Lay’s now has milk tea potato chips in China

Sep 24, 2020

They come in two flavors: crème brûlée milk tea and coffee oolong milk tea.

In the realm of fusion food, there are things that people think should not go together, like pineapple and pizza—or durian and pizza.

Enter Lay’s milk tea-flavored potato chips.

The new concoctions were released in China last week...and immediately sold out everywhere.

Looks like regular Lay’s to us.
Looks like regular Lay’s to us.

Desperate posts on Chinese social media complained of store shelves bare of the new Lay’s flavors as soon as doors opened.

“Never imagined they would be sold out after 10 am,” wrote one person on the social media site Weibo.

The new flavors are a collaboration with Machi Machi, a Taiwanese milk tea chain made popular by singer Jay Chou. The store was the setting of his music video for “Won’t Cry.”

Who is Jay Chou?

 

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A classically trained musician, Chou debuted in 2000 with the album Jay. His sentimental lyrics, dulcet voice, and skillful blend of R&B, rap, and classical music have solidified his status as the king of Asian pop.

 

Chou has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and runs a business empire that includes a clothing line and his own agency, JVR Music, which now distributes his tracks. He has also dabbled in acting, most notably as Kato in The Green Hornet (2011) and a supporting role in Now You See Me 2 (2016).

Milk tea is not Lay’s first unusual chip flavor. The American brand is known to tailor flavors for local markets.

In China, Lay’s has released White Rabbit candy, Peking duck, and even cucumber-flavored potato chips.


This quick take was originally published in the Goldthread newsletter. To stay on top of the latest China trends, subscribe here.

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