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This month Herr’s released its winning lineup for its fifth annual “Flavored by Philly” competition with three flavors celebrating America 250.
- Freedom Loaded Cheese Fries
- Liberty Hickory Barbecue
- United Jalapeño Cream Cheese
While previous winners have included out-there flavors like “Special Hot Stromboli,” this year, the Pa. company went back to basics.
“I mean how cool is it that Philadelphia has been the birthplace of America for 250 years, and we’re part of it. Our family business is part of it. We’ve been here for 80 years and this is what our company does,” Ed Herr, executive chairman of Herr’s, told BP. “Who wouldn’t want to be in the business of fun?”
Instead of picking one flavor to reign supreme, all three chips are sharing the spotlight as the nation prepares to bask in a special anniversary celebration.
At least, Herr’s isn’t choosing just one winner. We at Billy Penn, however, have no qualms crowing an ultimate chip champion.
We polled both the WHYY office and our Instagram followers to determine if freedom, liberty or unity has the best taste.
WHYY’s favorite chip is…
Taking home the bronze medal in third place was Liberty Hickory Barbeque. Although not the favorite, almost everyone who tried this chip enjoyed it.
“The hickory barbecue is almost perfect,” one employee noted. “I don’t like barbecue chips, but I like this chip,” was a sentiment we heard a lot. This chip also aligned well with the U.S. theme, however many in the office felt the chip was not original enough to put in the number one spot.
In second place came United Jalapeño Cream Cheese. These were perhaps the most polarizing chips in our survey — with a few comparing it to a “spicy sour cream and onion.” While some loved the jalapeño kick, others thought the spice was too much for the palate or that they couldn’t taste the spice at all. Still, those who liked it were all in.
And now, drumroll please!
The official office favorite for Herr’s “Flavored by Philly: Taste of 250” is Freedom Loaded Cheese Fries!
Our respondents called the chip “delicious and satisfying,” praised its “general umami flavor” and said it was a chip they “could eat regularly.”
They enjoyed the chip’s balance of bacony notes and overall cheesy goodness.
“The fry, it tied in perfectly with the whole freedom thing,” said Pete Graziano, Herr’s director of research and development. “We’re free to load our fries up with all these great fixins and cheeses and bacon and onion and all these wonderful flavors, so we got to balance those out.”
He also noted that the fry flavor was easy to pull off — given that chips are also made from fried potatoes.
Our Instagram poll had the same outcome as the office, with 22% weighing in for Liberty Hickory Barbecue, 30% opting in for United Jalapeno Cream Cheese and 48% voting for Freedom Loaded Cheese Fries.
Tasting 250
Overall, many chip testers enjoyed the variety of flavors that Herr’s brought to the table for 2026.
While some missed the novelty of a chip based off of a unique Philly treat — like one inspired by a deli sandwich, others in our office were relieved that the chips skewed more traditional, noting the “strong selection of delicious flavor profiles this year.”
As for the chip’s correlation to America’s big birthday?
One person noted the freedom, liberty and unity flavors took their mind off of political woes for a moment. Another wished the theme could have been stronger. Maybe this year could have had a “Persistence Green Algae” flavor inspired by the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.
“Wasn’t really thinking about their thematic relationship to the semiquincentennial” someone said. “But sure, whatever. Go America.”
