued Beef flavors. And Ribs and Meats tend to win Margarita's contests historically. But to me, these, along with "Jamon Serrano" are some fun, and unique flavors, even if they are only available for a limited time. I actually just got to try the Round 2 winner which is a Brazilian BBQ flavor, and was really unimpressed by it (review coming soon). I'm not really sure how it won, but the Colombian people have spoken, so I can't really say confidently that either of these have a chance at the title.

What do you think? Does Chorizo come to mind when you think of Colombia cuisine? Have you had a chance to try these? Sound good? Let us know in the comments below... 

Contest: Lay's Perú Copa De Los Sabores Round 2

Who is ready for Round 2?? With Italy's "Pizza" winning Round 1, Peru has released the flavors for the next stage. France's "Queso Gratinado", which is basically baked Cheese, and Brazil's "Al Estilo Rodizio" which I guess is Peru's way of saying "Rotisserie Barbecue" which is basically the same flavor every country has for Brazil; "Brazilian Barbecue" or "Churrasco". The flavor has proved popular, so it could take the round. But, I get more excited about the new stuff. So France's weird Cheese Gratin thing sounds pretty awesome lol.

Sound off below and let us know what you think...

Contest: Lay's Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Panama, El Salvador, & Honduras Copa De Sabores Round 2

Round 2 has begun for the South American nations participating in "Copa De Sabores".
As with Round 1, Guatemala, Panama, El Salvador, & Honduras all have the same flavors for Round 2...

 

 Brazil is represented by "Churrasco" or "Brazilian Barbecue" if you should like to call it that, and Sweden is represented by "Queso con Especias" or "Cheese with Spices/Herbs". We've seen this flavor represent Brazil in a lot of countries, and it won Round 1 in Colombia. But, the Swedish flavor is new and could be fun!

As for the Dominican Republic, it is also offering up a new and a not so new flavor...

 

Dominican Republic has chosen flavor to represent itself in the game; "Pollo al Limon" or "Lime Chicken". Sounds DELISH!! While they've chosen a popular flavor to represent Spain; "Jamon Iberico" aka "Iberico Ham". mmm. Looks like it will be a tough round in the D.R.

So, what are your thoughts this round? Who will emerge victorious? Have you been able to snag any of these World Cup tie-ins? Let us know down below!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Netherlands We Vrrreten Ze Op Flavors

The international flavors keep coming as the World Cup approaches! The Netherlands is making the most of the situation by offering up 3 limited time flavors inspired by Australia, Spain, and Chile. First off is "Ozzie BBQ" which is described as the Unique Grilled taste from Down Under. Then Spain's "Aioli Olé" for the Garlic Aioli lovers out there. And finally, Chile's "Chilly Chili" a slightly spicy mix of Peppers and a not so slightly overdone pun. "We Vreten Ze Op" translates to "We Eat Them Up" or "We Devour Them Up" and is just a label given to the limited collection of flavors. But that Lion sure does remind me of the Simba Lion from South Africa... am I right?

Lovely... Now how can I track them down??

Contest: Margarita Colombia Copa De Los Sabores Round 2

Round 2 has begun in Colombia. Round 1 saw Argentina's "Churrasco" win. Round 2 introduces us to 2 more new flavors; Spain's "Jamon Serrano" aka "Serrano Ham" and Brazil's "Asado Brasilero" aka "Brazilian Steak/Barbecue". The bag of "Serrano Ham" also comes as "Onduladas" or "Ruffles"-style chips. My favorite bag of all time is a bag of Ruffles from Spain that are Ham flavored.... so these are probably the most epic thing of all time ever!!! And "Brazilian BBQ" doesn't sound too bad either. I guess I've got some calls to make ;p

Who are you rooting for??

Contest: Lay's Arabia & Chipsy Egypt Flavors Cup Part 2

3 more flavors have been highlighted online recently. To read the first part of this article click here!
Unlike the Flavor Cup happening in South America, the Middle East has chosen to have all 5 flavors compete at once with the bag getting the most votes becoming the unchallenged winner.
I already told you guys about Mexican "Chilli con Carne" as well as South African "Cheese"... but here are the final 3 competitors.

 Spain is getting their "Black Olives" shown off with this bag. I don't know what a bag of "Black Olive" flavored Chips will taste like... hopefully similar to "Pickle" flavored. By that I mean, sour and pleasant with Salt.

 Japan's flavor is "Sweet & Sour Sauce". Sounds kind of gross. But whatever. Also, isn't "Sweet & Sour sauce" Chinese???

Brazil gets the same if not similar flavor everyone has in this contest; "Brazilian BBQ". But hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.














So, is there anything here you've just got to try? Let us know below!

Contest: Lay's Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Panama, El Salvador, & Honduras Copa De Sabores

The Copa is SPREADING!! "Copa De Sabores" aka the "Flavor Cup" has spread like wildfire throughout South America. The contest is now being held in Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Panama, El Salvador, and Honduras. Not to mention the South American nations we already know about; Chile, Colombia, and Peru. ANNNND the Middle Eastern nations all doing their version. Looks like it is going to be a BUSY season for us Chip Hunters!

So, first, lets talk about Guatemala...

EXACTLY like Colombia and Peru, we are seeing ITALY vs ARGENTINA as the 2 flavors to be voted upon. But here we have some sauces up for debate. Italy's offering being a "Pomodoro Sauce" and Argentina's being a "Chimichurri" sauce.

More importantly, the Guatemalan website FINALLY explains the rules of the Flavor cup, which has been driving me mad. Basically, you vote for your flavor in each round starting with the first round (Italy vs. Argentina), you have to register for this vote. If you can pick the winner every round you have the opportunity to win prizes. So this is just round 1 of  3 (3 being the final round). If you pick the winner all the way to the end, you can win the Grand Prize.

Check it out, so the winner of Phase 1 will go against the winner of Phase 2 in Phase 3, and that is the winner of the Flavor Cup.

(you guys have no idea how excited I was that they had this chart to explain this damn confusing ass contest to me... seriously)



In the Dominican Republic, we finally get a fresh face from Brazil...

Italy's flavor is represented by "Italian Dressing", which sounds AMAZING on chips! And Brasil is showing off "Salsa Brasileña", this has me a bit confused... the picture is obviously stewed beef with maybe some Garlic... but "Salsa Brasileña" is defined online as a salad dressing. The literal translation is "Brazilian Sauce" which doesn't help me figure out what it is whatsoever. So, I guess, if you try it, let us know what it is lol.

Panama, El Salvador, and Honduras all have the SAME EXACT flavors as Guatemala, (Italian Salsa Pomodoro & Argentinean Chimichurri) so I'm not gonna talk about them again for this round.

Let the HUNT begin!!

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!

Contest: Lay's Arabia & Chipsy Egypt Flavors Cup

I guess South America aren't the only ones throwing a Flavor Cup! The Middle East is getting in on the action. Lay's Arabia (which caters to the Emirates) and Chipsy (Egypt) are both running a flavor cup on their own. The image above shows 5 flavors, like the South American contests, I have only seen 2 flavors highlighted online. However, I did see a 3rd flavor posted on Twitter that a fan had posted and enjoyed. So, these contests are basically just confusing me to NO end.

This one stands out to me in comparison to the other contest in that the flavors are MUCH more exotic.

This image depicts the 5 flavors and it looks like: Japanese Sweet & Sour Sauce, South African Cheese, Mexican Chile Con Carne, Brazillian BBQ, and Spanish Black Olives.

 The First of 2 flavors that have been highlighted so far are "Mexican Chili Con Carne"... which A) Sounds Delicious and B) Why has this never come out here?? I love the packaging, its got the flag with the little cactus' and maracas and Mexican icons. Then the flavor is featured prominently in the middle, it just makes me want chips and dip reallllll bad!

The 2nd flavor featured is South African Cheese. I have no idea what that tastes like, but I think it is a brilliant idea for a Chip flavor. Again the little doodle icons look great against the South African flag color scheme. Look at the adorable giraffe and the whale. I love it.




All in all, I find this contest a bit more interesting. I have tried Lay's Arabia's chips before and was not impressed with the quality of the potato. It doesn't come close to the amazing quality of the chips from South America, but I feel that these flavors are more exciting and pay more tribute to a nation (as opposed to making an Italian flavor Pizza, if you get what I'm saying). Should be fun to watch.

Voting is not yet open on these, but I will update you guys as soon as something of interest occurs.

Contest: Margarita Colombia Copa De Los Sabores

So, bare with me guys, cuz I'm pretty confused on this one. It looks like the IDENTICAL "Flavor Cup" contest being run as Peru. However... in the image above are 4 flavors. Online however, I can only see people posting pictures and discussing 2 of the 4 flavors. You need a Colombian national ID number (like a US drivers license) to access the voters website. So I can't even see what flavors are in the vote. All I can do is share the 2 flavors I have been able to see. YES, it is literally harder to LOOK at the ballot on this vote than it is to vote for a US President.

 So here we have the flavor inspired by Argentina, "Churrasco"... aka Beef Steak. (if you'd like a better look, just click the image)

The other flavor is an "Ondulada" or "Ruffles"-style chip. And it was inspired by Italian "Pizza".

If you are thinking these 2 flavors sound similar, thats because they are the 2 flavors competing in Peru's Copa de Sabores right now as well... (although their Pizza flavor is not on Ruffles).









SOOO. Is this a 2 flavor competition? or a 4 flavor competition? Does it end after 1 round? Or will there be more competition ahead? I don't know any of those answers.

The flavors, once again, are not something new or interesting in my opinion. This is just a fun opportunity to try new flavors for a short time without having to commit long term shelf space to them. But, if you like a tasty chip, Margarita always kicks ass... so I wouldn't go out of my way for them, but if you are in Colombia, you may as well try em out.

UPDATE: Argentina's "Churrasco" has won Round 1. Now a second round will begin with 2 new flavors. The winner of Round 2 will face "Churrasco" in the final round for supremacy.

Contest: Lay's Perú Copa De Los Sabores

Tired of the same old Contest? Ya, we kind of are too. That's why I got very excited to see that Peru is changing the game and introducing the "Copa De Los Sabores" ["Flavor Cup"]. This contest pits nation against nation for votes. Italy's "Pizza" vs Argentina's "Strip Steak". Peruvians can vote online for their favorite after giving them a taste off the shelves. Both flavors are classic contest flavors, and are always a fun change of pace to the traditional shelf flavors. But the standout here is the cute packaging and fun contest. I love that the bag is reflective of the nation's flag, and the food looks yummy and makes you want to pop the bag open.
So who are you voting for? Which flavor catches your eye? Let us know down below!

UPDATE: Looks like my Favorite chips "Margarita" from Colombia are also launching this contest this week... flavor announcement should be today... eeeee!

UPDATE 2: Round 1 Winner was Italian "Pizza". The contest consists of 3 Rounds; Italia v Argentina was Round 1, Round 2 will be 2 new flavors, and Round 3 will be the winners of R1 & R2.