First, there was this "10 Minute Power Hour:"
And from this, I thought the idea of the "best" instant ramen was intriguing and decided to seek out the top ones. Unfortunately, in their slapdash, "random" aesthetic, they make it impossible to follow along and therefore are guaranteed to provide no actual benefit to the viewer - that's a guarantee.
But thanks to this post, from u/FluidModeNetwork on Reddit, who took the time to painstakingly break down the film frame-by-frame and determine the results, I have a source of truth and so I bought and tried the top handful. Now that the expensive multiple deliveries from Japan are complete - who said instant ramen was cheap? - and now that I've more or less recovered from my salt coma, I've put together the results.
Also notable: there are little squares of chicken. I'm not sure I want to know what grade of meat Cup Noodle is using in their instant ramen but it's not great - and how could it be?
It has the noodles you already know, and it's salty, a little tomatoey and a little spicy. Ultimately, I like this soup, I think it's pretty good, but wouldn't recommend it because... it's Cup Noodle... and it just is what it is.
This ramen is large and comes with 3 packets - a brown gravy, a packet of greens and a packet of seaweed. Within the packet of greens is a spiral piece that I've shown above. What is it? I don't know - it tastes like fish.
I don't like the fish flavor, I don't like the seaweed even a little but this is the first instant ramen to justify this post's existence. You are getting something at home which tastes of authenticity - it is literally instant... ramen. This is the one in the video where they say, "This is the best so far."
In subsequent tries, I didn't add the seaweed and skipped the spiral. It still isn't perfect, but it is large, it's complex and I can't stress enough how authentic it tastes.
It should also be noted that I wasn't able to find this one, as such. What I found was "Sumire Sapporo Rich Miso Ramen." Not the exact wording but I couldn't find the exact wording. The labels looked the same and I consulted someone who knows Japanese and my best guess is that it's the same.
This comes with 3 packets - 1 powder, 1 gravy, 1 herbs. The herbs are Japanese herbs/vegetables that I can't identify (similar to #3.)
This has a rich miso, umami taste. I think the richest of the lot. It's also very authentic tasting without the seafood downsides of #3 and it's a large size. It's very hard to make confident judgements because I'm only getting a few (or sometimes 1) shots with each but I think this is my #1. The richness is the thing, for me.
This is the one where they state in the video, "You know what that has that the other ones don’t - umami." And, while others do have umami, they are correct that this has it also.
I had trouble coming up with anything to describe this with. It has thin noodles, a good salty flavor, a nice umami flavor, some hot spice but nothing predominates. Why is this #1? My best guess is that this is the SweeTango Effect where the thing that achieves #1 is the thing that no one can complain about, where everything seems right and in proportion. Highly recommend, for sure, but I think/I guess I like #2 better.
Feel free to try for yourself. All of these are inconvenient to try to obtain but not impossible. I found a few on Amazon, a few on various Japanese mart sites (be careful with scams) and a few on Ebay. But the prices are crazy, especially when you factor in shipping and the fact that it's noodle soup that takes a few cents to make.
Don't worry, the Year of Snacks is over. This is an addendum to a Game Grumps post. On their "10 Minute Power Hour" episode "Candies from Around the World," they tasted a Mexican candy that I needed to track down. And while I was on Amazon, I grabbed a second one.
At 3:12, the Grumps describe an unnamed Mexican candy as basically the combination of every Fruit Roll-Up in the world. But they don't say its name. So I did a little research and people tell me that this candy is most likely Rellerindos.
It turns out The Grumps' description is both apt and misleading and I'll explain why. Firstly, I commend them for instantly coming up with a "headline" description that's so good. The Fruit Roll-Up inclusion is accurate in the way that there's some sweet and some grit. You remember how in strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups they have "seeds" in there that feel like little grains of sand? Well, these have some of that. They also have some sweet and some fruit - also in common with Fruit Roll-Ups. The "every Fruit Roll-Up" is accurate in the way the taste is completely intense and like nothing you've had before.
Here's where the Fruit Roll-Up analogy goes awry and my english translation helps. These are chili flavored. The whole time you're eating them, there is a low-level heat on your tongue which is wayyyy unexpected. It's this "heat" that adds to the overpowering flavor aspect that makes the whole experience just painful and not recommended... unless you're looking for a completely new taste that you've never had before regardless of whether it's pleasant or not.
If you grew up between the 70s and 90s, you may remember these top childhood gifts.
At one point I was feeling pretty good, thinking I had already tried most of these. But then it keeps going and going and my percentage kept dropping.
Sure, I may be accused of taking it too seriously, but I really want it clearly stated what they're tasting so I can try them myself. The purposely sloppy nature of 10 MPH strikes again.
