A documentation and review of limited time, special edition, or otherwise hard-to-find noms.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Note: This is an Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.
Product circa: autumn 2024
No beef flavoring here, like usual, and instead it is mimicked by yeast powder. The central flavoring on these chips is a sharp American cheese, which is impressively pungent. This is followed up by onion, and that's about all for this simple experience. The outstanding American cheese, however, makes these quite interesting.
Product circa: 2024
Seven Eleven's brand of chips do kick out some odd limited time varieties sometimes.
This one is very straightforward. A salt & vinegar base and, just like the bag depicts, added flavorings of smoke, ketchup, mustard, onion, and dill pickle. These are a ton of fun - I'll pick them up every time I see them.
Product circa: 2024
I've eaten a few bags of these already.
There is no honey flavor in this whatsoever. Instead, the honey is simulated with a combination of various fruity flavorings. You will get a grape candy flavor, along with maybe peach. There is also a heavy dose of savory here, like onion, mustard, soy sauce, and MSG in general. These are also very spicy. Not punishing like the "red hot" snacks, but a handful of these will have your throat burning in a great way that you won't expect.
One of the oddest snacks I've ever had that is still VERY enjoyable.
Product circa: autumn 2024 (for football season?)
My skepticism of this product was corroborated by the ingredients list. As expected, these have no meat flavoring in them whatsoever. In fact, at this point, most sandwich-flavored snacks can safely be assumed to be sandwich toppings-flavored ones.
At first taste, these seem to be mostly a copy of the "sour cream & cheddar" genre of chip. If you concentrate, however, you can get some added onion powder. And eventually I realized that the cheese flavoring on these is exceptional, with a deep, aged, and vibrant flavor. They're also noticeably oilier and saltier than normal.
These are perhaps the best cheese-flavored chips I've ever had, but they taste nothing like a cheesesteak.
Product circa: 2024
This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.
Overall, pretty disappointing. There is the flavor of the mustard, there is a sweetness, and there is a slight vinegar taste. But it's all too muted; they need to dial the flavor up by 3 times here.
Product circa: 2024
The taste of strawberry candy first, and it's a little tangy. Remarkably close to something like a pie filling. Buttery maple comes in next, like a cheap pancake syrup. Bacon fat is an ingredient here, which is commendable, but it's hard to detect; it takes a few bites before your tongue gets used to the buttery fruit in order to notice a light smokiness.
The first few chips are very off-putting, but I'm embarrassed to say that after you eat a few, these become pretty tolerable. Definitely up there as one of the most bizarre chips I've ever eaten, up there with Lay's Cappuccino and Lay's Chicken and Waffle.
Product circa: Spring 2024
A significant amount of tomato powder and sugar (maltodextrin?) lend an overwhelming feeling of ripe tomatoes, more than any snack I've ever tasted. The chile feels more like sweet bell pepper, and the restrained spices in the recipe make the sweet, fresh vegetables the star here. It totally invokes what it intends - a tomato-heavy salsa, or pico de gallo... gazpacho, even. It's like sticking my face into a fresh vegetable garden. Very impressive.
I haven't had enough gochujang to decide if these taste true, but I guess it gets pretty close. An immediate umami bomb with chile and soy to start, with onion and garlic in the rear. Nicely spicy and sweet, but just a bit too much tang for tastes.
Due to a tree nut allergy, I never got the courage to try these, even though it's unlikely to contain actual nuts.
Product Circa: 2023
It’s nice to see more sandwiches being represented as snack flavors. But honestly, at this point, if any modern snacks are flavored like a food containing meat, it’s safe to assume that they will taste like the food, minus its actual meat products. What a shame.
Using this formula, these taste exactly as expected - like cheese, mustard, and dill pickle. Lay’s thinks that they can add savory ingredients like onion and garlic to mimic that savoriness of meat, but it’s just lame, in the end. And these… they aren’t even that tasty!
Lay’s Wavy Cuban Sandwich: NOM - Passable
Original Lay’s Potato Chips(for comparison): NOM NOM NOM - Great
Product circa: Summer 2023
As an unsurprising event for Super Bowl 2021, Lays have released their limited time Game Day Chili flavor.
First and foremost, I'm always disappointed when a brand gets an opportunity to add actual meat flavor into a product, but then passes it up. Anyway, this product is completely predictable but delicious at the same time. It contains the same numerous flavors that one would find in chili: spices like chile powder first and foremost, then black pepper, cumin, and coriander; onion and garlic powders; sugar and tomato powder combine to lend a mouth feel reminiscent of barbeque chips; and finally, a bit of cheese powder to simulate the cheese and/or sour cream that one might use to dress their chili.
This barely crosses into the 3-NOM territory, but if Lays had added just a bit more salt to punch up the complex flavors, and to add more saltiness for its own sake, this would rate as 4 NOMs.
I hope you all are celebrating the Super Bowl responsibly!
Lay's Game Day Chili:
- Great
Original Lay's(for comparison):
- Good
I always like pizza-flavored things. I was really curious if these were going to offer anything special.
In the end, they really don't. This product is well crafted, though, as is expected. You have cheese powder, tomato powder, basil and oregano. It's quite tasty, reminiscent of more staid products like Pizza Pringles.
The only difference here is the kettle chip... perhaps they were trying to simulate the crispy crust of New York pizza? Either way, the crunch takes away from the experience, as is usually my opinion. They're good, but not special in any way.
Lay's Kettle Cooked New York Style Pizza:- Good
Original Lay's(for comparison):- Good
