If any of you have been walking down the junk food aisle lately, you'll know Lay's has been quite busy. It released these three flavors for summer, and it just released three more wacky junk food mash-up flavors, Cheetos, Funyuns, and Cool Ranch Doritos, but in potato-chip form. I've been on the lookout for the latter three, but haven't had any luck yet, so I settled for the original summer release trio. We have Summer BLT, Wavy Jerk Chicken, and Chile Mango.
I figured I better hurry up and review these, since it's August and all. But it's still summer so I'm not too late!
First up, Chile Mango - When I first saw this flavor it immediately reminded me of the Mango Salsa chips from the Do Us A Flavor contest from 2014. At first I thought this was a flavor recycle, but the 2014 chip was wavy while this one is not, and, when opened, the 2014 chips smelled like a tropical Bath and Body Works product, these give off more of a mango-meets-taco seasoning vibe. So it's actually a new flavor, which is always nice to see.
They look like BBQ chips, but they taste sweet, smokey, and have the tiniest hint of chile heat. I was not a fan of the 2014 chips, but these? I like. They're sweet, salty, a little spicy, and crunchy. I tried these first because they were the ones I was least excited about, but they ended up being my favorite! I'm actually going to miss this one when it disappears, and I really hope to see it again next summer.
Next, Summer BLT - While I -thought- the mango was a repeat, this one undoubtedly is. I reviewed these chips back in 2017. Unless something was done to make this "summer" version taste any different, I'll be kind of "meh." about it just because I don't like that marketing tactic.
When opened, the chips smell very reminiscent of a BLT. I can smell smoky bacon, creaminess that reminds me of mayo, and a hint of tomato. There is a freshness there that kind of makes me think of lettuce too, but it's not super distinct and all that different from tomato. It could be the power of suggestion and entirely in my head (or nose.) So as far as smells go, this is pretty spot on, but I am pretty sure the previous BLT flavor smelled the same way. I don't have those here to do a side-by-side, but I am pretty confident that they're the same.
Popping a chip into my mouth, it's good, and BLT-like, but like I thought, this is a repeat. You mostly get potato chip, mayo, and smoky bacon, with the tiniest hint of a vague vegetable-like flavoring, which is yummy, and fairly accurate, but this isn't something "new." So while it's a good representation of it's namesake, it's not my favorite, and I am sure we'll end up seeing this one again in some other form.
Lastly, Jerk Chicken - This one I was excited about because I am fairly certain it's a completely new offering from Lay's. Other brands have done it, also in wavy-format oddly enough, but not Lay's. So I was excited to give this a try.
When opened, the first scent I noticed were curry notes, mixed with chicken bouillon and sweetness. Kind of like apple pie spice, or how Japanese curry tends to lean towards being sweet.
I popped a chip into my mouth and it tasted sweeter than it smelled. Initially things start out salty and potato-y, but quickly a sweetness kicks in, with some dry spicy heat, and some garlic, with an after taste I can only describe as blackened. It's like someone took actual spices and toasted them, or lightly burnt them, but in as good way. It's been over 5 years since I've had authentic jerked chicken (Back at one of my old jobs I printed for a local Jamaican restaurant and he used to bring me free food when I printed his menus), so I can't speak authoritatively to it's authenticity. But it's pretty darn tasty and satisfying. It hits pretty much every flavor note there is, sweet, savory, umami, spicy...and as you eat, the heat builds up to a decent medium-level. But, like the Mexican Street Corn chips I reviewed earlier this week, these seemed to be the saltiest flavor of the bunch and I did find myself feeling really thirsty after just a few chips. Still, I would buy these again in a heartbeat.
So if I were to rank them, I would go Mango, Jerk Chicken, then BLT, but all three flavors are pretty great and they are each unique. BLT is ranking low because it's a repeat being marketed as something completely new, and that rubs me the wrong way. If you like things sweet, go mango. Bacon fanatic? BLT. And if you like complex flavors, and hot Japanese-style curry, Jamaican Jerk Chicken has you covered. Let me know which is your favorite and how you'd rank them in the comments down below!
Fans of these would also like: Mango Salsa Lay's, Grilled Chicken with Jerk Sauce Pizza, Caribbean Jerk Mac & Cheese, or 2017 Lay's BLT chips
I was only interested in trying the BLT and agree it was sort of weak. Then I tried it with a standard ranch type dip and they became fantastic. Weird. Suddenly their flavor popped.
ReplyDeleteTrying it with ranch is an interesting idea, I bet it works nicely with all the bacon flavoring. I should grab another bag and give that a shot.
DeleteI cant find these anywhere in my area of Georgia. I like slightly flavored chip so I would probably like the BLT one.
ReplyDelete