Collabs

Lays released a couple of limited edition collaborations with its other Pepsico brands, so I thought why not they it out? The only problem was trying to find all four flavours. I got three regular bags from a supermarket near a friend’s house a half-hour drive away but had to pick up the fourth bag from Regina. I’ll let you guess which one that is.

Nacho Cheese
Imitation: 10/10 Cheddar cheese, whey, and buttermilk are the key to making this hot chip creamy.
Desirability: 8/10 I like it a lot, but it’s too heavy to have even a half a bag in one sitting.
Crunch: 6/10 Plenty of folded up bits but the powder is too substantial for the thin crisp.
Texture: 8/10 Very creamy and heavily powdered—the way it should be—but I’m holding back full marks for the lack of potato skin.
Appearance: 4/10 The red is a tinge too neon.

Total: 36/50 I can see myself coming back to this, but I’m won’t be having too much at once.

Sweet Chilli Heat
Imitation: 7/10 There’s a lot of sweet, but the paprika, garlic, and onion combined don’t give this a lot of heat.
Desirability: 5/10 I’m not going to write this off, but the flavour works better on something a little more substantial.
Crunch: 4/10 There’s too much powder and too little potato.
Texture: 9/10 I like that it’s very powdery, like a Cheeto, but the powder isn’t as coarse as on a Dorito.
Appearance: 10/10 Looks hotter than it tastes.

Total: 35/50 It could be hotter. It’s just a loud toy dog without bite when there’s no heat matching the name.

White Cheddar
Imitation: 8/10 If they were going for bland cheese and corn, they got it right.
Desirability: 7/10 I can see myself nibbling on this all day long, but I wish the cheddar flavour was stronger.
Crunch: 3/10 Feels like air, like when you get thin-crust pizza.
Texture: 5/10 It’s hefty on my tongue, but real cheese is even heftier.
Appearance: 7/10 Very white, but can’t tell it apart from all-natural.

Total: 30/50 If I wanted something that tasted like a healthy snack, I would’ve just eaten steamed corn.

Spicy Dill Pickle
Imitation: 8/10 It’s spicy and there’s a bit a dill pickle, could benefit from more vinegar like with Hardbite.
Desirability: 4/10 Meh, it’s good, but feels like it would only be exciting for someone in a care home.
Crunch: 6/10 Crunchy, but not outstanding.
Texture: 8/10 The intensity of the flavour and the thickness of the crisp is a near-perfect match, now if only they could make every crisp feel the same.
Appearance: 6/10 Looks like there are a lot of dill seeds in the seasoning, but no spice conveyed.

Total:  32/50 Cool party trick, but it’s a one-hit wonder.