Herr's Jalapeno Cream Cheese and Hickory Barbecue

 

Products circa: July 2026

Labeled "United" and "Liberty", these are semiquincentennial products, this time Philadelphia-coded as "Flavored 4 Philly".  I have no idea how these flavors relate to the city, but Herr's is known as a fantastic regional brand located not far from it.

Jalapeno Cream Cheese: Essentially a sour cream & onion flavor, with a greenery amped up a bit by green chile, and perhaps the sour cream powder goes a bit deeper in flavor so as to be "cheese".  The heat builds up just a bit after a couple bites.  Not bad, but I won't remember these.

Hickory Barbecue: It starts as your typical barbeque flavor, but it's clear that the hickory here as a much more deep and woody flavor than your average chip.  One of the best bbq chips I've had to date.

Ruffles Buffalo Wings

 

Product circa: July 2026

Another semiquincentennial, and this time a truly quintessential (there's a pun in there somewhere) American flavor.

I've had plenty of "hot sauce" chips before, but these are among the best.  It's because they cranked up the boldness of the flavor, and also the vinegar seasoning, such that it actually evokes proper Buffalo wings.  Bravo.

Pringles Italian Meatball

 

Product circa: summer 2026

While not expressly tied to the World Cup, these are a summer 2026 release that coincides with it.

These are very "pizza-chip"-coded, with tomato and oregano being the primary flavors, here.  These go further and have a heavier dose of aromatic vegetables, and also yeast extract to simulate the meat flavor.  In the end, I'd rather have Pringles Pizza flavored chips.

Lay's Brazilian-Style Garlic Sauce

 

Product circa: summer 2026

One of several Lays products promoting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, representing Brazil.

With a possibly extra-salted bite, these start with easily the strongest and most realistic raw garlic flavor I've ever tasted in a snack.  Next, the various cheese powders in the ingredient list manifest as butter on the palate, very much like that of buttered popcorn.  In the end, there is a tanginess that doesn't taste like vinegar at all, and well mimics the lemon juice that is intended.

These are very tasty, but because of the fact that they make your mouth taste like garlic for 6+ hours after you eat them, I'll never buy them again.

Lay's Wavy French Onion Soup

 

Product circa: 2026

Evidently as part of a promotion for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, this product represents France.

Onion powder is immediately evident here, but it avoids the pitfall of being too sweet, which I have experienced on past Lay's onion products.  Along with the onion is a heavy maltodextrin/MSG like flavor that is hard to miss.  There is also a lot of brown meatiness to simulate the beef broth of French Onion Soup, and it does well and making sure that this snack isn't too sweet.  In the end, this is a very enjoyable chip.

Herr's Kettle Cooked Mozzarella Sticks & Marinara

 

Product circa: 2025-2026

Despite having tomato powder in the ingredients list, it's largely undetectable.  That leaves the expected mélange of Italian seasoning, but somehow this mix nails the seasoning that's traditional in the batter of fried mozzarella, and the taste of these is reminiscent of the real thing.  In the end, however, it's unremarkable.

Lay's Cheetos (potato chips)

Product circa: 2021 and intermittently after

These indeed have the same seasoning on them as Cheetos snacks.  Unfortunately, the seasoning isn’t nearly as good on potato chips.  It’s that simple.

 

Lay's Doritos Cool Ranch

Product circa: 2021

Eating these has made me realize that Doritos tend to have way more seasoning powder on them than potato chips.

So these are potato chips with light Cool Ranch seasoning.  Not bad.  The seasoning seems to compliment the tortilla chips more.

Reese's Potato Chips Big Cup

Product circa: 2020 and intermittently after

I suppose this is the natural evolution of the Reese’s Cup.  With Reese's being the champion of the cross-play of salty & sweet, the logical next step is to make it saltier, as I imagine making it sweeter isn’t a great idea.

The result is a truly decadent snack.  Sodium and sugar levels are off the chart as this somehow manages to be even more unhealthy than the original.  The additional salt is not unwelcome; it’s novel, and even enjoyable.  As for the crunch, I don’t think it adds much for me, but I’m sure many would love it.

Lay's Cheesy Buffalo Dip, Loaded Nachos, and Hot Sauce Potato Chips

 

Products circa: autumn 2025

 

As NFL season 2025-2026 is upon us, Lay's released these 3 new varieties.

 

Cheesy Buffalo Dip - A fairly simple experience.  Ultimately, the chile flavor isn't very detectable, and the heat is quite modest, and so these end up tasting like cheesy chips with a significant zing of acid.  I wouldn't reach for these again.

 

Loaded Nachos - A hodge podge of typical seasonings all thrown together.  The cheese is well tempered by a mix of savory flavors like onion, garlic, cumin, and coriander.  It tastes like a muted taco meat seasoning.  There is also jalapeno and bell pepper powder here, which I always enjoy.  There's a bit of heat that will trail at the end, as well.  But overall, all the flavors are quite muted.

 

Hot Sauce - A very well done simulacrum of hot sauce.  Heavy on vinegar, heavy on chile, which occasionally tastes like Tabasco, though I doubt they used fermented chiles in this.  I swear they used a bit of cheese powder to make these taste a bit creamy, but it's not in the ingredients list.

Pringles Wavy Pineapple Habanero

Product circa: 2021

This was a Walgreens exclusive.

Quite disappointing and lazy.  How I would describe these are having a mild barbecue seasoning with a bit of added citric acid and spiciness.  The latter two are probably meant to simulate pineapple and habanero chiles, but otherwise they are not there, in terms of flavor.

Pringles Cheeseburger

Product circa: 2016 and intermittently after

One of the shining examples on how junk food is made to taste like complex cuisine, and cheeseburgers are often the subject of these successes.  Individually, your tongue with detect distinct flavors of charred beef, cheese, onion, mustard, and pickle.  Add to this a very salty delivery, and it's one of the best potato chips (if you can call it that) that I've ever tasted. 

Pringles Wendy's Baconator

 

Product circa: 2020

You love to see cross-branding like this.  Unfortunately, these come across as a little one-dimensional.

Despite not having any meat products in these, the first and most prominent flavor is smoky pork.  After that… really nothing.  No beef or cheese… which, it seems, is literally all that is in a Wendy’s Baconator.  The ingredients list boasts things like spices, cheese powder, and tomato powder, but I don’t get any of it.  Just smoky pork rind-like powder, and that’s it.  It could be part of how old this can is, though it was air-sealed and is in great condition.

Lay's Cheddar Jalapeno

 

Product circa: 2020 (and later?)

Note: This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom

Evidently this product was a joint with John Legend?

I gotta be honest, I think most Lays varieties with cheese fall flat.  This one is no different.  You’ve got your normal cheese seasoning, and this has some added heat, along with a vaguely vegetal flavor that I’ve tasted before as trying to simulate jalapeno.  But when you squint your eyes, it’s just cheese potato chips, and forgettable.

Lay's Thai-Style Red Curry

 

Product circa: 2025

Not a Lay's product imported from Asia, but a rare instance of US domestic Lay's adopting the flavors of exotic food.

This shit's the bomb, it evokes a perfect red curry: lemongrass, coconut, tomato, chile, garlic, and the spices that make up the curry base.  Bravo!

Herr's Special Hot Stromboli

Product circa: 2025

This flavor was the winner of a potato chip flavor contest.  As a big fan of Herr's and complex chip flavors, I went into this with high hopes.  While there are a ton of flavors going on, this largely tastes, to me, like pepperoncini and cheese.  That's it.

Lay's Argentenian Style Steak

 

I'm not sure if these are regional to here in South Florida or if these are available nationally.

HALLELUJAH there is beef flavoring in these chips, and it shows.  They lead strongly with a flavored of steak, specifically charred steak.  Next up is heavy black pepper.  There are the typical aromatics like onion and garlic, and a hint of parsley which is boosted by some vinegar powder.

These are good, but they probably should have been marketed as some other product/flavoring, like "Steakhouse" or something.  If they want to mimic chimichurri, they need to get bolder on the botanicals, like parsley, garlic, chile, and citrus. 

Pringles Grilled Beer Brat & Beer Can Chicken

Products circa: Summer 2025

A nice promotion done with Miller Lite beer.

Neither of these products contain meat products, so like is most often, they have to lean heavily on yeast and MSG instead.

Neither of them have a particularly meaty flavor, and instead rely on a mix of savory herbs and aromatics.  The flavor for both is fairly subtle and aren't memorable.  They're not bad, but not particularly good, either.  The Grilled Beer Brat has a particularly glutamatey/cheesy taste that approaches the taste of sausage.

It must be noted, however, that the Grilled Beer Brat variety has the distinct aroma of pork when you open the can.  No idea how they did that.

Keogh's Guinness Crinkle Cut Irish Potato Chips

 

Note: This is Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.

No idea if these are hard to find, but they're certainly not easy to find in my parts.

These chips are a celebration of yeast, which can be tasted and also seen high-up on the ingredients list.  The first bite will give you the fruity side of yeast most often found in beer, with that signature fruitiness that's almost banana-like.  It then quickly settles into the savory side of things, with a deep cheesy savoriness with hints of onions and soy sauce.  The ingredients claim coriander and nutmeg, but I don't taste those.  A fascinating experiment!

Pringles Hot Ones Los Calientes Verde

 

Product circa: winter 2025

I've had the sauce on which this snack is based.  The sauce isn't my favorite, but it's damn good, and a complex sauce, much more special that the average one you'd get on any store shelf.

The first taste noticeable here on first bite is the sweet tomato/molasses like character that you'd find on a barbeque chip, which frankly doesn't fit with the rest of this product at all.  It's an odd introduction.

The rest of the experience is pretty straightforward.  The majority of the flavor on this chip is an exceedingly tangy green chile, with potent heat following up the rear.  The heat from a single chip is commendable, but after a few of these go down the hatch (no pun intended), you'll realize this is the kind of heat that builds and builds.  And few more, and you'll be huffing and puffing.  These are some of the hottest mainstream chips I've ever had, and easily the hottest Pringle I've had.