Noodle Journey is an episodic YouTube channel dedicated to detailed and informative reviews of the instant noodle universe. This website provides a fully searchable index of every video, allowing you to find your next favorite instant noodle product. Some reviews have additional thoughts that I have added since the video was published.
Original video description:
Have you watched all of the Marutai Local Series reviews and are still not sure what to buy? Watch this video, where I summarize and break down all the varieties, rank them, and pick my favorite.
Links to purchase the 7-pack of the Kyushu varieties:
https://smile.amazon.com/Marutai-whole-eating-Kyushu-1345g/dp/B00K2UK2MY
Check all sellers on Amazon and don’t overpay. Also check your local Asian grocery store!
Original video description:
Day 12, the final day of our Marutai Marathon leading up to Christmas! This is Marutai’s Kagoshima Kurobuta Tonkotsu Ramen, which uses a special extract from kurobuta pork and some charred green onions to flavor the broth. Watch the review to see how this stacks up!
Links to purchase:
https://www.yamibuy.com/en/p/kagoshima-black-pig-pork-bones-ramen-2servings-185g
https://meccha-japan.com/en/cup-noodles/44307-cup-noodles-kagoshima-tonkotsu-ramen-ajiyokatai-marutai.html (Bowl Version)
https://smile.amazon.com/Marutai-Speciality-Kagoshima-Berkshire-Tonkotsu/dp/B0725X5N78
Check all sellers on Amazon and don’t overpay. Also check your local Asian grocery store!
Scores:
Notes since filming:
I’ve been hard-pressed to find something that satisfies my craving for garlic quite like this one. Such a great balance between flavor, quality, and value. There’s a reason this was my favorite variety for a long time.
Original video description:
Day 11 of the Merry Marutai Marathon! This seems to be the most popular of the Marutai flavors according to just about everyone on the Internet, so check out this review to see if it lives up to the hype!
Links to purchase:
https://www.yamibuy.com/en/p/kumamoto-instant-noodle-186g
https://meccha-japan.com/en/cup-noodles/44277-cup-noodles-kumamoto-tonkotsu-ramen-ajiyokatai-marutai.html (Bowl Version)
https://smile.amazon.com/MARUTAI-Kumamoto-Tonkotsu-Non-fried-chopsticks/dp/B07DN1RP16
https://smile.amazon.com/MARUTAI-Kumamoto-Tonkotsu-Non-fried-servings/dp/B01HI50NTW
Check all sellers on Amazon and don’t overpay. Also check your local Asian grocery store!
Scores:
Notes since filming:
Possibly one of the most impressively unique flavors in the entire instant ramen world. If you like pork and lemons, you’ve gotta try this. I have a friend who routinely cleans out Yamibuy’s inventory whenever this comes back in stock, so blame him if you have a hard time finding it!
Original video description:
Day 10 of our Marutai Marathon leading up to Christmas! This is probably the wildest tonkotsu flavor you’ve ever seen: Marutai’s Setouchi Lemon Tonkotsu Ramen. Does this odd flavor combination work or is it Marutai’s first misfire?
Links to purchase:
https://www.yamibuy.com/en/p/marutai/1021093601
https://meccha-japan.com/en/instant-noodles/44302-instant-noodles-setouchi-lemon-tonkotsu-ramen-marutai.html
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09VWHSDR6
Check all sellers on Amazon and don’t overpay. Also check your local Asian grocery store!
Scores:
Notes since filming:
Fun fact: This is one of the few times where I had to go back and reshoot almost the entire review. I still don’t know exactly what I did (maybe it was a defective liquid sachet?), but something got messed up when I cooked this variety and it came out bland and almost flavorless. I thought, based on the stellar experiences I had with the previous varieties, that something wasn’t quite right. Turns out I was right to second-guess myself, and on the second attempt this flavor turned out absolutely delicious.
Original video description:
Day 9 of our Marutai Marathon leading up to Christmas! Today’s review is a shoyu (soy sauce) broth from Hokkaido, but if you think this is just going to be just an ordinary soy broth, you don’t know Marutai!
Links to purchase:
https://www.yamibuy.com/en/p/japanese-instant-noodles-soy-bean-flavor-212g
Check all sellers on Amazon and don’t overpay. Also check your local Asian grocery store!
Scores:
Original video description:
Day 8 of our Marutai Marathon leading up to Christmas! This Kurume Tonkotsu Ramen from Marutai may look like a fairly ordinary pork broth ramen, but there’s some truly interesting flavors hiding in here that you might not have ever tasted before. Check out this review for more info!
Links to purchase:
https://www.yamibuy.com/en/p/marukin-kurume-instant-noodle-194g
https://smile.amazon.com/MARUTAI-Tonkotsu-Instant-Non-fried-servings/dp/B00IX5L22O
Check all sellers on Amazon and don’t overpay. Also check your local Asian grocery store!
Scores:
Notes since filming:
In a world where there are already a lot of good beef broths, both artificial and using real beef, this one is still a standout that I buy frequently for myself. With so many Japanese ramen flavors leaning more towards chicken/pork/seafood, this one is really pretty unique. If you love beef, you really need to try this one.
Original video description:
Day 7 of our Marutai Marathon leading up to Christmas! This is a rarity in the world of imported ramen: an actual beef bone broth. Check out our review of Marutai’s Saga Gyu Shio Ramen!
Links to purchase:
https://www.yamibuy.com/en/p/marutai-instant-noodle-185g
https://meccha-japan.com/en/instant-noodles/38386-instant-noodles-saga-beef-shio-ramen-marutai.html
Check all sellers on Amazon and don’t overpay. Also check your local Asian grocery store!
Scores:
Notes since filming:
Right now, this is still the standard to which I will hold any other miso broth. If your only experience with miso soup is that tiny bowl with seaweed and tofu that you get at sushi restaurants in the US, you owe it to yourself to try this. My first taste of this is probably the most memorable first taste I experienced on this channel.
Original video description:
Day 6 of our Marutai Marathon leading up to Christmas! This is the one miso-based broth in the Marutai Local Series line, and it comes with some special thick noodles from Hokkaido.
Links to purchase:
https://www.yamibuy.com/en/p/japanese-instant-noodles-soy-bean-flavor-216g
https://smile.amazon.com/MARUTAI-Hokkaido-Sapporo-Ramen-servings/dp/B0793GSXJZ
Check all sellers on Amazon and don’t overpay. Also check your local Asian grocery store!
Scores:
Notes since filming:
This one, like the Miyazaki chicken flavor that preceded it in my review order, seems to have been discontinued by Marutai, though at the time of this writing there may still be some old stock floating around.
Original video description:
Day 5 of our Marutai Marathon leading up to Christmas! This variety is a shoyu (soy sauce) based broth with a healthy mix of chicken fat and a dried yuzu garnish. How will this unique flavor stack up against other ramen?
Links to purchase:
https://www.yamibuy.com/en/p/ooita-instant-noodle-214g
https://meccha-japan.com/en/instant-noodles/38384-instant-noodles-oita-chicken-shoyu-ramen-marutai-.html
https://smile.amazon.com/Marutai-Chiken-Broth-Shoyu-servings/dp/B07B67P6CK
Check all sellers on Amazon and don’t overpay. Also check your local Asian grocery store!
Scores:
Notes since filming:
Sadly, this flavor seems to have been quietly discontinued. While it’s not something I would have really sought out again, it’s still one of the best shio chintan chicken ramen broths I’ve ever had.
Original video description:
Day 4 of our Marutai Marathon leading up to Christmas! Today we have a fairly simple but exciting chicken broth ramen from Marutai: their Miyazaki Tori Shio Ramen.
Links to purchase:
https://www.yamibuy.com/en/p/saga-instant-noodle-212g
https://meccha-japan.com/en/instant-noodles/42831-instant-noodles-shio-ramen-miyazaki-marutai.html
https://smile.amazon.com/Marutai-Miyazaki-Tori-Shio-Ramen/dp/B08NPDLG4S
Check all sellers on Amazon and don’t overpay. Also check your local Asian grocery store!
Scores: