Sunday, December 09, 2007

Teumsae Ramyon

When I was purchasing these noodles at the local Korean grocery store, the cashier warned me that these were particularly spicy. I shrugged him off, since I have eaten countless packets of spicy Korean instant noodles and lived to tell the tale. Teumsae is a noodle bar chain in South Korea specializing in fresh ramyon bowls, and they have decided to produce an instant noodle that customers can make and enjoy at home. The "Teumsae Dishes" page on their website has priceless poorly translated quotes, including the following ones:
  • While two people eat it, nobody knows even if the other dies.
  • Chewy squid and the smoothe (sic) mussel conveys the freshness of ocean and the spicy taste makes your stuffy heart cooly
  • It is well known among the young people especially, the young ladies, for it gives double pleasure of fantastic taste and exciting feeling of sauce dipping.
  • Have a cool summer with the Ice-ramyun to fill the sultry summer body with cool energy.


Upon tasting the broth, I quickly concluded that these were undoubtedly the spiciest instant noodles I have ever eaten. There is little you can taste except the intense heat radiating from the broth and noodles. The flavor of the broth really did remind me of some noodle bowls that I've had at Korean restaurants. Of course the noodles don't taste as good as fresh noodles, but they did have the typical thick chewy Korean instant noodle taste that goes well with spicy broth.


People could save a lot of money on their heating bills if they started eating these noodles! They will definitely warm you up and probably require you to find something to wipe the sweat away from your brow, even if it is freezing outside. I couldn't say it better than Teumsae's own website:
  • It only has never forgetting taste from various spices to turn you into 20 years of Teumsae love, right from the moment it touches your tongue.
Teumsae Ramyon - 8.5/10

34 comments:

  1. would love to try one of these, sounds delicious and need something spicy as shin ramyun doesnt seem to have it's kick anymore :( well i guess eating it a few times a week over 6 months will do that ^^

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  2. these are an order of magnitude hotter than any other hot/spicy products out there. delicious, but be prepared for some painful side effects.

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  3. I love ramyon. Doesnt have a painful effect though, i really love it;in fact i am craving for one now.

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  4. Spicy Ramen of Death - i used it to melt the snow on my Driveway.

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  5. You guys are funny... You know I have to try it now! Where can I find it in Houston Texas???

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  6. Wait. I die.
    I must find this ramyon. You list it as vegetarian, korean, and spicy. That is what I need. I can't eat Shin Ramyun anymore because of the added meat products. Is there anyway I can get it in Massachusetts? Or must I wait until I get out to L.A.?...

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  7. Is there an online store that sells these? I've had it once, and it was amazing, but the local Korean grocery I bought it from doesn't stock it any more.

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  8. This is one of the rarest packs that I have ever seen. You are in luck if you find it! I have been to dozens of Asian supermarkets but have only ever found this one in Freshia in Tustin, CA. As far as I know, you can't order this online yet.

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  9. This sounds perfect, vegetarian, painfully hot!If only they sold instant noodles like these in Australia......

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  10. Bought the cup version just to try it out at a Korean market and then I happened onto this post. This was blisteringly hot, like watery eyes, sweat inducing, painful tongue hot and I love hot food. Glad I only got the cup because I wouldn't have been able to finish a brick package. I have to dare one of my friends to eat this one time.

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  11. This soup is sold by the cup at Amazon.com, but the nutrition info isn't stated. Does anyone who has tried the cup version know the calories/fat/sodium etc.? I hope it's not as bad as traditional ramen...if so, I'm sold, since I love spicy foods!

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  12. Omg, thanks for the info - I just ordered it from Amazon. Will update with my impressions of the cup version when it arrives!

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  13. ah yes, Teumsae. Other noodles have mundane flavors like 'shrimp' or 'pork' or 'kimchi'. This stuff is 'incapacitation flavor' or 'bad decision flavor'. Maybe 'pain flavor'. I love spicy things and I had to admit defeat; I could only eat half before I started hallucinating.

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  14. http://www.amazon.com/Teumsae-Cup-Ramen-2-2-Ounce-Pack

    my review of it is there if you will scroll down. there is no instructions about nutrition in the packets, in case anyone was interested. i'm ready to contfront the mindflare now.

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  15. ok. that sucks. here is a better link with all my grocery ids:

    http://www.amazon.com/Teumsae-Cup-Ramen-2-2-Ounce-Pack/dp/B001RN2WFU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery

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  16. you can find a good selection of korean ramen at ramenklub.com. plus they have ramen videos where people can share.

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  17. oh man, I remember eating these noodles and literally burning my tongue the whole afternoon. I didn't realize it was spicy because I can't read Korean, but boy was this a kicker.

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  18. unfortunately these are not vegetarian... I got a pack and saw the soup base contains beef bone extract... just a heads up.. can''t wait to try these when I go nonveg in two weeks...

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  19. Anyone know where to get these online anymore?

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  20. you can get them at hmart.com - just search for teum sae.

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  21. this one you should definitely use the instructions. it says not to break apart the ramen, etc. it adds to the chewiness of the ramen!

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  22. I'm eating them now, and I've had them twice before.

    They're great, but don't eat these very often because each time I eat them I feel like I'm losing tastebuds and nothing else seems spicy anymore.

    Oh, and I love spicy food but tears are coming out uncontrollably from my eyes now.

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  23. By the way, did anyone else gag on the first bite?

    I told my brother to try a little bit out and he coughed as soon as it entered his mouth and then ran to the kitchen to get a drink. I coughed too on my first bite.

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  24. Thats the most common backpacker food. Travelers eat it all the time.

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  25. These are mad hot.. not like oh this buffalo wing is kinda spicy... more like.. mommy it won't stop burning, and you cry uncontrollably hot... if you drink the whole broth to the bottom, then YOU ARE REAL MAN!

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  26. I wish people would distinguish between "spice" and "heat". Teumsae is not spicy, it's HOT as hell. It makes my head sweat and my nose run like crazy. I suspect if you can eat these, you can take a shot of OC spray to the face:) You have to take a shower after you eat Teumsae but it's worth it.

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  27. in your vast experience as ramen lover, can you tell me what is the most delicious ramen that you tasted in your life? I want to use this as a reference.

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  28. I know it's been two years, but to the person who asked where these are sold in Massachusetts, you can get them at Reliable Market in Union Square, Somerville.

    I've recently been working on increasing my tolerance for spicy food. Teumsae is the best training device I've encountered for that purpose. It is bar none the spiciest thing I've ever eaten. I ate a handful of wasabi and it wasn't as bad.

    After finishing the bowl, especially if you drink all the broth like I do, your mouth and lips will burn for like a half hour afterwards. Be advised that the same thing will happen to your butthole the next day.

    The good thing is that through all the heat Teumsae does have a distinct, and delicious, flavor. Untrained tongues might not catch it, but if you can take the heat, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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  29. I just bought a pack of these at one of my favorite Korean grocery stores (Joong Boo on Chicago). I love spicy and hot food but I'll have to admit that I wasn't prepared for these. These were, without a doubt, the hottest ramen I've ever eaten. I will be buying them again. One tip for next time, let the broth cool a bit first. The physical heat from the broth and the chemical heat from the capsaicin was like a double whammy. My mouth was numb by the end of the bowl.

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  30. i had the actual stuff today at the restaurant (not the bagged kind).

    and I just took a dump. i'm in INTENSE pain right now. can't even sit down. :( have pity.

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  31. i had the actual stuff today at the restaurant (not the bagged kind).

    and I just took a dump. i'm in INTENSE pain right now. can't even sit down. :( have pity.

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  32. Blazing trail from lips to bottom of chest that takes quite a while to die down after a bowl. It's not that hot for me (note cold 7up in hand), but i'll keep it just for cold, rainy nights

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  33. I'm afraid I had to use less than the full packet of spice. Still, the quality of the ingredients -- especially the noodles themselves -- was top-notch. And I saved the leftover spice to help flavor other dishes :)

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  34. I found these at the Super L Ranch Market here in Phoenix. I LOVE spicy and Paldo can usually pull it off. This was the first time I could not finish my bowl. I had chapped lips and I am sure several layers missing from my throat and a hole in my stomach thanks to this tasty treat. I will be purchasing more for sure. I might have to add rice to help soak up the soup.. but the flavor was addictive.

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