Advancements in the instant ramen world makes eating them even easier.

Three minutes a day adds up to 21 minutes a week, which equates to around 18 hours a year. That’s a lot to take in when you consider the three minutes it takes for instant ramen to be ready means we’re essentially wasting hours of our time on a yearly basis.

The good news is, there’s a new product on the market that cuts the waiting time down to less than a third of that — giving us more time to waste on other things. Called The Barikata 55 Ramen Kenta Negi Tonkotsu, this new instant ramen puts the focus on instant, as it’s ready to eat in 55 seconds after hot water has been added.

▼ Released by manufacturer Myojo Foods on July 10, the new product features a broth supervised by ラーメン健太 (Ramen Kenta), a popular ramen joint in Koenji, Tokyo.

The 55-second wait time for an instant noodle is the shortest in the history of Myojo Foods, and when our reporter Daiki Nishimoto bought a pack to try it, he saw they weren’t kidding. The three-step process, outlined on the pack, read: 1. Remove the seasoning pack 2. Pull the lid back halfway and add boiling water to the line 3. After 55 seconds, add the seasoning, mix well and it’s ready. 

It sounded simple enough, but Daiki found himself reading and re-reading the instructions, as his mind couldn’t quite compute the numbers “55” in an instant ramen. He’s more used to seeing “three minutes” in the instructions, so after picking up the pieces of his blown mind from the floor, he went ahead and poured the boiling water in, before setting a timer for his less-than-a-minute wait.

With a three-minute wait, you might have time to leave and do something else but with only 55 seconds, Daiki felt like he didn’t have time to do much else but wait in front of the noodles.

Even so, the time was fleeting, and Daiki realised the difference between waiting three minutes and waiting 55 seconds was enormous. It felt more like 30 seconds to him, and he barely had enough time to grab a pair of chopsticks to begin his meal.

Hurriedly dipping his chopsticks into the cup, Daiki was immediately impressed by the way the noodles easily parted, indicating they were ready to eat. And when he slurped up a mouthful, the noodles were smooth and elastic — just the right texture.

Daiki was surprised at how soft the noodles became in such a short space of time. For some reason, he thought they might still be chewy or hard and require extra soaking time, but Myojo knew exactly what they were doing when they made this product, as the noodles truly were at their prime after 55 seconds.

As for the tonkotsu (pork bone) broth, it was rich and smooth, with a depth of flavour you wouldn’t expect from an instant product. When combined with the noodles, the flavour was incredibly delicious, displaying a high quality that made it incredibly easy to eat.

Even the once-dry green onions were plump and ready in just 55 seconds, showing just how much attention to detail had gone into the creation of this new product.

After finishing the meal, Daiki’s taste buds basked in the warm glow of the aftertaste, leaving him slightly dumbfounded by the quick yet tasty experience. Whether you’re a noodle lover who wants to try an unusual cup ramen, or you simply want to enjoy a high-quality tonkotsu ramen, The Barikata 55 Ramen Kenta Negi Tonkotsu is definitely worth trying, and at 278 yen (US$1.98) each, you might want to stock up on them.

Related: Myojo Foods official website
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