How the "Max-Garlic" Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Cup Ramen Went from a 15-Point Prototype to the Finished Product

At the start, Ryuji emphasizes that this is a collaboration with Sapporo Ichiban, a brand they "can't help but love." One reason given for choosing the soy sauce flavor is that Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. It's also mentioned that the Sapporo Ichiban brand originally started with the soy sauce flavor. According to Ryuji, many people have only eaten the shio (salt) and miso flavors, but the soy sauce flavor is the tastiest when you add toppings.

The package shows a photo with a huge amount of garlic, and a staff member jokes, "Isn't that false advertising?" Ryuji replies, "There really is about this much in it." The side of the package reportedly uses a photo from six years ago.

Ryuji explains up front that they want to show viewers how product development works. This time, the premise was "do it with Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji," so the base was already set. From there, the work was to figure out how much buzz their own arrangement could generate and what kind of flavor profile to aim for.

The reason it's difficult, Ryuji says, is the container shape known as "tate-gata big" (tall big cup). There are many constraints on things like which toppings can go in and how much can fit in the sachets, and making this type taste good is the hardest. It requires a different way of thinking from cooking, and Ryuji put it as "commercializing is 100 million times harder."

According to the manufacturer, the product uses the soup and noodles of Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji as the foundation while adjusting the toppings and flavor. The soup is also based on the soy sauce flavor, but with "stamina-style elements" added. The package describes the soup as accented with a mild spicy kick and a stir-fried, toasty aroma. The developers reportedly tried Ryuji's recipe themselves and attempted to reproduce its flavor.

When hot water was poured into the first prototype, the garlic smell was extremely strong. Ryuji says, "It's the strongest of anything I've eaten." There were two prototypes with the same soup and different toppings. One had so much garlic it looked like there was nothing else in it, and even the staff were surprised: "I've never seen anything like this." The other was quite spicy.

The look and aroma were good, but Ryuji's verdict after eating was harsh. For a cup ramen they supervise, it won't score well unless it evokes a ramen shop. What this prototype overwhelmingly lacked was oil. "It's really tasty, but it's really bad," Ryuji said, adding that anyone who has eaten lots of different cup noodles probably wouldn't call it delicious. The reason: if it carries the "Ryuji-supervised" name, it won't be accepted without some edge. The garlic certainly has edge, but Ryuji also pointed out that when you drink the soup, all you can taste is garlic.

The manufacturer had also brought a version with added oil. However, due to cost, the toppings would have to be reduced. The choice was between spending money on the soup or on the toppings. Ryuji summed it up as "Do we go for visual impact or for flavor?"

When a staff member asked whether the retail price could be raised, the manufacturer replied that it could be, but lately products don't sell well when they're expensive, so it's generally better not to raise it. The planned price was 271 yen before tax.

After tasting the oil-added prototype, Ryuji said the sparse toppings bothered them slightly, but the bigger issue was that "there's not enough umami." People who eat a lot of cup ramen would probably say it "has no flavor." Ryuji also said that while simplicity is Sapporo Ichiban's strength, for this product, "you can't hide behind simplicity."

Ryuji checked what had been added to the Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji soup. The manufacturer listed things like garlic with a charred note (roasted garlic). Ryuji explained that their own recipe uses oyster sauce. The manufacturer replied that it's difficult to fully incorporate oyster as a powder. In response, Ryuji suggested that seafood powders, such as scallop powder or oyster powder, would be fine, since a mix of umami sources gives more depth than a single one. They asked that the umami elements be doubled, if anything, and that the garlic topping be put in at the maximum amount.

A staff member, offering a layperson's opinion, suggested adding oiliness through an oily topping. Back fat (seabura) was a candidate, but it's expensive. Ryuji said that if keeping the price down means releasing something that doesn't taste good, it would be better to raise the price, but agreed to try once within these constraints. The manufacturer said it would also look into a back-fat version.

The score at this point was 15 points. Ryuji said, "It's just an idea," and asked, "Did you really bring this because you thought it was good?" They also told the two developers to bring only what they themselves truly thought was delicious.

Ryuji explains that there's a reason for this harshness. Having Ryuji taste over and over and repeatedly reject things is very inefficient, because Ryuji isn't the developer. Raising the developers' own bar will definitely produce something better. With that in mind, Ryuji decided to leave a certain amount up to the two of them.

In the next scene, Ryuji has the staff taste a prototype that Ryuji modified personally. Ryuji says, "Even this probably still isn't enough." It contains kombu dashi and katsuo (bonito) dashi, garlic powder, and stir-fried garlic, raising the overall level of umami. The staff who tasted it said, "It's completely different." Ryuji thought that, aside from the oil, this seasoning would communicate the intended direction.

According to Ryuji, when they make Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji, they basically always add seafood dashi, whether kombu or bonito. Ryuji's view was that going in that direction could let the product compete even in the increasingly crowded cup ramen market.

At the second meeting, the manufacturer prepared two types with different umami directions: one centered on bonito and kombu, and one centered on shellfish dashi. In response to the feedback, the umami was reportedly made nearly twice as strong. The appearance was almost the same as before, but the aroma had changed.

Of the bonito-kombu type, Ryuji said, "It's added depth to Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji" and "It's gotten a lot tastier." To make up for the lack of oiliness, the manufacturer had added a small amount of gelatin. Ryuji was impressed, saying they had been doing that in their own recipe but hadn't noticed it at all. There was a sense of garlic too, and the whole thing came together remarkably well.

The shellfish type had a completely different aroma, and Ryuji reacted, "That's good." The bonito-kombu was more straightforward, while the shellfish dashi had depth and refinement, and Ryuji wavered: "This is tough."

The manufacturer's developer had also brought one more type. In response to the earlier comments about oiliness, they had raised the price slightly and added back fat to the dried toppings of the shellfish type. The developer said that a big increase would put it out of customers' reach, but they figured an increase of this size would be acceptable. Ryuji said, "What came is about what I had in mind." With the back fat, the oil hits right away, the soup becomes deeper, and the garlic comes through more strongly. Ryuji also said the oil seems to keep you from getting tired of it. The judgment was that, if the price was workable, this would be the one. The manufacturer said that if Ryuji was happy with it, they wanted to release it after the company president's approval, and at this stage, "shellfish dashi + back fat" was tentatively decided.

In the next scene, however, Ryuji had asked for a version of the bonito-kombu type with back fat added as well. Ryuji explains that they're the type who can't release something without checking every possibility to the very end. The development side favored the shellfish dashi, but Ryuji felt the bonito-kombu had broader appeal.

One trigger was the reaction of a staff member, "A-ko." After the previous tasting, A-ko had eaten the leftover bonito-kombu type and raved about it. Hearing that, Ryuji wanted to try the bonito dashi with back fat. Ryuji also said the shellfish was a somewhat "calculated" flavor, while the bonito-kombu felt more like Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji. For comparison, a back-fat version of the shellfish type was made again, and the two were tasted side by side.

Everyone who tried the bonito-kombu back-fat version reacted with "The aroma is great" and "It's delicious," and Ryuji said, "This is for everyone." The Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji character also came through strongly. One staff member suggested that the bonito-kombu would suit people who don't know Ryuji or don't eat much cup ramen, while the shellfish would suit ramen lovers who eat all kinds of ramen. Ryuji responded that they didn't think the people who buy Ryuji's ramen are ramen enthusiasts. Comparing the two, they were completely different even in smell, both were delicious, and Ryuji acknowledged that either would work. Ryuji then decided to go with bonito-kombu.

Ryuji explained the reasons after first insisting, "It's not that I was swayed by A-ko." First, many people have never eaten Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji in cup form. If the goal is to let people know the taste of Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji, the shellfish is too intense and drifts a bit away from the original flavor. As a ramen lover, Ryuji thinks the shellfish is definitely better, but in terms of the ultimate delicious ramen, it's the bonito-kombu that elevates Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji.

The other reason is home reproducibility. Ryuji wants to create a copycat recipe for this product. The manufacturer had also said it wanted to sell the soy sauce flavor. Shellfish dashi is hard to reproduce at home, but bonito and kombu are easy to work with in home cooking. From there, the aim was to get people to eat the packaged Sapporo Ichiban instant noodles too. Honestly, Ryuji would be fine releasing two flavors, but only one could be released this time. Ryuji wants to save the shellfish idea for another product.

Since this meant overturning a conclusion that had already been reached, Ryuji explained it to the manufacturer's developer by phone. The three reasons given were that the Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji flavor comes through clearly, that it's highly reproducible, and that it has broad appeal. The developer revealed that opinions had been split in internal meetings as well. Saying they fully understood Ryuji's explanation, it was decided that the final spec would be the bonito-kombu dashi with back fat added to the dried toppings.

Ryuji explains that the finished product contains fried garlic up to the maximum amount the tall big cup can hold. To stand up to that garlic, extracts such as kombu dashi were added to make an umami-rich soup, with Sapporo Ichiban Shoyu Aji as the base. It goes on sale starting April 7 and is expected to be available at convenience stores.

When the lid is opened, the amount of garlic matches the package photo. The staff admitted, "It wasn't exaggerated after all." All you do is pour in hot water and wait five minutes, and the smell of garlic fills the room. The package font was reportedly designed to have a YouTuber feel.

No matter how much you stir, more garlic keeps appearing, and it's tucked in between the noodles too. Back fat floats on the soup. The staff who tasted it reacted, "I've never seen a cup ramen with this much in it" and "The soup is way too good." Ryuji was confident about the soup, into which all sorts of things had been added so it wouldn't be overpowered by the garlic: "I seriously think it's delicious."

After noting that it's best as is, Ryuji introduced a variation using only ingredients available at convenience stores. The recipe in the description calls for 10 g of butter and 2 g of bonito powder. Knead the bonito flakes (powder) into the butter, put it on top of the prepared cup noodles, and eat while it melts. The product itself reportedly also contains bonito flakes. Ryuji said this technique works not only with soy sauce ramen but also with miso ramen.

A staff member asked whether it would be okay to just sprinkle the bonito flakes on after adding the butter. Ryuji replied that it would work, but you wouldn't get the gradation. As the butter melts, the bonito gradually dissolves into the soup, so the bonito flavor gets stronger the further you eat, and you taste the most bonito at the end. If you add the bonito flakes as is from the start, the whole bowl is dominated by bonito. Kneading it in lets you change the flavor partway through without disrupting the original taste too much.

The staff who tasted it were surprised: "This is really good." Ryuji explained, "The soup tastes like it's from a ramen shop," because the bonito releases dashi. If you don't have bonito powder, you can substitute by heating bonito flakes in the microwave and crumbling them. Ryuji said that eating one as is and another with the bonito butter arrangement makes it "twice as delicious," and wrapped up the video by recommending buying two.