Tag: Lay’s

REVIEW: Lay’s Cappuccino Potato Chips

Adam 11 Comments

Lay's Do Us a Flavor Finalist Cappuccino Potato Chips

There are two types of people in this world. There are those who play it safe and those who do not.

The former group slows down at yellow lights, blots the grease from their pizza, and runs the ball on third and one in Madden. The latter blows through red lights, pours grease from their buddy’s slice of pizza onto theirs, and calls an Annexation of Puerto Rico on fourth and forever.

But none of these actions match up to the ultimate litmus test in living safe or dangerous: choosing which Lay’s Do Us a Flavor Chips to buy.

Last year, I faced danger with Lay’s Chicken and Waffles Potato Chips. But, despite my awful experience, I wasn’t going to let the hacked together taste of poultry and Eggo stop me from checking out this year’s finalist out of left field. We’ve seen various salty and sweet chips before, but I’ve never seen potato chips that taste like coffee and milk. As for what Chad Scott was thinking when he submitted cappuccino to Lay’s, well, I’ll play it safe and guess he had good intentions.

After strutting through Harris Teeter with a bag in hand and dropped jaws and slow claps of less intrepid snackers around me*, I opened it, which released a mellow, but prominent coffee aroma. It was stronger than coffee ice cream and only a few notches down from a college English class at 7:30 in the morning. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it definitely was unnatural. In fact, when contacted for comment, Mr. Potato Head confirmed it was certainly the most intense out-of-body experience he’s had since Toy Story 3. Like I said, it’s about living dangerously.

Lay's Do Us a Flavor Finalist Cappuccino Potato Chips Closeup

I raised a single chip and brought it closer to my nose, taking a moment to harness my senses in that cultured thing coffee people do before they take a sip. Then I remembered I was sitting in my office with a potato chip held up to my nose, and realized how freaking ridiculous I looked. I sampled the seasoning by licking the fried exterior of the spud clean.

Its flavor is maddeningly indescribable. I’m taken aback at first, completely unable to harness dozens of hours of GRE verbal practice tests in assessing what the flavor is.

It’s slightly bitter with an odd sensation from the aftermath of lactic sweetness. It leaves a light roasted coffee flavor hanging on the roof of your mouth. I taste more chips and I’m dumbfounded, searching for a salty-sweet affirmation of what I thought the chips would taste like.

Instead, I’m only left with the idea of sweetness and a memory of cream, as the way too authentic taste of light roasted coffee continues to linger even as the clashing but familiar earthiness from the potato comes around at the end. Several chips down, and I’m utterly confused.

Lay's Do Us a Flavor Finalist Cappuccino Potato Chips 2

This is not exactly living dangerously through snacks. Unencumbered, and perhaps believing that stuffing multiple chips into my mouth at once will harness some undiscovered salty-sweet synergy, I find the taste more palatable. There isn’t a salty-sweet combo going on here, the salty flavor is almost nonexistent, but there is a somewhat cocoa-like effect that isn’t too bad. But it’s hardly bold and it’s not particularly addictive or snackable.

There’s just no other way to say it: Chad Scott, you got your wish. These chips taste just like a cappuccino, or at least insofar as the cappuccino flavor you’d expect from a Jelly Belly Jelly Bean. They’re not throw-out-the-bag horrible, but they’re not something I’d buy again.

The flavor is just out of place on a fried tuber and ends up splitting the difference of two different sensations which match up about as gracefully as a Mormon in a Starbucks (it’s okay, I’m from Utah). Buying them might boost your credibility as a vanguard snacker, but enjoying them probably just means you like the taste of coffee too much.

*Possibly. Or maybe not.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 oz./about 15 chips – 160 calories, 90 calories from fat, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 330 milligrams of potassium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)

Item: Lay’s Do Us a Flavor Finalist Cappuccino Potato Chips
Purchased Price: $2.00 (on sale)
Size: 9.5 oz bag
Purchased at: Harris Teeter
Rating: 4 out of 10
Pros: Not detestable in an OH THE HUMANITY kind of way. Classic Lay’s crispiness. Decently snackable when eaten in droves.
Cons: Cappuccino flavor is way too authentic for a potato chip. Bitterness. Out of body snacking experiences. Lacks salty-sweet synergy. Does not affirm the desire to live dangerously.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Lay’s Wavy Original Potato Chips Dipped in Milk Chocolate

Marvo 13 Comments

Limited Edition Lay's Wavy Original Potato Chips Dipped in Milk Chocolate

My saturated fat-addled mind has been dreaming of these chocolate-dipped chips for a long time.

Well, to be accurate, I dreamed of Lay’s Original Potato Chips and Lay’s Kettle Cooked Potato Chips dipped in chocolate. However, even though it ended up being Lay’s Wavy Potato Chips dipped in milk chocolate, my saturated fat-addled mind is still happy.

Actually, to be even more accurate, my dreams didn’t involve the chips being dipped into chocolate, instead the chips were anthropomorphic and they wrestled in a Spongebob Squarepants kiddie pool of melted chocolate surrounded by cheering anthropomorphic crunchy snacks. At the end of the match, the cracked, chocolate-dripping loser would march into my mouth and the chocolate-dripping winner would battle another potato chip.

The Lay’s Wavy Original Potato Chips Dipped in Milk Chocolate don’t look like they were wrestling in a small inflatable pool because the chips are mostly coated on one side. Anyone who’s grappled with an opponent in a kiddie pool knows it’s impossible to not get completely covered in whatever is in the pool. It’s a thick layer of chocolate that gives each chip a noticeable heft.

Limited Edition Lay's Wavy Original Potato Chips Dipped in Milk Chocolate Closeup

Frito-Lay was correct in using their Lay’s Wavy Potato Chips. Their thickness doesn’t cause their crunch to get dampened by the chocolate like they probably would’ve with the thinner Lay’s Original Potato Chips. The milk chocolate was sweet and I loved the way it instantly melted in my mouth the moment it hit my tongue, as if my saliva was molten lava.

For a brief moment the chocolate’s sweetness and potato chip’s crunchiness made me happy, but there no epic unclasping-of-a-bra-like euphoria that makes my innards scream, “YES!” Instead, there’s a Wonderbra-like disappointment, because they aren’t as awesome as I imagined them to be in my mind. The whole point of combining chocolate with potato chips is to create that pleasing sweet and salty combo, but with most of the chips I ate, I felt they were significantly more sweet than salty and the potato flavor couldn’t cut through the sweetness.

Salt plays a huge part in what makes potato chips so addictive, but my taste buds didn’t regularly register any. And for those times I did, it wasn’t as potent as I hoped it would be. I think I can get a more pronounced saltiness on my tongue if I ran in place for 20 seconds and then licked myself.

Limited Edition Lay's Wavy Original Potato Chips Dipped in Milk Chocolate Bag Size

Besides the lack of salt, another issue is the sticker shock. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s really packaging shock, which is then followed by sticker shock. Each bag comes with five ounces of chocolate dipped chips, but that bag is the same size as the smallest bag of Lay’s Potato Chips (1 7/8 oz.) I could find at my nearest convenience store. Yes, chocolate is heavier than deep fried potato slices, but I’m pretty sure most people who see the bag will think, “Wow. That’s a small bag.” Then they’ll look at the price and maybe have some hesitation about purchasing it.

I know it sounds like I’m not thrilled by these Lay’s Wavy Potato Chips Dipped in Milk Chocolate, but I did enjoy making my way through the bag, getting chocolate all over my hands. They’re really good, but they didn’t blow my mind. But I think that’s my fault, because my saturated fat-addled mind had such high expectations of them.

A special thanks goes to Impulsive Buy reader Johnny who sent me two bags.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 oz./about 4 chips – 160 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 130 milligrams of potassium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)

Item: Limited Edition Lay’s Wavy Original Potato Chips Dipped in Milk Chocolate
Purchased Price: $3.49
Size: 5 oz. bag
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Really good. It’s frickin’ milk chocolate dipped potato chips! Use of Lay’s Wavy chips helped prevent the crunch from being dampened by the chocolate. Love the way the chocolate instantly melted on my tongue.
Cons: Most chips were significantly more sweet than salty. Target exclusive. Serving size is about 4 chips. Potato flavor couldn’t break through the sweetness. Potential buyers might have packaging shock, then followed by sticker shock. The dreams my saturated fat-addled mind has.

QUICK REVIEW: Lay’s Fun Wasabi Shrimp Flavor Potato Chips (China)

Marvo 7 Comments

Lay's Fun Wasabi Shrimp Flavor Potato Chips

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 75 grams
Purchased at: Received from a friend
Rating: 3 out of 10
Pros: Enjoyable mild wasabi flavor; very little wasabi heat. Kind of smells like McDonald’s Hot Mustard Sauce. Whatever I eat to get the flavor of these chips out of my mouth.
Cons: Not fun after the wasabi flavor goes away. Do I taste cheese? Shrimp isn’t noticeable until the aftertaste. Smells fishy. I can’t eat much of it. Gagged twice while eating my way through the bag. Dollop of wasabi on the bag looks as sad as I do while eating these chips.

Lay's Fun Wasabi Shrimp Flavor Potato Chips Closeup

Nutrition Facts: 30 grams – 656 kcal, 9.2 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 144 milligrams of sodium, 16.2 grams of carbohydrates, 1.7 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Lay’s Cheese Lobster Potato Chips (China)

Marvo 5 Comments

Lay's Cheese Lobster Potato Chips (China)

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 45 gram bag
Purchased at: Received from a friend
Rating: 4 out of 10
Pros: Cheese flavoring makes it somewhat tolerable. Not as gross as I thought it would be. Having some English translation on the packaging. It’s a regular flavor in China, so if you find yourself there, you can pick these up. Lobster on packaging looks like it enjoys having cheese poured on it.
Cons: Couldn’t really taste lobster; it has more of a generic seafood flavor. The cheese flavoring, at times, tastes like butter. Smells sweet. I couldn’t eat an entire bag in one sitting. Makes my fingers greasier than regular potato chips. Putting cheese on lobster sounds weird, but that’s the American in me talking.

Lay's Cheese Lobster Potato Chips (China) Closeup

Nutrition Facts: 993 kJ, 14.4 grams of fat, 215 milligrams of sodium, 23.9 grams of carbohydrates, and 2.4 grams of protein.

Other reviews: AsiaObscura, Revolting Snacks, cbthechaser

REVIEW: Lay’s Air Pops Original Potato Chips

Margaret 7 Comments

Lay's Air Pops Original Potato

In the world of potato chips, the bright yellow bag of Lay’s potato chips is stamped permanently in my Potato Chip List of Glory. How one improves on permanence? I don’t know.

Of course, every new product Lay’s rolls out presents a new threat to my ardor: What if I eat a new kind and find myself unsatisfied? It isn’t realistic to expect perfection from every product…is it? Should I just stick with the classic fried chip? Am I going to give up Lay’s if I have a negative experience? If I give them up, where will I go when I have a chip craving? What does it all mean for my future of chip eating?!?!

I’m not sure, but I do know that a) the arrival of Popchips has been threatening to disturb the order of Lay’s potato chip glory on the shelves lately and thus b) Lay’s deserves its day to try and stand up for itself in this puffed-chip world. It was for this very reason that I pushed my anxiety aside and picked up the Lay’s Air Pops, determined to see if my steadfast chip could hold its own in these shifting, puffy-chip times.

Air Pops supposedly come in Sour Cream and Onion and Barbecue flavors. This time, the Fates conspired against me and I was left with the Original as my only option, a shame as I would’ve swooned like a melodramatic Shakespeare character over a bag of Sour Cream and Onion, but I figured it was best to try the Original first as it would prove whether or not Lay’s could set a solid foundation for its poppable round crisps. Plus, it saved me a lot of embarrassment that would’ve resulted from swooning in public.

Having been raised on the Original Lay’s, I like my chips thin, crispy, and with a salinity that could compete with the sodium levels of the Dead Sea. At the same time, none of this should take away the potato flavor. Popping open the bag, I’m greeted with the smell of potato and salt, a good foresight considering that’s all I want to taste.

Lay's Air Pops Original Potato Thickness

And these don’t disappoint. Salty, crispy, potato-y, these have all the qualifying pillars that build a Potato Chip Parthenon on the acropolis of Greatness. They’re definitely inspired by the “Popchips” all those youngsters are talking about. Now, if you’ve yet to dip your toe in the Popchips craze, let me explain: a Popchip is a potato pellet (yes, “potato pellet”) that, according to an oldie clip of Marc Summers, has been vacuumized and puffed out into a round, crispy disc.

Flavor and texture-wise, I would describe Popchips as a round, potato-enhanced Bugle. One of the troubles I sometimes encounter with a Popchip is that they have a grain that can come across sharp against my mouth, almost as if I were subjecting myself to eating potato-flavored dry polenta. I was happy to discover the Lay’s version has a more Pringles-like grain that goes down smoother. That, paired with the fact that they’re doused with that perfect, cheap, grainy Lay’s table salt, gives them high marks all around.

There are many things that bring me great joy: the wrinkly faces of English Bulldogs, crazy straws, and Scottish kilts. While I’ve never taken the time to number them, resting somewhere at the top of the list would have to be finding the crumbly bits of chip at the bottom of the bag. You know what I’m talking about. Those discarded, semi-damaged remnants of potato flake and salt that, when tipped out of their pointed fissure in the corner of the aluminum bag, congeal with the perfect ratio of sodium chloride to potato. I’m happy to say that, for all you chip dust lovers, Lay’s doesn’t deny you here. Because the bag had been slightly crushed on the trek home (curse you, closing subway door!), a bounty of dusty booty awaited me as I reached the end of solid chippery, allowing me to tilt the bag and consume my reward. Ah. Chip satisfaction.

Lay's Air Pops Original Potato Closeup

As seen with yo-yos, spandex, and roller skates, trends can meander and shift with no rhyme or reason, and it’s no different in the world of chips, which can go from 3-D to taco-fied in a matter of months. However, this puffed chip craze seems to be sustaining itself, having already expanded to everything from tortillas to lentils, and I, for one, am glad Lay’s has jumped in the ring. Their rendition is a solid one, done with a fearlessly salty hand and a quality potato taste while offering a slightly smoother texture than Popchips, so make room in the pantry. Lay’s has entered the puffed chips game.

(Nutrition Facts – 19 crisps – 120 calories, 40 calories from fat, 4 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 80 milligrams of potassium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Item: Lay’s Air Pops Original Potato Chips
Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 3 oz. bag
Purchased at: Duane Reade
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Nice balance of salt and potato. Similar to a slightly airy Pringle. Comes in Barbecue and Sour Cream and Onion. Plenty of crumbs. Doesn’t require endorsements from pop icons to make them taste good. Crazy straws. Wrinkly bulldog faces.
Cons: Only finding the Original when you really want the Sour Cream and Onion. May be too salty for some. Kinda sorta copying Popchips and, therefore, could be accused of lacking originality. “Potato pellet.” Getting crushed by subway doors.