Annie Chun's Soup Bowl, Japanese Style Udon, Non GMO, Vegan, 5.9 Oz (Pack of 6)

Overall it’s yummy and feels healthier than regular udons as it’s doesn’t taste as salty.Now straight to the point ---1. I heated in microwave for 2.5 minutes as I like mine extra hot. And it was extra hot as I had to get some paper towels to take it out of the microwave. And let it stand for a bit. Maybe I'm just so used to cup ramens. Noodles typically need a little more time than the instruction says to get to that right texture and taste. Typically.2. Container - It feels very sturdy and nice quality. It doesn't feel cheap paper-ish and actually feel more gourmet. (Although there's really no such thing as gourmet instant food. "Gourmet" and "Instant" or "microwave" just can't exist together when it comes to food.3. Look - It looks like... Udon. :-) It's got thick udon noodles and the soup looks like udon soup. Nothing fancy here.4. Smell - Surprisingly good! It's very close to the normal udon smell and that's a good thing.5. Taste (soup) - First got a spoonful of the soup and ate it. Mmm... pretty good. Typically udons could get really salty, but this one wasn't. It felt just right amount of sodium at least for me. If you like things salty, you could probably add a little more soy sauce or something. But I liked the mild taste of the soup.6. Taste (noodle) - Then got a chopstick full of the noodles and had it. Ah~ this is where a star deduction happens. The noodles didn't quite suck in enough soup to give it some flavor on my tastebuds. Being a thick udon noodles, I could see why, but still. It probably also has to do with the soup being mild. This happens quite often with a lot of the noodle or rice cake dishes. It takes time for the noodles to take in the flavor from the surrounding soup. So typically that's where spoons come in and help. Get a spoonful of soup then noodles then spoonful of soup. That's how typical mild soup noodle dishes are eaten anyway. I still wish the noodles sucked in the soup flavor a little more.7. Feel - It felt good. I was satisfied after eating it. Typical instant ramen have not-so-good after tastes, but this one felt pretty good.So overall I was pleasantly surprised. It's good stuff. I was a little skeptical because of some bad reviews, but glad to have stocked up with these. Perhaps it has stronger flavor before? or probably MSG? This one's Non-GMO and Vegan, so I guess the taste had to be toned down, perhaps?Regardless, I liked the taste and how it felt. It suited my needs quite well.

Love these soups! Taste great , fast cooking

I like this type of noodle, udon. I get tired of eating ramen. It's really nice to have microwavable/instant udon soup. The first time I tried Annie Chun's udon was from Trader Joe's (TJ). I think TJ had the original version because it tasted different and I don't recall seeing the label: "NOW TASTES EVEN BETTER!" on the box cover. Unfortunately it doesn't taste better... The reason I ordered this on Amazon because I really enjoyed it but TJ doesn't stock them anymore. It has more of a mushroom taste now and I don't really like mushroom... Oh well, it's still tolerable but if it gave me a choice between the original and the new, I definitely choose the original version. However, maybe the original had MSG. I don't know. I never looked at the ingredient list. I assume the updated version is "healthier" compared to the old.By the way, I tried the udon soup from Nongshim brand and I still prefer Annie Chun's. Nongshim in my opinion, has too much soy sauce and portion is a little big for me (I have small stomach). Although, it's my fault for putting entire packet of soy sauce.-------------------------UPDATE 4/18/2019It has been four years since my original review and I'm still enjoying these udon bowls. However, I been mainly buying the "miso" flavor. I doubt these instant noodles are healthy but it's convenient to have at home. The size is just right for me as well. These are mild flavor. If you like more flavoring you can customize it with your own ingredients from home. I personally don’t mind that. I eat enough strong flavored food regularly. I sometimes want to eat light especially when I am feeling unwell.**Images provided with review is for Miso version**

The noodles aren't fried in this soup, which is a big plus - traditional ramen soup noodles are fried and high in fat. One major tip when making this soup: dont use more then 1 cup water or it will substantially dilute the flavor. The noodles are soft and reconstitute nicely - its sufficient to just add all the contents to the bowl, add 1 cup boiling water, cover and steep for 2-3 minutes. If you are on the go but still want to add some more food to this, you might consider canned, white meat chicken breast. The broth is mild and not spicy, and tastes mostly like soy sauce, and is tasty, especially with more soy sauce. Personally I wish there was a little more sodium, so I could add more broth and have it still be flavorful. In a few reviews some people said it was spicy, but I think this is due to the fact that occasionally you will get a red pepper flake to chew on that does taste spicy (i love when that happens), but the soup itself generally isnt spicy at all.Overall I would recommend this flavor. There isnt much to the vegetable packet, but they do reconstitute nicely. I think you are paying largely for the gimmicky stuff - the cornstarch packaging, charity donation coupon, organic ingredients, etc.. but its a bit expensive to buy locally ($4.79! What a ripoff!).Amazon's good price makes this soup worth buying, but at anything over $3 really feels like its pushing it for what you get. I'll take regular plastic packaging if it will get me one full piece of mushroom or tofu. Plus, you have to use the coupon for them to donate 50 cents to their charity, and its only up to $25,000, so it doesnt really change how much money gets donated anyway. The whole thing is gimmicky, but it is a good overall soup to keep on hand. I keep this in my mix of soups from Simply Asia and Thai kitchen. (Less expensive and more tasty in my opinion)