CU Cheat Key Rich Shrimp Ramyeon Review [Korean Food]

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Hello! Today’s new convenience store cup noodle is one of CU’s Cheat Key ramyeon, the Cheat Key Rich Shrimp Ramyeon. It’s one of the first releases in the Cheat Key series, launched under the concept “a single kick, overwhelming flavor,” and it’s said to dial the shrimp aroma up to the extreme compared with a regular shrimp broth noodle. Sure enough, its very intense broth is what sets it apart. So let’s dive right in.

Table of Contents

📋 At a Glance

Product: Cheat Key Rich Shrimp Ramyeon
Store: CU (Cheat Key)
Price: 2,100 won (buy-one-get-one; around 500 won with July promos)
Calories: 435 kcal
Weight: 100 g
Main components: rice-flour noodles, dried shrimp, shrimp-flavored fish cake, dried kelp, base powder soup plus a post-add shrimp powder
Sodium: 81% of the daily recommended intake
Verdict: ★4.0 — an overwhelming shrimp aroma over a spicy, savory broth; it even doubles as a hangover cure.

Rich Shrimp Ramyeon: Price and Highlights

CU rolled out its “Cheat Key cup noodle” line with two flavors, the Rich Shrimp Ramyeon and a Real Cream Buldak. Today it’s the shrimp one on the table. As mentioned, it’s billed as far more intense in flavor than comparable noodles. I’m already a fan of Nongshim’s shrimp broth noodle, so I picked it up with quiet expectations. The list price is 2,100 won each, but there’s a buy-one-get-one deal, and if you use the month-long July promo you can snag it for around 500 won, so it’s worth checking the CU app.

The total weight is 100 g at 435 kcal. Picture an average cup noodle at roughly 500 kcal for about the same weight, and the calories here are a touch lower. Sodium sits at 81% of the daily recommended intake, so it’s on the salty side. Scan the ingredient list and you’ll spot plenty of shrimp seasoning, seafood powder, and shrimp powder packed in.

For cooking, the microwave seems to be the recommended route. Add the powder soup and hot water, then heat for 2 minutes 30 seconds in a 1000W microwave. Without a microwave, pour in hot water and wait 4 minutes instead. Once it’s done, stir in the post-add shrimp powder thoroughly and you’re ready to eat.

What’s Inside and How to Cook It

Let’s take a quick look at what’s inside, then get straight to cooking. There’s a batch of rice-flour noodles with dried toppings tucked underneath. There are two seasoning packets: a base powder soup and the post-add shrimp powder.

The dried toppings are dried shrimp, shrimp-flavored fish cake, dried kelp, and assorted vegetables. I sprinkled the base powder soup over the noodles, poured in hot water, and microwaved it for 2 minutes 30 seconds at 1000W. The fill line does sit a little lower than on your typical ramyeon.

Here’s what it looks like once it’s done. You can really see that deep broth color, can’t you? Stir in the post-add shrimp powder and the shrimp aroma rises up intensely. The scent alone makes the concept unmistakable.

Taste Test: How Does It Actually Taste?

Now let’s get straight to the tasting. After one more good stir, I went in for a chopstick-full right away. Maybe it’s the microwave cooking, but the broth had soaked deep into the noodles and the rich shrimp aroma came rushing in.

As promised by the “single kick, overwhelming flavor” concept, the shrimp aroma comes through noticeably stronger than in Nongshim’s shrimp broth noodle, easily 1.5 times as much. That character reads clearly right from the noodles, so for anyone who loves this kind of thing, it’ll be a real selling point.

Anticipation for the rich shrimp ramyeon

As for the broth, where the standard shrimp noodle layers shrimp aroma over a seafood ramyeon for a clean, sharp feel, this one is a touch thicker, stacking a rich shrimp aroma over seafood notes with a spicy-savory edge. It struck me as more than capable as a hangover ramyeon. That said, it isn’t overly spicy, so I could eat it without much strain.

The whole time you eat, the shrimp aroma just keeps rising. It’s so strong you might let out a little laugh partway through. With a seafood-base seasoning plus a shrimp seasoning on top, the flavor is intense to the point that the shrimp aroma basically blankets everything else.

One note: this one doesn’t come with all that much broth, so fully savoring the soup is a bit tricky, a not-quite-flaw. Given that some people love the standard shrimp noodle precisely for its clean, refreshing broth aroma, that could be a slight letdown. Rather than volume of broth, it feels like everything went into the flavor of the broth.

Final Verdict: A Hangover Cup Noodle Built on Shrimp

Even so, I personally enjoyed it quite a lot. I did wonder whether adding a bit of extra broth to Nongshim’s shrimp noodle might get you a similar taste, but the shrimp aroma here runs noticeably deeper than that, and the seasoning comes as a separate post-add packet on top of it. The broth also leans sharp and spicy, so it seems surprisingly solid as a hangover fix. I’d recommend giving it a try. If you’re in Korea, it’s an easy way to sample how far a convenience store shrimp cup noodle can push its flavor.

The Cheat Key series, alongside the Real Cream Buldak, also runs a month-long July discount. For the Cheat Key brand concept and new-product news, see this (Korean source) Hankyung report on CU’s Cheat Key launch and July ramyeon sale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much is the CU Cheat Key Rich Shrimp Ramyeon?

The list price is 2,100 won each. With the buy-one-get-one deal and the month-long July promo, though, you can grab it for around 500 won, so it’s worth checking the CU app for the current offers.

Q. How is it different from Nongshim’s shrimp noodle?

The intensity of the shrimp aroma is on another level. It’s easily 1.5 times deeper than Nongshim’s shrimp broth noodle, and a post-add shrimp powder gives the broth a slightly thick, spicy-savory character. The broth volume, however, is a bit on the small side.

Q. How does the Rich Shrimp Ramyeon taste?

The shrimp aroma is overwhelmingly deep, almost comically so. Layered seafood and shrimp seasonings make it intensely savory, and it isn’t too spicy, so it’s easy to enjoy. Thanks to the sharp broth, it works nicely as a hangover cup noodle too.

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