Last year, I decided to write a review covering the Lays “Do Us a Flavor” contest, mostly out of boredom and because I hadn’t written anything for a while. I thought it would be something fun to do, although it turned out to involve a great deal of suffering through some truly awful and misguided attempts at new potato chip flavorings (I’m looking at you, Mango Salsa; I still can’t forget the taste of it).
I have decided to do this once more. Lays has released a slew of new potato chip flavors again and asked us to pick one. I have tried them all. Here is my take on the 2015 entries:
The first one I tried was the “Southern Biscuits & Gravy.” On opening the bag, the first thing one always gets is the smell. With these, the bouquet is very subtle and almost unnoticeable. As for it’s taste, the first impression I got was that it reminded me of the classic “Sour Cream & Onion.” But it doesn’t finish that way. The finishing taste is a hint of gravy. This one isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. The flavor is very subtle and not in-your-face like some of the other flavors. I could ultimately take or leave this one.
Second came the “New York Reuben” chips. Opening the bag reveals the distinct scent of pickles and is quite strong. As for the flavor, it is equally as strong but somewhat confused. It has that briny pickle taste but with a smokiness added to simulate savoriness. It actually does a decent job of trying mimic the taste of corned beef, although not perfectly. And that’s the problem. The taste of the potato chip itself seems to throw things off just enough that it come off more like someone tried to smoke a pickle. It’s as if the chip can’t decide whether to be pickle-flavored (and some of those are actually good) or barbeque-flavored. Still, I have to admit that it’s a decent attempt.
Third on the list were the “West Coast Truffle Fries,” which come in the wavy variety. The scent is very subtle, and isn’t much beyond a regular potato chip, and the taste is likewise very difficult to discern. It starts with a subtle herbiness, but finishes much heavier than it starts with. It’s as though the wavy chip flattened out and tried to coat my tongue. The taste is lasting, and doesn’t leave very quickly, even after I rinsed my mouth out. Ultimately, this one tastes the most like a regular potato chip, but it has a weird texture and aftertaste.
Finally, I came to the “Greektown Gyro,” which is of the kettle-cooked variety. The first impression is, as usual, the scent of the bag, and it does not leave a good impression, smelling like an old gym bag that hasn’t been cleaned out in years. As for the taste, the first thing that pops up is the gyro dressing, which isn’t a bad approximation. Next comes a slight taste of flour (for the pita bread) and a smokiness which is clearly supposed to simulate the lamb, although doesn’t manage to pull it off. Where the biggest problem comes in is with the kettle-cooking. It throws everything off and not only doesn’t make for an appropriate texture but also overpowers a lot of the other flavors in the chip. The flavor also doesn’t last, and after about three chips, I stopped tasting the flavoring at all.
Ultimately, while each one has its good and bad parts, the selections this year are far better than the chips last year, or at the very least none of them made me want to retch (seriously, who let that Mango Salsa chip pass testing and get out onto the street?). If I have to pick a particular favorite, it would be the “New York Reuben.” While not perfect, I can definitely tell what they’re going for. Plus, I have a soft spot for New York deli food and pickled foods in general, so I’m not exactly unbiased. With much better selections this year, maybe next year Lays will have flavors that are actually good.
SheldonNylander.com 