Cheapism staffers Jenn Magid and Lacey Muszynski got their hands on Lay's newest sandwich-flavored chip flavors. Are they worth the hype? Here's what they had to say about it. (Be sure to see what they had to say about Costco's five-pound peanut butter pie and confetti cookies.)
First Impression
Lacey Muszynski: So these are all sandwich-inspired flavors, and who doesn't like sandwiches, right? There's Baked Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, Wavy Cuban Sandwich, and regular BLT Sandwich. I was SO excited to try the BLT in particular, because years ago I would get BLT chips from a vending machine at work, and they were amazeballs.
Jenn Magid: I love a good deli sandwich with a bag of chips on the side. So how cool is it to have the chips actually be the deli sandwich? In theory, great idea.
LM: Yeah, chips + sandwiches go together perfectly, so I'm here for it. Which one are you most excited about?
JM: The sandwiches on the packages all look good but I'm a big fan of BLTs in general, so that in a chip was particularly appealing. Never thought about having a Cuban sandwich-flavored chip, so points for originality. Which did you open first?
LM: I LOVVVVE Cubanos so I was excited for that one too. I tried the buffalo chicken first because I'm not a huge fan of baked chips and wanted to start with what I was least likely to enjoy.
JM: I'm all about baked, I like chips that are a little lighter and less heavy. But now that I've tasted these, well, they're a bit weird...
First Bite
JM: I opened all three bags at once, and upon tasting all, the only word that comes to mind is pickles. Literally, everything has a variation of a pickle-y taste. Buffalo Chicken is more like Buffalo Pickle to me. Pickles with a bit of a spicy bite at the end. I mean, there are pickles pictured in the buffalo sandwich so at least I'm not totally off base.
LM: Yeah the buffalo ones are the worst of the bunch, by far. They smell like pickles — I guess that's the vinegar in the buffalo sauce? — and they don't have any heat, to me. There's little to no buffalo flavor, which is bizarre.
JM: I don't taste chicken at all. I taste pickles with a bit of spice and a strange dash of sour cream? I am disappointed, I thought a chicken-flavored chip might be good. The aftertaste is not particularly buffalo-themed. It's just kind of... peppery?
LM: They kind of just taste like the aftertaste of throw-up? Ugh, moving on! The BLT ones are really bacon-y.
JM: The BLT ones smell like fresh bacon when you open the bag. Well maybe not fresh exactly, but decent bacon. I didn't think they tasted as bacon-y as they smelled. There was just kind of a bacon aftertaste. With again, a hint of pickles.
LM: They don't taste anything like the BLT chips I had years ago, sadly. These are pretty good, but they're very similar to those old Tato Skins or TGIFridays potato skins chips. The smoky bacon is great, but I wish there was some other tang from tomato or creaminess from mayo. It's not a super well-rounded chip — kind of one-note.
JM: Yeah, they're kind of bland. Whereas the first chip was some sort of a strong flavor, all I'm getting is an aftertaste of bacon smoke. I like them less than the buffalo actually.
LM: The Cuban sandwich ones on the other hand... These are DELICIOUS! You really can taste most of the components of a good Cubano in these, miraculously. Definitely porky, a little bit of mustard tang, and some pickleness, too.
JM: These are even more pickle-filled than the buffalo to me.
LM: But at least there are pickles on a Cuban!
JM: They do taste the most like a sandwich though, I have to say. These definitely have the strongest flavor of the bunch.
LM: The wavy chips are solid too, the extra crunch and substance is needed to hold up to the Cuban's seasoning. I think in a blind taste test, people would be able to guess this chip's flavor more easily than the other two.
JM: I wish I had tested them blindfolded, would've been fun to guess the sandwich.
Lasting Impressions
LM: How would you rank these? Mine's Cuban first, BLT second, and buffalo are a disssssstant third. I don't even want to eat the buffalo chips anymore.
JM: I'm in agreement, that Cuban has the most identifiable flavor, and probably the strongest. Strangely BLT is last for me, they don't really have much of a flavor, but maybe my tastebuds are screwed up by how strong the other two are.
LM: Funny, I think the buffalo ones barely have any flavor. Maybe I had higher hopes for buffalo-flavored things since it's a fave, or maybe I just got a bag with too little seasoning.
JM: The buffalo ones aren't great, but why am I still stuffing them in my mouth? I do really like pickles in sandwiches, maybe that's why? Or there's some addictive seasoning on them? Even though I didn't love the buffalo, I can't stop eating them and the Cuban ones, alternating.
LM: I would buy the Cuban ones again, too, and only that one. The flavor is complex and it does keep you reaching into the bag for more.
JM: The others seem to get less tasty with more bites, this one gets more addictive. I've definitely tasted enough to form an opinion, but I'm still going, which is the problem with very flavorful chips. Ok, probably just about any chip. (It's definitely a bad sign for me that I stopped eating the BLT ones.)
LM: Yeah, at the end of the day they're still potato chips, so how bad can they possibly be?
JM: Even if it's not good it's still good! I would eat any of these bags again over the Costco confetti cookies, just sayin'.
LM: Big same. And I love the Cuban's bag color, too. Fun chips all around and great for summer parties!
JM: If I were to buy any of these again, I would make a Cubano and eat Cuban Sandwich chips with them though. Not shockingly, I really really want an actual Cubano now.