An Ode to Lay’s: Taste-Testing Their New Flavors

Here’s something that you might not know about me: I’m a potato chips girl. Totally and completely and unabashedly. Yes, I’m not at all ashamed to declare my love for the salty snack!! You can have your cakes and your cookies and your crumpets, but when it comes to potato chips?? Well, let’s just say that I’ll take THEM ALL, please!! That’s why I was so excited when world-famous brand Lay’s reached out to me about their new flavors for 2020.

Spoiler alert: It was the perfect and most delicious way to kick off the new year!!

A couple weeks ago, Lay’s saw my cheeky tweet and sent me an email saying they’d love to send some of their new flavors my way. Less than a week later, this beautiful yellow box with the classic Lay’s logo arrived on my doorstep; I may or may not have screamed in delight (note: I totally did scream!).

This year, the venerable potato chip company (75+ years strong!) is releasing three new flavors to satiate our taste buds: Cheddar Jalapeño, Poppables Sea Salt & Vinegar and Kettle Cooked Flamin’ Hot. They seem to have all the bases covered — cheesy, salty and spicy!! I mean, there’s something for everyone, right??

All three flavors are out now, so to celebrate, I recruited my mom for a little taste-testing review and mini photo shoot fun! We got to try Cheddar Jalapeño and Kettle Cooked Flamin’ Hot and I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially with the flavor of flamin’ hot. But let me tell you, I wasn’t disappointed.

I first tried Cheddar Jalapeño! Truth be told, they practically had me at the word “cheddar” because we all know that cheese makes everything better! Cheese has invigorated everything from bread (hello, grilled cheese!) to eggs (hello, omelettes!), so I was pretty sure that the same would be true with potato chips. And, boy, was I right! The chips tasted cheesy with a hint of spicy goodness, but it wasn’t an overpowering spicy. It was the kind of spicy that made you perk your head up and take notice — as in, “Oh, that’s spicy, isn’t it?”

When we tried Kettle Cooked Flamin’ Hot, my mom could only take one bite before she proclaimed that they were too hot and spicy for her. Maybe the deep red hue of the chip should have tipped me off, but I went all in anyway, crunching half the chip in one bit. I was expecting a fire alarm to go off in my mouth, but surprisingly, it wasn’t too bad. I’ve had some very unfortunate experiences with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in the past and I definitely didn’t want a repeat of that again! So I’m proud to announce that I managed to eat two chips before the heat kicked in! It’s a new record for me!!

Plus, as a self-proclaimed Selfie Queen, I love the new Smile With Lay’s campaign, which is all about showcasing those who make us smile! You can nominate yourself or someone in your community and they could be featured on a Lay’s bag this year! How cool is that??? Spreading the love…one bag at a time!!!

Thanks so much, Lay’s!! I had so much fun snacking on these new flavors!! Have you tried them yet, friends? What’s your all-time favorite potato chip flavor?? I’d love to hear!!! xoxo

(This post is sponsored by Lay’s, though all opinions are mine. Thanks so much for continuing to support So About What I Said’s wonderful sponsors!)