I sighed heavily, winced, and cradled my head in my hands when I read it… Why on Earth do we need ‘Everything Bagel’-flavoured Cup Noodles (CNs)? Surprisingly, Nissen Foods, who’ve launched the product, have a plausible (?) answer…
Fans demanded it
Sort of… Priscila Stanton, Senior VP of Marketing at Nissin Foods USA, said in a statement. “[C]onsumers have been adding a dash of Everything Seasoning to their ramen since the craze took off, and we took inspiration from our consumer base to give everyone’s favorite noodles a creamy twist.”
Creamy? That’s the cream cheese-flavored ‘savoury’ sauce. It’s a first for Nissen, who’ve previously relied on their signature salty-umami broths to bring together the flavour profiles of their Cup creations.
What’s in it?
Along with the usual Ramen Noodles, the cup contains a mix of ramen noodles, caraway seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried onion and garlic. And that sauce.
And you apparently make it the same way you’ve always stirred up your Cup Noodles. The critical difference is, the sauce is creamy, not soupy. It sounds like it would remind a first-timer of Angel Hair Alfredo at first glance. except, maybe, for the ‘Everything’ inclusions…
Why?
I have no doubts about the veracity of Stanton’s assertion that the new CNs flavour is a response to fan demand. But I think it’s probably more a result of folks at Nissen scouring the social media platforms for mentions of their products.. And discovering that some folks have been adorning their ramen with ‘Everything’. They’re always looking for a new flavour to keep fan interest (and sales) up. Just like OREOs, for which Nabisco launches a new flavour, on average, more than once a month.
Everything Bagel Cup Noodles also marks Nissen’s first expedition into ‘limited-time release’ territory. That’s terra incognita for them. But indications are, the marketing approach will work out positively for them.
My take
If folks have been content to add their own ‘Everything’ seasoning to their fave existing Cup Noodles flavours, why give them a ready-made version? And will an ‘Everything’-only flavour – even with he questionable cream cheese sauce – come up to their expectations?
My questions to you…
Does the world really need a new, separate ‘Everything’-flavoured Nissen Cup Noodle variant?
Would you want to try the new cream cheese sauce? Or is it too ‘out there’ for you? (It’s definitely too far out there for me!)
How do you feel about the idea of quasi-crunchy Cup Noodles with seeds that will almost certainly get caught in your teeth?
Muse on that..
~ Maggie J.