Lay's Sriracha, Chicken and Waffles, and Cheesey Garlic Bread Chips

Here's the Fat skinny on the Lay's release - *disclaimer: These results, while corroborated by others, are the expressed opinion of Fat Mike and ONLY Fat Mike, and are not to be disseminated without written or verbal authorization from "The Fat"*

Sriracha - Delicious. A good kick of spice, and a hint of smokiness that definitely set them apart from traditional "spicy" potato chips. Lay's provide the perfect vessel for this unique flavor. Especially, for those of us who enjoy a good, spicy snack that's outside the traditional jalapeno. However, I found the smokiness to be a tiny bit overbearing once you start really digging into the bag. As you may know, it is rare for The Fat to not have to restrain from taking down a bag of chips in a single sitting. The sriracha, while delicious, doesn't really command that addictive tendency to move through the bag at lightning speed. Don't get me wrong... it's possible, but it was obvious that the srirachaflavor wasn't the best choice if the INTENT was to consume the bag in it's entirety.

Chicken and Waffles - This was an impressive and interesting experience. I was very excited to see how Lay's was going to be able to put these flavors into a chip, and they did not disappoint. If you've ever had the pleasure of taking down a "Honey BBQ" flavored potato chip (from any distributor), you may already be aware of how delicate the balance is when creating a "sweet" potato chip. What makes this flavor distinct and unique is that you immediately notice the scent of maple syrup as you draw the chip toward your palette. This immediately provides a twinge of fear in the back of the mind because you can't help but feel like you're jumping into an overwhelmingly sweet, and possibly unpleasant experience. However, the moment you bite into the chip, the sweetness "pump fake" vanishes and you get a nice, cooked, "batter-like" flavor that truly resembles a waffle and/or fried chicken. It's really incredible. If there is ever a curiosity about the science of building a flavor profile for a potato chip, this could be chosen as a shining example. Hats off to the brilliant minds that decided to take on this seemingly daunting task. However, the unique aspect of this chip also contributes to it's shortcoming. Similarly to the sriracha, the Chicken and Waffle flavor doesn't compel the eater to continue on uncontrollably. It's a GREAT snack chip, and there were some eaters who participated in the tasting that would argue my assessment, but considering the third and final entry (to be discussed below) I think that the evaluation holds weight.

Cheesy Garlic Bread - Of the 3 flavors introduced this year, this was the $1m contest winner, and for good reason. This embodies the bold, new flavor the company was looking for, and has a balanced flavor profile that keeps your hand reaching into the bag until all it comes out with is dust. The moment the chip enters your mouth, there is no question about the marriage of cheese and garlic. Just opening the bag sends an aroma that makes you want to stick your face in like a horse eating oats before a race. I will say, that this flavor requires a level of commitment from the eater to make the CONSCIOUS choice to smell like cheese and garlic if they are not able to remedy the outcome with either gum, wet naps (for the finger dust), or a rigorous brushing of the teeth. Rest assured, it is worth it. There is no question that this winner embodies everything that Lay's was looking for when the contest was initially introduced, and I am confident that they made a strong, and correct choice.

I hope this encourages you to bite the bullet and decide for yourself. Personally, I might go back to the grocery store to buy all 3, dump them all in a large punch bowl, and have a "roulette" of sorts to see how they all go together in one large forum. But, that's just me. Enjoy.