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Is Japan’s new Super Combined Cup Noodle series really as great as it claims to be?

Oona McGee Sep 14, 2021
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Nissin plays matchmaker with its flavours, creating new couples that fight and make love together.

It’s been 50 years since Nissin’s Cup Noodle first made its debut in September 1971, and ever since then the brand has been constantly evolving, pushing the envelope with innovative packaging, creative merchandise, and new flavours.

As part of their 50th anniversary celebrations this year, the brand is tipping its hat to its longtime best-selling flavours, whilst putting a unique spin on them at the same time, with an all-new limited-time collection called the Cup Noodle Super Combined Series.

The Super Combined Series mashes up eight standard Cup Noodle flavours and presents them as four new varieties, with each new pairing said to be carefully blended with varying ratios of broth and ingredients to create the ultimate flavour combination.

Of course, this was a claim we would need to test out ourselves firsthand, and luckily for us, we’d received a set before they went on sale on 13 September so we were able to try them all, starting with the:

▼ Siupoodle (Shio salt and original Cup Noodle)

This combination is said to pair the original Cup Noodle’s peppery soup base with the smoked olive broth from the Salt variety. While the aroma was strong on salt, upon tasting, this had a strong kick of black pepper in the finish. Out of all four new varieties, this one is definitely the lightest, and not very out-there in terms of weirdness, making it ideal for those who prefer to stick to more traditional noodle flavours.

▼ Searry (seafood and curry)

This was a very nice surprise, as it turned out to be mellower and richer than the usual curry noodles, probably due to the fact that the broth contains both seafood and pork stock. There’s a distinct curry aftertaste with this one, but it’s perfectly well-rounded and refreshingly light. If you love seafood curries, this is definitely the pick for you.

▼ Cheechili Curmato (Chilli Tomato and European Cheese Curry)

This is the strongest of the bunch in terms of flavour and heat, with the “special cheese powder” sachet — containing Parmesan, Emmental, and Gouda — adding an extra layer of cheesiness to the already cheesy demi-glace tomato soup base. The chilli fights against the broth here, making it taste a little like curry rather than tomato, but still we weren’t complaining as this combination tasted really, really good.

▼ Tonso (Tonkotsu pork bone broth and Miso)

This one, in our opinion, is the best combination out of the whole series. That didn’t come as too much of a surprise, though, because miso and pork are the two main ingredients in tonjiru soup, which is already a great dish in itself. If we were to sum this one up, we’d describe it as tonkotsu miso, and it’s such a marriage made in heaven that we’re now thinking they should make it a mainstay in their regular collection!

While Tonso was our pick for the best flavour combo out of the new collection, we have to admit that Nissin didn’t put a foot wrong with any of the new varieties. Although they all contained familiar flavours that we’ve tasted many times before, the new pairings were expertly crafted, creating a whole new original flavour that we hadn’t tried before.

With each one priced at 193 yen (US$1.75) plus tax, you can’t go wrong with any of these, and you won’t break the bank purchasing the whole collection. That’s definitely good news for Nissin fans, who’ve already been spending big on all the amazing 50th anniversary deals and products that have been released as part of their half-century celebrations!

Reference: Nissin
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