We Tried Cherry Blossom Lay's and Immediately Regretted It

‘We Try It’ is a regular series where we try the latest off-beat food and beverage offerings.

It might appear to our readers that we harbor a strong dislike for Lay’s chips and we need to state that this is not the case. If it seems like this series is becoming a repeated berating of this global potato chip brand, it’s only because of the seemingly endless horror show of novel ‘Asian’ flavors.

READ MORE: Lay's Coffee Jelly Oolong Milk Tea Potato Chips Should Not Exist

The 2021 springtime desecration is a cherry-blossom fermented rice flavor. The packaging depicts a lightly fermented rice dessert, often served warm with tapioca pearls and goji berries. The cherry blossom flavoring is the same as the cherry blossom pink lychee sparkling soda flavor, released in the spring of 2020. When we open the bag, the acrid cloud of noxious floral perfume is shocking. It smells like a crime scene at a pay-by-the-hour hotel. Last year’s sparkling soda’ element was manifested by some acidic compound that burns and tingles the roof of your mouth. As unpleasant as that was, the 2021 rendition is all the more sickly sweet.

On Weibo, a number of netizens confirmed our suspicions that they were disgusting. Multiple comments declared that they smell like vomit, while another exclaimed, “I have never eaten such disgusting chips, simply an insult.” We will admit that some netizens are quite enraptured by the new festive flavor. However, those who like it tend to be equally enthusiastic about the cute pink packaging.

READ MORE: We Tried Lay's Seafood Flavored Potato Chips and They Suck

Without a doubt, these are the worst chips we’ve ever tasted. It would appear that Lay’s is following the path that many Western brands employ in China which is to just try anything for the hype, as long as it’s reminiscent of something popular in Asia but also shockingly bad (like Oreo Spam sandwiches). 

We would love to see some flavors like Dill Pickle or All Dressed make an appearance in China, but it seems we’re stuck with these abominable creations.

Price: RMB13
Who’s eating them: wannabe wanghong and hummingbirds

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[Cover image via Pexels]