Here at grape Japan, we're always interested and sometimes bemused to see the amazing variety of flavors that Pringles comes up with for the Japanese market. Flavors like nori seaweed, sukiyaki and karaage Japanese style fried chicken make sense, but then they release flavors like British fish and chips, Japanese "cream stew" and cheeseburger as well.

One of the more surprising flavors Pringles has released in recent years is their egg sandwich flavor (たまごサンド tamago sando in Japanese). They introduced it once in 2019 but on July 4th, 2022, they re-released it for a limited time.

Since we know how good Japanese convenience store egg sandwiches can be, we were looking forward to trying these chips for ourselves. The fact that they were sold out at the nine different convenience stores we visited on July 4th surely indicates the public's excitement over this new flavor. Fortunately, on the tenth try, we found a can, the last of three cans on the shelf. Naturally, we also bought an egg sandwich to compare the tastes.

Pringles Egg Sandwich flavor chips

There's something reassuring about seeing Mr. P's mustachioed face smiling at you. Beneath the Pringles logo set against an egg-yellow background, you can see the name of the flavor たまごサンド tamago sando, along with the promise of コク旨たっぷり！ koku uma tappuri, meaning "packed with rich umami taste."

On the side of the can, a delicious-looking egg sandwich and boiled eggs are depicted to express the flavor of the chips.

We popped open the cap, peeled back the paper, and took a whiff. We could recognize the unmistakable aroma of eggs. As for an egg sandwich? It was hard to tell.

But how do they taste?

At first, we were a bit underwhelmed. It was savory, mildly creamy, and tasty, but it was hard to recognize the egg flavor. But after a few more chips, the distinctive flavor of the eggs became more recognizable. There was a subtle sweetness, reminiscent of that of the soft, fluffy shokupan milk bread used in most convenience store egg sandwiches. The creaminess was perhaps a nod to that delicious Japanese mayonnaise used in the Kanto variety (as opposed to the Kansai variety, which uses an omlet and is flavored with dashi).

So, how do they compare with Japanese convenience store sandwiches?

Exhibit A, left. Pringles Egg Sandwich flavor chips. Exhibit B, right. A Kanto-style egg (salad) sandwich purchased from a Japanese convenience store.

First we tried the chips, drank a swig of ice tea to clear the palate, then took a bite of the sandwich. There was definitely something in common. The taste was more subtle, obviously, but Kellogg's Japan (who handle the Pringles brand for the Japanese market) did a good job conveying the mix of flavors that characterize a good egg sandwich!

There was one thing left to do. In the process of alternating between chips and sandwich, an idea began to form in our mind...

What happens when you don't have a Japanese convenience store nearby—as is the case with many of our readers—but you still want to experience the taste of a Japanese egg sandwich? Well, since chips can be sent anywhere in the world, if you had a can of these Pringles Egg Sandwich flavor chips, there's one thing you could theoretically do...

Mr. P seemed to be laughing at us for even considering the idea, but we were undeterred. And besides, the chips had triggered our junk food urges in a big way.

Pringles Egg Sandwich Chip Sandwich

Inspired by British cookbook author and television cook Nigella Lawson, whose Instagram video (seen below) showing her making a crisp sandwich ("crisps" being the word for "potato chips" in the UK) has amassed nearly 2 million views since she posted it on May 30th, we decided to make a Pringles Egg Sandwich Crisp Sandwich!

Time for some carb-on-carb action of our own. We took two slices of the simplest plain white bread—in this case, shokupan—available at the convenience store, some real butter—made with Hokkaido milk—and our can of Pringles provided the main ingredient.

Perhaps the crisp butty experts out there will tell us that we should have added more crisps, but since it was our first time, we decided to be a bit conservative.

Due to their shape, Pringles don't make for a flat sandwich, so we had to press the bread down to make it more compact, and the chips made a satisfying crackling noise in the process.

It was done!

Even Mr. P couldn't contain his curiosity. We could almost imagine him thinking: "Hmmm... This gives me an idea. Maybe the next flavor of Pringles will be Egg Sandwich Chip Sandwich!"

Crunchy, buttery, and lightly egg-sandwichy! Give it a try ... If you dare! As for us, we'll be jogging around the block for the rest of the evening.

Meanwhile, if you just want to try Pringles Egg Sandwich chips and can do without the crisp butty, you can pick them up in Japanese convenience stores while supplies last.