Author: Vin

REVIEW: Lay’s Turn Up the Flavor Potato Chips

Vin 7 Comments

Lay s Turn Up the Flavor Potato Chips

After the success of the regionally-inspired “Do Us a Flavor” chips, Lay’s is back with something new – chips inspired by genres of music.

ARE Y’ALL READY TO TURN UP THE FLAVOR?!

I’ll take that tepid response as a “yes.”

Like snack preference, musical taste is subjective, but I’m gonna try to compare each new chip flavor to a song from the genre they’re inspired by.

Tonight’s opening act is Classic Beer Cheese.

I guess Lay’s took the classic “rock” inspiration literally by making these “hard as a rock” kettle chips.

The chips smell like cheese, but not much like beer. The initial taste is that of flat pilsner followed by a muted indiscriminate cheese taste. I was hoping for a sharp cheddar flavor, but it’s dulled down a bit by that faint hint of a beer you may have consumed ten minutes prior.

Lay s Turn Up the Flavor Classic Beer Cheese Potato Chips

As with every kettle chip I’ve ever had, they tasted kinda stale, and I wished these were just a regular chip, but I know people love this style. They’re fine but didn’t rock my socks off like I thought they would. I prefer Kettle Brand’s Cheddar Beer flavor, which are the only other beer cheese chips I’ve tasted.

Inspired by the classic rock genre, the beverage featured, and the lightning bolt in the name, I’ll compare these to a solid rock song I never need to hear again in my life – Have a Drink On Me by AC/DC.

Whatever, no one comes to see the opening act anyway.

Next up to the stage is, Flamin’ Hot Dill Pickle Remix!

Here we have a Hip-Hop inspired continuation of Frito Lay’s brand-crossing Flamin’ Hot line, and they’re exactly as advertised.

Lay s Turn Up the Flavor Flamin Hot Dill Pickle Remix Potato Chips

The smell from the bag is amazing. There’s heat as well as that aroma of popping the lid off a pickle jar. The chips may be a mess, but they taste like pickles. Imagine dipping a pickle in hot sauce, and that’s essentially what you get. The heat is a nice complementary Hype Man for the pickle. I mean, these may have been slightly better without the Flamin’ Hot element, but that wouldn’t be very “hip-hop,” now would it?

I’ll compare these to a classic hip hop track that fires me up so much I can only listen in small doses – Ante Up by M.O.P.

And now ladies and gentlemen, give it up for your headliner, Electric Lime & Sea Salt!

So, upon opening this bag, there were some technical difficulties.

I was taken completely aback by the scent of expired cold cuts took me completely aback. It was confusing, to say the least. Most pop music stinks, so maybe I didn’t realize how literal they were with the inspired genre?

Lay s Turn Up the Flavor Electric Lime Sea Salt Potato Chips

Despite the smell, I trudged on, and I am glad I did. The initial smell cleared a bit and I was left with a nearly flawless potato chip. I like these better than any single “Do Us a Flavor” release.

There’s nothing crazy here, it’s just a wavy chip flavored with lime and sea salt, and it works so damn well. If you’ve ever had Tostito’s Hint of Lime (the best tortilla chip in the aisle, IMO), it’s that except it somehow works even better on a ridged potato chip.

I polished off the bag in two sittings.

I tried to think of a pop song I initially thought was a giant fart bomb but almost instantly changed my mind on. There’s only one fairly recent pop song I could recall that hit me, and it CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL.

“Did he just hype Miley Cyrus while basically calling AC/DC average earlier?”

He did. Wrecking Ball is great. You like it, and you know it. You’ll like these chips too, even if they’re a guilty pleasure.

I wouldn’t be upsetting if any of these become mainstays, but Lime & Sea Salt is elite. Now that the former King of Pop is “canceled,” we should pass the name on to these chips.

Lay’s needs to expand on this new line. Gimmie a country-inspired flavor. Classical. Whatever you call that electro-techno music. Bring ’em on. Here’s hoping they turn up some more varieties. We need an encore.

Purchased Price: $2.50 each
Size: 7.5 oz. bags
Purchased at: Wegmans
Rating: 5 out of 10 Classic Beer Cheese)
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Flamin’ Hot Dill Pickle Remix)
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Electric Lime & Sea Salt)
Nutrition Facts: (15 chips) Classic Beer Cheese – 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 grams of sodium, 165 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Flamin’ Hot Dill Pickle Remix – 150 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 grams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Electric Lime & Sea Salt – 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 135 grams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Reese’s Thins Peanut Butter Cups

Vin 2 Comments

Reese s Thins Peanut Butter Cups

What are Reese’s Thins?

New Reese’s Thins are not Hershey’s attempt at a “diet” food.

I was actually dumb enough to think that may have been the case for a second. A smarter person would have realized that these are simply thinner peanut butter cups.

How are they?

Reese s Thins Peanut Butter Cups Top

I’d find it a bit disingenuous to whine about any Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. They’re arguably the single greatest piece of candy on Earth, so you’d probably roll your eyes if I went on a long diatribe about how baffled I am by Reese’s Thins, right?

Well, just let me rant a little.

These shouldn’t exist.

Ok, that’s a tad dramatic, they’re still tasty enough, but Reese’s Thins are a just Cliff’s Notes of Reese’s Cups.

Reese s Thins Peanut Butter Cups Center

The ratio is off. Instead of that familiar gritty fluff of peanut butter, you just get a tiny layer sandwiched between overpowering chocolate. I don’t want chocolate to be the star of a Reese’s cup. Who eats Reese’s Cup and thinks, “I wish there was more chocolate?!”

The thinness makes these borderline crispy. I’d equate the texture to a frozen version of regular Cups.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Reese s Thins Peanut Butter Cups Wrappers

It’s not all boring. I couldn’t help but think these would actually be perfect in s’mores. I also appreciate the individual wrappers. They don’t have that oily wax paper dressing like regular Cups. Every Thin I ate was clean with no chunks coming off on the paper.

Conclusion:

You wouldn’t want a hamburger patty sliced like cold cuts would you? That’s my weird, probably nonsensical parallel here.

Why buy a bag of flat candy bars with a bit of peanut butter inside when you can get actual Reese’s Cups? Easter’s coming up, get a bag of those little foil wrapped Reese’s Cups if you want LESS Reese’s Cup –- at least they have the right peanut butter to chocolate ratio.

Purchased Price: $3.49 ($5.49 minus a $2 coupon attached to the display)
Size: 7.37 oz Bag
Purchased at: Rite Aid
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3 Thins) 170 calories, 10 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 60 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 18 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Fudge Covered Nutter Butter and Oreo Cookies

Vin 7 Comments

Fudge Covered Nutter Butter and Oreo Cookies

What is fudge?

Baby don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me. No more.

My apologies for burdening you with that musical earworm, but I had to. You’re bobbing your head to the right like Will Ferrell right now, aren’t you? Yeah, you are.

Ok, but seriously, what is fudge?

When I hear “fudge,” I think of those chewy, gritty squares kept under glass at confectionary shops or Judy Blume books. What I don’t think of is this thin layer of waxy chocolate new “Fudge Covered” Nutter Butter and Oreo cookies are trying to pass off as the stuff.

I mean, we all know and love the cookies here, the fudge is supposed to be the draw, no? Is it even worth pulling these off the shelf when the old reliable Oreo and Nutter Butter are two feet away for the taking?

I guess that’s what I’m here to tell you, eh?

Let’s start with Nutter Butter because I’m ecstatic that classic cookie is getting some shine in the age of 4,839,320 new Oreo variations.

Fudge Covered Nutter Butter Cookies

Are you a fan of Peanut Butter Girl Scout cookies? I personally love Do-si-dos and Tagalongs, and I bet most do as well. Have you ever wished they somehow combined them into one super cookie? Well, here ya go.

These are basically a crispier, thicker Tagalong. They’re a bit dry, and the “fudge” masks the peanut butter slightly, but they’re great. I can’t stress enough how happy I am to see a spin on Nutter Butter. These coupled with the cereal have really made me appreciate a cookie that I often forget exists.

I almost feel like the Oreo version doesn’t need a review. Chances are you’ve had some kind of chocolate covered Oreo in your lifetime, and I’d wager to bet you enjoyed it. I can happily tell you that these won’t let you down. I ate seven of these with no regrets, and I usually max out on four Oreo cookies per sitting.

Fudge Covered Oreo Cookies

It’s an Oreo cookie with a chocolate coating, and while we’re not talking about decadent Belgian chocolate here (more on that in a few) it’s still an excellent combo. These are the inverse of those delicious Milka Oreo candy bars, with there being a lot more cookie than chocolate, obviously.

As good as they are, I do wish the chocolate quality was closer to Milka brand. That’s my one nitpick.

The second Google definition of “fudge” is “an instance of faking or ambiguity,” so I guess I can’t accuse Nabisco of false advertising, but I think the coating might disappoint some fudge purists.

It didn’t ruin my enjoyment, but it really is just a plasticky glob of chocolate. It’s so thin that I wouldn’t say it was necessarily bursting with too much flavor either.

That nitpick aside, I basically loved em. I’m just left confused as to what constitutes “fudge covered” vs. “chocolate covered.” Either way, go grab a box of each.

Oh, and sorry again about the earworm. You can stop bobbing your heads now.

Purchased Price: $3.99 each
Size: 7.9 oz. box/12 cookies
Purchased at: ShopRite
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Nutter Butter)
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Oreo)
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) Nutter Butter – 180 calories, 9 grams of total fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 14 grams of sugars, and 2 grams of protein. Oreo – 180 calories, 9 grams of total fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 17 grams of sugars, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Pringles Wavy Crisps

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Pringles Wavy Crisps

Is Pringles having a moment?

Not only did it just release a new line of Wavy flavors – “Flavys” as the kids call them – but earlier this month a Texas woman was banned from Walmart for drinking wine out of a Pringles can.

Quite frankly, I think she was the more innovative one in this situation.

Wavy Pringles are, well they’re Pringles with Ridges. The Ruffle to your regular Lay’s chip. I don’t know if this development is moving the snack needle for you in the era of endless Oreo cookies, Sour Patch Kids cereal, and Lay’s Do Us a Flavor, but maybe the four “new” Pringles Wavy varieties will strike a chord.

Since there are four flavors, I’ll review them on an “Inability to stop once popping” scale. I’ll hit you with the worst to first. Meh to yeah! Least to BEAST! Boo to, get on with the damn review already dude!

Classic Salted

Pringles Wavy Classic Salted Crisps

Have you ever had Original Pringles? Well, if you wanna try those with waves, now’s your chance. I think the ridges make these slightly worse than Original Pringles, as it makes them taste a bit stale – more stale really, Pringles always have a “these might be old” kinda texture. Still, these are fine. I guess.

Purchased Price: $1.44
Size: 4.5 oz. can
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz./12 crisps) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

Applewood Smoked Cheddar

Pringles Wavy Applewood Smoked Cheddar Crisps

These tasted almost exactly like those bags of TGI Fridays Potato Skins. The cheese flavor was identical to me, to the point I was tricking myself that there was an “Applewood Bacon” flavor too, despite there being no signs on that. These were the saltiest of the four, but still pretty poppable.

Purchased Price: $1.44
Size: 4.8 oz. can
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz./12 crisps) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 310 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

Fire Roasted Jalapeno

Pringles Wavy Fire Roasted Jalapeno Crisps

After one chip I was ready to crown them the Wavy Kings. Before the heat kicked in, there is actually somehow a refreshing burst, like literally biting into a pepper you just ran under the tap.

The heat is a bit overwhelming, so once I popped it was pretty easy to stop. These are sinus clearers for sure. Not only that, transitioning from a super salty flavor to a hot flavor wreaked havoc on my tongue. All that said, these are very true to jalapenos.

p>Purchased Price: $1.44
Size: 4.8 oz. can
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz./12 crisps) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

And the winner for “Most Poppable Pringles Wavy Flavor” is:

Sweet and Tangy BBQ

Pringles Wavy Sweet Tangy BBQ Crisps

I won’t lie, I pretty much knew these would win because I’ve loved BBQ Pringles since I was a kid. These are a well-done spin on the regular BBQ, almost smelling and tasting like they lean more towards that “Carolina” vinegary BBQ sauce.

They have a perfect level of kick to them, with a sweetness that masks the heat nicely. The tang sets them apart from what you are used to. These hit on all the best elements of the previous three flavors without the negatives.

p>Purchased Price: $1.44
Size: 4.8 oz. can
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz./12 crisps) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

So, in the end, do you know what Pringles Wavy chips taste like?

Pringles.

These are kinda non-starters, but tasty. I’d say the BBQ and Jalapeno chips were the flavors that improved on the similar Pringles I’d had before.

Pringles Wavy Crisps 2

To answer the question posed in the opening sentence, I don’t think Pringles are having a moment at all. They can use an exciting brand extension. Bad enough they’re usually buried by the Chex Mix in the supermarket. They need to get their name back out there in a better way than just adding ridges. Each of these flavors would have been as good if not better without the waves.

Maybe they’ll start selling Pringles Wine Glasses on Etsy.

REVIEW: Post Hostess Honey Bun Cereal

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Post Hostess Honey Bun Cereal

We seem to be in the midst of a cerealssance.

Not only are the permanent fixtures beefing up their flavor varieties, but brands not usually known for cereal keep sneaking their way into the aisle. Hell, at this rate of expansion, they may LITERALLY beef up the aisle with a McDonald’s hamburger flavored cereal soon.

You cringe, but you’d probably be morbidly curious enough to try a box. Don’t lie.

Anyway, the point is, new cereals be droppin’.

After its recent venture into the frozen section, Hostess has partnered with Post to transform two of its most iconic snack cakes into a different form of breakfast treat – Powdered Donettes and Honey Bun Cereal.

In an effort to stick to my “chill on the sweets” New Year’s resolution, I decided only to buy the flavor I’d prefer in snack cake form – Honey Bun.

Right from the jump, a pleasant and familiar scent hit me that I didn’t necessarily associate with Honey Buns, despite really trying. I did however immediately think of ripping the seal off a carton of fresh vanilla icing, so I wasn’t too disappointed.

Post Hostess Honey Bun Cereal Holes

The cereal pieces have an interesting shape completely authentic to the look of Honey Buns, except they’re holier. I’m not just referring to the holes, I also mean “holier” in the religious sense, because HOLY CRAP, this cereal is good!

I imagine some people might say it tastes a bit like sugar cookies, but I’m gonna throw a flavor combination at you because it’s all I could think about while eating these – General Mills Oh’s meets Waffle Crisp. (French Toast Crunch also works.)

Post Hostess Honey Bun Cereal in a Bowl

Oh’s are one of my favorite cereals of all time, but I always kinda hated the rough texture. Waffle Crisp was a cereal that laid dormant in my memory until now, because a nostalgia flavor wave, or “flave™” if you will, hit me as soon as I ate a spoonful of Honey Bun cereal. While there isn’t maple, something about the level of sweetness and the texture instantly brought Waffle Crisp right back into my brain.

Post Hostess Honey Bun Cereal Close Up in Milk

The odd shape of this cereal lends itself to an excellent textural experience. They aren’t teeth-shatteringly crispy while dry, but also don’t sog into mush as they settle in the milk.

Now with all this said, I do still think the flavor is true to the iced goodness of Honey Bun snack cakes, which just makes it all the better.

In case you are wondering, the cereal leaves behind a “Honey Nut Cheerio-esque” milk, which is a perfect capper to the experience.

In the end, Honey Bun cereal might be a little too sweet, but that’s me nitpicking and trying to find a negative.

I wasn’t excited about the prospect of a powdered donut cereal, but you better believe I’ll be snatching Donettes up soon. I cannot wait until every last Hostess snack cake becomes a cereal. At this point, that seems inevitable. Don’t miss out on these.

Purchased Price: $3.69
Size: 11.5 oz. box
Purchased at: ShopRite
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3/4 cup) 110 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.