Maruchan Oriental Flavor:
Classic. Not Top Ramen, but my personal favorite flavor, and the backbone of my diet. It tastes like soupy Thai Noodles with a hint of spice and soaked in water. Let them soak for too long and they become spongy and gross, but if you can eat them fast they are delicious. My favorite part is drinking the flavor water once the noodles are all gone.
Flavor: 8.3/10 (Delicious)
Spice: 3/10 (Seasoned)
With Tabasco:I made some normal Maruchan Oriental noodles, and totally drained them of liquid. Once they were clear of broth, I mixed in the packet. The noodles turned dark brown like the broth, rather than the water. It smelled great. I then drizzled two teaspoons of Tabasco sauce on it, and mixed it in very well. Once the Tabasco was totally mixed in, it was unnoticeable in sight, only detectable via smell. I took a bite, and was a bit dissapointed. It tasted like regular Maruchan Oriental Noodles, with just a slight taste of spiciness. Maybe I didn't add enou---WOAAAAH. It's all in the aftertaste. My mouth burst into hot spicy pain alongside delicious Asian noodles. Once the aftertaste was started, every bite afterward tasted more and more like Tabasco. I enjoyed it greatly, with it being just as good as base Maruchan noodles. My stomach still feels warm, hours later. I think I still prefer the original, though.
Flavor: 8.3/10 (Delicious)
Spice: 8.7/10 (Very Spicy)
Top Ramen Oriental Flavor:
Let's see how Top Ramen oriental compares to Maruchan Oriental. First thing I noticed was that the packet was larger. Good, more flavoring. Mixing it together I noticed a total lack of smell. The Maruchan flavor emits a medium-strong Oriental smell. Taking a first bite, I didn't have much to say. It was good. It tasted nearly identical to Maruchan Oriental, with main difference being that it felt just a little less seasoned, despite a larger packet. Because of this, the entire thing felt just a little blander than Maruchan. Though, it was very good.
Flavor: 7.9/10 (Very Good)
Spice: 2.5/10 (Slightly Seasoned)
Top Ramen Chilli Flavor:
Hooooly cow. I started off with these because I thought they would be the worst. I expected a clumpy brown soup with gross noodles and bland heat. As I took the first bite, my eyes lit up with surprise. They were not reminiscent of Southern USA Chili, rather tasting more like spicy Thai Noodles. It was suspiciously similar to Maruchan Oriental, though not quiet as flavorful in the end. The spice was FANTASTIC, just enough to warm your tongue and flavor the soup, without becoming unpleasant. These were fantastic, and I will be adding them to my permanent selection alongside Maruchan Oriental.
Flavor: 8/10 (Delicious)
Spice: 7/10 (Spicy)
with Sriracha Sauce:I cooked a bowl of Ramen, and totally drained it of water. I mixed in the Chili Packet, and the noodles turned dark brown. I added 3 teaspoons of Sriracha Sauce (purchased in Thailand), and mixed it. Like the Tabasco, it was totally unnoticeable except for the smell. Upon tasting a bite, I wondered if I had made a terrible mistake. It was very hot, though tasted good. Afterwards, it actually seemed to settle amongst the flavor of the Ramen and became less noticeable. The Chili flavoring seemed to be overpowered by the Sriracha, rather than complemented by it or blended with it. The whole thing felt a little blander, and a lot spicier. I'd stick to Oriental Tabasco if you want something hot.
Flavor: 6.5/10 (Good)
Spice: 9.3/10 (Almost Overwhelming)
Top Ramen Beef Flavor:
I didn't expect much from these, as I'm trying to taste them from worst to best. I don't care much for beef, being a Vegetarian. Even when I wasn't (11 years ago!) I didn't care much for it. These were listed as cooking for 4 minutes, while the others in my experience were all 3. Slightly interesting. The color and texture was like Oriental Flavor, though lighter. The noodles seemed to repel the flavor, remaining bland despite the flavored water. The smell was good, but the first bite was rather disappointing. It tasted like meat, if I can remember correctly. It was bland. Like eating flavored wax. There was no spice. Slurping the water at the end was still fun, though not as satisfying as the other two.
Flavor: 4.5/10 (Bland)
Spice: 1/10 (No Spice)
Maruchan Beef Flavor:
I was excited but also nervous to try these. The Top Ramen flavor was the worst I'd ever had--but at the same time I was curious if this was better. When preparing, I noticed that the noodles were... sticky. They were very hard to pull apart, and I ended up stabbing it many times with a fork. Even when wet, they were hard to separate. I took the first bite... and didn't think much. It was 'meh.' Then I gagged. Deep in my throat--a disgusting aftertaste of nasty beef-flavored... something. It tasted VAGUELY life beef (as best I can remember) but it was nasty. I finished it off, and while it was filling, I did not enjoy them AT ALL. They weren't bland--the flavor was strong. And it was
bad.
This is the worst flavor I've ever had.
Flavor: 2.5/10 (Nasty)
Spice: 1/10 (No Spice)
Top Ramen Chicken Flavor:
First thing I noticed with these was that the water wasn't brown like the others, it was tan white. Not the packet nor the water smelled like chicken, rather like a mirage of spices mixed into one. It was the best smelling of the entire group, despite not smelling anything like Chicken (unless that chicken is strongly seasoned). I didn't expect much from these, same with the beef flavor, and I was not surprised. It tasted exactly like I expected. Rather chicken-like, if I can remember the taste properly, and I would say that it is the most accurate flavor, alongside Oriental. It's surprisingly seasoned, and almost spicy. It wasn't as flavorful as the Chili or Oriental, but I enjoyed it. To be totally honest, it just tastes like seasoned chicken.
Flavor: 5.5/10 (Acceptable)
Spice: 3.5/10 (Seasoned)
Top Ramen Shrimp Flavor:
I was excited to taste these, as many people told me they were great. I noticed no smell coming out of them as they were prepared. Upon taking the first bite, I was disappointed. It tasted bland. Like I had forgotten to add the packet.
Then it hit me. The aftertaste was strong, almost as powerful as the aftertaste of the Tabasco. It tasted like Shrimp (as far as I could tell) and was very flavorful. It was very good, and I can see why people like it. The aftertaste remained, lightly flavoring the first taste of every other bite. While they were good, I prefer noodles that are either stronger or spicier.
Flavor: 7/10 (Very Good)
Spice: 1/10 (No Spice)
Maruchan Lime Chili Shrimp Flavor:
Spotted this flavor at the store and immediately recongnized it as one of the more rare flavors. From what I've heard it seems as though the rarer flavors tend to taste better. I prepared these, noting that they had literal shrimp inside. I carefully picked them out (vegetarian) and prepared the food. I took the first bite. WOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAH. It burst into a hot spicy chili flavor mixed with a strong (much stronger than Top Ramen Shrimp Flavor) flavor of shrimp. The whole thing felt tinted a little by some extra spices and juice, most likely from the lime. It was extremely strong, and almost overwhelming. The spice was warm and aided to the flavor, without making it too hot. This definetely the strongest flavor I've ever had, and honestly, the best. I don't think I will eat these regularly, but it was a great experience.
Flavor: 9/10 (Exquisite)
Spice: 6/10 (A Little Spicy)
Maruchan Roast Chicken Flavor:
Recognized this as one of the less common flavors and immediately grabbed it from the store. While preparing my dog stole the packet and I had to spent several minutes looking for it. I reheated the noodles, worried that they had absorbed a bit to much water. They hadn't. The smell from these was rather mild, and honestly unidentifiable from the regular chicken. Through a blind smell test, I would not have expected this to be chicken. The water turned tan rather than brown, like the other chicken flavors. Taking the first bite, my eyes went wide. It was EXTREMELY strong. The seasoning was more mild, overrulled by a very powerful taste that wonderfully flavored the noodles. It tastes like you mixed 3 regular chicken packets into a single bowl, while removing some of the spice. The flavor did not enhance or diminish as I ate, and drinking the water was an absolute pleasure. They were very good, and I will be getting these regularly alongside Oriental and Chili flavor from now on.
Flavor: 8.3/10 (Delicious)
Spice: 2.8/10 (Slightly Seasoned)
Maruchan Creamy Chicken Flavor:
I grabbed these alongside Roast Chicken and that one was great. These looked good, but I suspected they would not be as good as Roast Chicken. I heated them up and totally drained them of water. I've been trying to lower the water to noodle ratio recently. I took a bite, and almost gasped. They were VERY STRONGLY flavored, even more so than Roast Chicken. The flavor was not as good, and tasted like normal chicken with a lot of pepper mixed in. These were VERY seasoned, and almost spicy, surprising since they are Creamy Chicken. These were one of the strongest flavors I've ever tasted, and the most seasoned without being spicy. They were good, but I won't be getting them in the future.
Flavor: 7.3/10 (Very Good)
Spice: 4.5/10 (Very Strongly Seasoned)
Maruchan Chicken Tortilla Flavor:
I heated these up and didn't notice anything interesting about the process. They smelled like nothing. If i tried hard I could tell something was vaguely spicy. Once they were prepared, the smell remained the same. I took a bite, and was very surprised. What I expected to be a dull flavor was very good--and surprisingly spicy. It was not at all seasoned, just lightly spicy, and it's a strange effect to describe. The flavor was good, though not great. One thing I can say is that they NAILED the taste. It takes just like a tortilla, and has a light aftertaste of chicken. I'm honestly confused about how soup can so perfectly mimic the flavor of a tortilla.
Flavor: 7/10 (Very Good)
Spice: 6/10 (A Little Spicy)
Nissin (Top Ramen) Hot & Spicy Flavor:
These were the first bowl noodles I've had, and I was very excited to try them. Both Maruchan and Top Ramen produced them, with the only clear difference being an uneccesary layer of plastic wrap around the Top Ramen Brands. I heated these up, but noticed no identifying smell. I took a bite, and was surprised. They were spicy! It lasted for a few seconds, followed by disappointment. It's spicy--but not much else. And it isn't even very spicy. Sure, I would say it's spicy for other flavors, but if I purchase a flavor titled "HOT AND SPICY" I expect it to be very hot and spicy. I can't really describe the flavor--because there was none. They weren't nearly as spicy or flavorful as Maruchan Chili Flavor, and if you want something better, spicier, or cheaper, I'd stick to Maruchan Chili.
Flavor: 4/10 (Bland)
Spice: 6.8/10 (A Little Spicy)
Maruchan Hot & Spicy Shrimp:
I was very excited to try these, as I loved Lime Chili Shrimp. I heated them up, one of my first bowls, and didn't notice anything unique. There were multiple packets, like most bowls. I heated them up, and took a first bite. As expected, a wave of heat hit me... and then nothing. It was very lightly flavored. The flavor that was there tasted like shrimp, but it seemed more like a standard shrimp packet mixed with some hotsauce. I did enjoy the heat, and it was actually MORE spicy than standard Hot & Spicy. Overall, it was OK. I'd recommend it if you really love shrimp, but I won't be trying it again.
Flavor: 5.6/10 (Acceptable)
Spice: 7.8/10 (Spicy)
Maruchan Hot & Spicy Chicken:
I wasn't expecting much from these, and I got a pleasant surprise. Like most bowls, nothing distinguished them from another during preparation. I heated it up, took a bite, and smiled. They were much better than I expected! After the dissapointment of the shrimp, I expected all Hot & Spicy flavor bowls to be bad. This one wasn't. They NAILED the taste of the chicken, making it almost identical to the chicken flavor, but stronger, as though multiple packets had been entered. Alongside the enhanced chicken flavor was also a VERY spicy aftertaste. Somehow both flavors mixed without diminishing either. They were hot--hotter than the Hot & Spicy or the Hot & Spicy Shrimp. Overall, I really enjoyed them, though I don't think I will be getting many in the future.
Flavor: 8/10 (Delicious)
Spice: 8.2/10 (Very Spicy)
Maruchan Yakisoba Chicken:
I decided to get back into the Ramen business, but unfortunately I've expended all local flavors. Moving onto something new (though it must be Top Ramen or Maruchan) I picked up some Yakisoba packets. These are the same price as about 3 standard packets, but barely contain as many noodles as 2. Hopefully the flavor will make up for it. (It definitely did in cup form.) Heating them up wasn't hard but it did require a little more effort than standard Ramen. The smell was identical to standard chicken flavors. Taking a bite... I was a little overwhelmed. It was good, but felt like standard chicken flavoring. It was a little stronger and a little bigger, but the main difference was that these contained a considerable amount of vegetables. They seemed to sink to the bottom of the bowl no matter how much I stirred, so I ended up manually scooping them into the spoon. In the end, I'd recommend getting packet chicken over these, but they are still good.
Flavor: 7.5/10 (Very Good)
Spice: 2.8/10 (Slightly Seasoned)
Maruchan Yakisoba Teriyaki Chicken:
I wasn't sure of what I thought of Yakisoba after the disappointment of their Chicken Flavor. I hadn't had any Teriyaki Ramen though, so I was also a little excited. When preparing the food, I was taken aback of how strongly it smelled of soy sauce! Sniffing the packet, it was almost overwhelming. Taking a first bite, I was surprised. It was good--but I could never have pinpointed it as chicken! It was an EXTREMELY strong Teriyaki flavor, and spicy too!. The noodles were dark brown, and had an aftertaste of soy-sauce. I really enjoyed these, though I'm not sure how chickeny they are.
Flavor: 8.5/10 (Great)
Spice: 7.5/10 (Spicy)
Maruchan Yakisoba Spicy Chicken:
I noticed a few new flavors at the store today, so I decided to do a new review. I prepared the food, and sat down to eat. With the first bite, I thought it was rather good, and better than the standard chicken flavor. The spice kicked in slowly, but it was extremely strong. I continued to eat more, but the flavor began to lessen as I was overwhelmed with extreme heat. One noodle fell down and touched my chin--and even it began to burn. The flavor was EXTREMELY hot, and I wondered if I had gotten a potent package. It was so bad that I ended up drinking an entire bottle of water with it, and my mouth still burns even as I write this. The flavor was good. I felt like the heat was too strong, though.
Flavor: 8.3/10 (Great)
Spice: 9.1/10 (Almost Overwhelming)
Maruchan Yakisoba Spicy Teriyaki Beef:
Despite my bad relationship with Beef Flavor, I picked this up. The first bite was good, and flavorful. It burst with heat, and I think it would help if they lowered the heat--just a little. The flavor was clearly Teriyaki, but I don't think I would've guessed 'beef'. Feels just like Spicy Teriyaki. The flavor was almost overwhelmed by the extremely strong heat, but it never became unbearable. It was good, but I'd stick to Spicy Chicken if you want something this hot. Good, but I wont be getting it again.
Flavor: 7.1/10 (Very Good)
Spice: 8.9/10 (Very Spicy)
Chow Mein Chicken Flavor:
Picked up my first box of Chow Mein at the store, and decided to try it. It's produced by Nissin, who owns top Ramen. Nothing was odd when preparing it, though the noodles were rather large. Taking my first bite, I was rather dissapointed. They are extremely expensive for Ramen (two dollars) yet a $0.20 pack actually holds MORE flavor. It felt like someone had used a flavor vaccuum cleaner on a packet of Top Ramen Chicken Flavor and then mixed it with large noodles.
Flavor: 5.5/10 (Acceptable)
Spice: 3/10 (Seasoned)
