Noodle Journey Episode 27: Snapdragon Miso Ramen

This review continues the Snapdragon saga, this time with their Sapporo-style miso ramen. Following up on last episode’s dismal tonkotsu review, I’m bracing myself for disappointment again, but trying to remain impartial. I paid $3.19 for this cup at my local supermarket at the time of this review. It’s microwavable and contains the same cup format as before, claiming “rich, vibrant, mouth-watering umami flavor.”

The sodium content clocks in at 990 mg. Ingredient highlights include red miso, kelp, soy sauce, shallots, and tuna powder (so it’s not vegetarian), along with a seasoning oil featuring ginger and chili. The vegetable pack is carrot, corn, green onion, and sesame seed, which appears identical to the tonkotsu cup.

Noodles:
These appear to be the same noodles as in the tonkotsu cup, but using cold water and a shorter cooking time did result in a slightly firmer bite. That small improvement earns a slight bump in score.
• 5.5/10

Spiciness:
The chili oil has very little kick. It’s less spicy than the tonkotsu, but the ginger adds a faint tingle.
• 1.5/10

Overall:
Just like the tonkotsu cup, despite a promising soup packet aroma and decent-sounding ingredients on paper, the flavor vanishes once cooked. The broth tastes like warm water with a heavy ginger note and not much else; there’s no real miso flavor to speak of. There’s a hint of onion and soy, but the dominant flavor here, to me, is “ginger water.” The dried vegetables add nothing, and the sesame seeds, when encountered, are more of a textural fluke than a flavor highlight. This feels like a missed opportunity in every direction. As a miso ramen, it completely fails to deliver. If you’re a fan of ginger and want a light, watery cup noodle, this might give you a little satisfaction. Otherwise, I cannot in any way recommend this flavor.
• 1/10

That wraps up my first two Snapdragon cup reviews. I don’t currently plan to review any more, but if I come across another one and feel like self-sabotage, I might cave. Let me know if you’ve tried any others that were worth it, but otherwise I’m steering clear for a while.

Notes since filming: It boggles my mind that there are people online who defend this brand. My experience was that this was one of the most offensively flavorless cups of ramen I’ve ever eaten, and I’m still mad about it. Of special note is that this is the first “1” I ever gave as an overall score.