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Shin ramyun is a Korean take on Japanese ramen, and it has been increasing in popularity in the U.S. Known for its spicy, salty, bold flavor, Shin is the instant ramen choice for those who love a spicy ramen. The noodles are wavy and thicker, which holds up nicely to the powerful broth. If you’re spicy-curious, we recommend adding part of the spice packet and tasting and adjusting as needed.
One unique feature of Nongshim Shin ramyun is the round noodle pack, which fits nicely in a pot. We also like that it comes with a vegetable pack so there are small bits of vegetables in the soup for a touch of flavor. Perhaps because the instructions say to cook the noodles, vegetables and flavor packet all together rather than adding flavor at the end, the noodles in Shin ramyun absorb the flavor nicely.
How We Chose the Best Ramen
While there’s a chance your favorite brand of instant ramen is already in your pantry, we sought to find the best. To make our selection, we chose a few classic brands known for their affordability and availability: Top Ramen, Maruchan, Shin and Sapporo Ichiban. Then we included a few cup varieties like Trader Joe’s Instant Miso Ramen and Mike’s Mighty Good Craft Ramen. Lastly, we have two pricier brands, Momofuku and Immi, which claim to use higher quality ingredients that are healthier.
For this taste test, we gathered eight brands of instant ramen from a variety of stores and prepared them according to the package directions. If there was an option for microwave or stovetop, we opted for stovetop to have consistency across brands.
Each ramen was tasted blindly and evaluated based on flavor, appearance and texture.
- Flavor: A delicious bowl of instant ramen should taste salty, comforting and umami-rich. It should not leave an odd aftertaste.
- Appearance: The noodles should look springy and the broth should be a natural color.
- Texture: Most important of all is the texture of the instant ramen noodles. If they’re al dente but smooth, that’s a win! The broth should also be smooth. Bonus points if it has dehydrated vegetables for an extra bite.