Whenever I️ go to a party, I️ always head straight for the chips and dip, but some of Lay's new flavors might have me looking for the pretzels. Recently, Lay's released eight new flavors (the most amount of flavors they've ever released at one time) as part of a new Lay's Tastes of America line. The flavors—Pimento Cheese, Thai Sweet Chili, Chile Con Queso, Fried Pickles with Ranch, Deep Dish Pizza, Cajun Spice, Chesapeake Bay Crab Spice, New England Lobsters Roll—each represent a different region of the US, where each flavor will also be exclusively sold.
So, if you live in Texas, you won’t be getting your hands on any lobster roll-flavored chips. That is, unless you’re down to pay a shipping fee via Lay's site where you're able to buy all the flavors outside of your designated region. Shipping chips you’ve never tasted to your home feels like a lot though, so before you send eight bags through the US Postal Service, here is what each new Lay's chip flavor actually tastes like. Beware, not all live up to the hype.
Pimento Cheese
If you're not from the Southeast region, pimento cheese is pretty much what it sounds like—cheese mixed with pimento peppers (but also sometimes mayo). People in the south spread this ish on everything, from chips and crackers to burgers and grilled cheese. Now, Lay's is just making this cheese easier to eat on the go by combining its flavor into one poppable chip.
The Pimento Cheese chip flavor is as expected, cheesy and with a small hint of spice. It's good, but it tastes a lot like Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream chips, so it’s not exactly new and definitely nothing fancy. It's nothing Patricia Altschul of "Southern Charm" will be serving at a ball or stashing under her caftan anytime soon.
Chesapeake Bay Crab Spice
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Crab spice, also known as Old Bay Seasoning, is a mix of 18 spices that have been kept secret since it was brought to Chesapeake Bay in the late 1930s by a German spice merchant. It's most commonly tossed on, you guessed it, crab. But, you can also put the spice on other things like poultry, French fries, and now, I guess chips.
This flavor is actually on point. Imagine shaking up plain Lay's chips in a bag Old Bay seasoning. This is I️t. It’s a bold new flavor that is arguably a leader of the new bunch. There isn't much of a crab taste, but if you close your eyes and really hope for it, you might get a slight aftertaste. Maybe.
New England Lobster Roll
Region: Northeast
You probably don't need me to explain what a Lobster Roll is— it's just lobster on a roll, and New Englanders go nuts over them. But know that normally, the lobster is coated in melted butter or sometimes mayo, and these Lay's chips don't taste like either. They don't exactly taste like lobster either, but that’s probably a good thing. Imagine eating artificially flavored fish chips... Nope. Instead, they taste like sour cream and onion. It’s not bad, but it’s not as advertised.
Fried Pickle with Ranch
Region: Midwest
The South might have fried green tomatoes, but the Midwest has fried pickles, and of course, ranch dressing. Hailing from Ohio, I️ was most excited to try this flavor, but sadly, I️ was very let down. This chip tastes like nothing. I’m not kidding. It tastes like the Communion wafers you might get during the Eucharist in a Catholic Church. The pickle only comes as an ever so slightly aftertaste if you shove 10+ chips in your mouth at a time. There is zero ranch flavor. Zero salt even.
Deep Dish Pizza
Region: Heartland & Mid-America
The best pizza in America is a polarizing topic. Everyone think's their hometown's pizza is the best, but Chicagoans are practically born believing it. However, if you think deciding which pizza reigns supreme will divide your group chat, try cracking open a bag of Lay's Deep Dish Pizza chips.
Deep dish pizza's crust is thick and chewy, its cheese is super melty, and unlike most other pizzas, its sauce is piled on the top. This chip however, is all sauce. Some will be fans, but inevitably for some, there is such a thing as too much sauce. As a fan of pizza-flavored Pringles and Combos, it’s a win. But, you might still need a splash of Goose Island Beer to wash it down.
Thai Sweet Chili
Region: Pacific Northwest
Thai sweet chili sauce can be used in a lot of ways—as a meat marinade, with fish, with fried chicken wings, as a dip for egg rolls and more. It's generally made by mixing crushed chili with garlic, sherry, fish sauce, cornstarch, sugar or plum sauce, and rice vinegar. In the Lay's chip version, the taste of vinegar is definitely there, but with a little heat and a pinch of sweetness. It's like a salt and vinegar chip, but if you substituted the salt for crushed chili and a tiny bit of sugar. It's good, but it's not addicting.
Chile Con Queso
Region: Texoma, Mountain, SoCal
This flavor is another spicy cheese dip, but with a totally different vibe. IRL, chile con queso is generally cheese mixed with sausage, onions, jalapeños, green chiles, and diced tomatoes. But in Lay's chip form, it's a mild cheese flavor at best. It's as if the spice of the peppers and onion are just a faint whisper, and the cheese flavor is being squirted from a can. It's the fake version (file fon fueso, if you will) that you might buy at a ballpark stadium with a side of nachos.
Cajun Spice
Region: Central Gulf
If you're not from Louisiana, cajun spice might sound pretty generic, when in fact, it's the key ingredient behind every great crawfish boil. It's usually a mix of garlic, paprika, onion and oregano that's tossed in the boiling water that cooks the crawfish, potatoes, and corn on the cob. It's kinda the best, actually. And in chip form, it's awesome. It's salty, spicy, and will make you ask, "Who dat?"
The new Lay's chip flavors hit stores in their designated regions on Monday, July 30 and will remain on shelves until Sept. 23. If you're not so into your region's flavor, Lay's is also bringing back, for a limited time, Lay's Wavy West Coast Truffle Fries (on the West Coast), Lay's Ketchup (in the Northeast) and Lay's Wavy Fried Green Tomato (in the Southeast). So, for your end of the summer and back to school parties, you've got options. Make good choices!