Among the countless new products pouring out daily from the distribution and food industries, reporters from the Seoul Economic Daily's Lifestyle Industry Desk personally buy the hottest new items at stores with their own money, try them out, and share their reviews.
Nongshim has placed its bet on rosé. Following the runaway success of "Shin Ramyun Tumba" both at home and abroad, the company unveiled its new product "Shin Ramyun Rosé" last month to mark the 40th anniversary of Shin Ramyun's launch. Its defining feature is the implementation of a "K-rosé" flavor, adding gochujang, a Korean ingredient, to a rosé sauce based on tomato and cream. The product seeks to differentiate itself with grooved, wavy noodles featuring indentations on the surface so the sauce clings well, along with a microwave cooking method.
In this week's New Product Unboxing, we ate Shin Ramyun Rosé ourselves and comprehensively evaluated its taste, texture, and overall quality. We examined how naturally Shin Ramyun's signature spiciness blends with the rosé sauce, and whether the "K-rosé" concept can appeal to consumers.
Shin Ramyun Rosé, 490 kcal, 1,800 won (convenience store price)
■ Ursa (the type who wants to wind down the day after work with a glass of Jack & Coke, but finds even taking out the ice too much of a hassle)
Rosé ramyun can easily turn out greasy or have an overpowering tomato flavor, but Shin Ramyun Rosé has a better balance than expected. Behind the creamy tomato sauce, Shin Ramyun's signature spiciness rises slightly, anchoring the smooth savory flavor. The tomato powder seasoning isn't too strong either, so it feels less artificial, and even with almost no toppings, the sauce itself is hearty enough that it doesn't look empty. That said, if you eat it expecting spiciness, the flavor leans more toward rosé, so it may feel slightly mild.
Taste ★★★★★
Price ★★★☆☆
Repurchase intention ★★★★☆
■ Dreaming Gourmet (likes straightforward flavors but (in their own way) tries to savor the layers of food carefully. Bread over rice.)
I was startled by the spiciness cutting in, which the rosé I knew didn't have. After first feeling the freshness of the tomato, Shin Ramyun's heat fills the mouth. The novel flavor combination may feel awkward at first, but after a bite or two, it was addictive and hard to stop. You could add cheese on top to neutralize the spiciness. It's appealing because it seems to bring out the natural heat of the food rather than the harsh spiciness of Buldak.
Taste ★★★★☆
Price ★★★☆☆
Repurchase intention ★★★★☆
■ Middle-Aged Palate (eats well without being picky but keeps away from sweetness. Enjoys bitter coffee and prefers balanced flavors over intense ones)
The smoothness of the rosé sauce, the acidity of the tomato, and Shin Ramyun's signature spiciness blend more naturally than expected. The fact that the three flavors don't clash but melt together well is clearly an advantage. However, precisely because it's so harmonious, the individuality of each ingredient becomes blurred. It leaves an ambiguous feeling—not quite rosé, not quite tomato, not quite Shin Ramyun. Throughout eating, the balance is well struck, but it doesn't come through clearly what exactly I'm eating. Rather than trying to bring out all three elements, it would have made for a more distinctive product if it had cut out one and focused on two flavors.
Taste ★★☆☆☆
Price ★★★☆☆
Repurchase intention ★☆☆☆☆
■ Mint-Choco Guardian (likes both spicy and sweet but absolutely hates things that are 'too' spicy or sweet. The type who isn't satisfied until rinsing the palate with something spicy after eating something sweet)
The smell and appearance were good, but it was a strong dislike for my palate. The subtle sourness of the tomato and the strong spiciness didn't go together. As someone who really likes Shin Ramyun Tumba, it was a flavor that left a big disappointment.
Taste ☆☆☆☆☆
Price ★★☆☆☆
Repurchase intention ☆☆☆☆☆
■ Three-Coffees-a-Day (a walking melting pot of flavors who eats anything from Korean to Mediterranean cuisine. Who you eat with matters more than what you eat)
Before trying this product, I heard a bad review from a colleague reporter who had tasted it earlier. The gist was that it didn't taste good, which worked to lower my personal expectations for Shin Ramyun Rosé. Maybe that's why—the Shin Ramyun Rosé I tried afterward was delicious. It's plenty edible, so why did they pour out such harsh reviews? It's moderately thick and moderately spicy. As with Buldak-type spicy ramyun, if you approach it not as a proper meal but as a "fun, lighthearted snack to stave off hunger," it does its job well enough. Of course, if you think of this as a meal, it's true that it falls far short. The "strangely, I keep thinking about it again" feeling after eating it also seems to fall short of competing products.
Taste ★★★☆☆
Price ★★★☆☆
Repurchase intention ★★★☆☆
■ Skinny Big-Eater (eats anything well, whether greasy or spicy. A whole chicken and a whole pizza is the default)
The existing Shin Ramyun's sharp spiciness remains intact, but with the thick, smooth flavor characteristic of rosé layered on top, the mood changes dramatically. It doesn't just push spiciness; the cream rolls it back at intervals, so I kept reaching for more than expected. The sauce clings well to the noodles, so each slurp brings up spicy → savory → slightly sweet in order. In particular, it's closer to a thick stir-fried noodle than a soup ramyun, so adding cheese or a sausage immediately completes a convenience-store pasta vibe.
Taste ★★★★☆
Price ★★★★☆
Repurchase intention ★★★★☆
■ Palate Scrooge (a picky eater who rarely glances at most desserts. But once something clicks, a typical "fixed-taste" eater who sticks only to that)
A thick broth with a creamy texture. A tangy tomato aroma. The overall feel, including the texture, is Buldak Carbonara, but the taste is more like cup-noodle spaghetti? Maybe because the tomato aroma is strong, it feels like it covers up much of the original Shin Ramyun's signature spicy aroma. It's called Shin Ramyun Rosé, but Shin Ramyun's distinctive aroma and flavor are absent. It feels like Shin Ramyun's identity has disappeared. About the only thing it kept is the spiciness level? It's Shin Ramyun-level spicy. The noodles were different too. They have a thin, three-strand wrinkled shape, thinner and lighter than the original Shin Ramyun noodles. When boiled according to the standard recipe, it felt somewhat salty. As for Shin Ramyun, the original Shin Ramyun is still the best after all.
Taste ★★☆☆☆
Price ★★☆☆☆
Repurchase intention ★☆☆☆☆
