Samyang 1963 Uji Pa-gaejang Cup Ramen [Korean Food]

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Hello! Today’s new ramen from Samyang is the Samyang 1963 Uji Pa-gaejang Cup Ramen. Late last year, Samyang launched Samyang 1963 and captured the old-school beef-tallow (uji) ramen heritage well. It didn’t just revive the originality of classic Samyang ramen — it also carried its distinctive premium feel, and I remember enjoying it. This time, leaning into that beef-tallow character, they combined nutty noodles, a spicy broth, and the flavor of pa-gaejang (a green-onion-and-beef soup). So let’s take a look at what it’s like.

Table of Contents

📋 At a Glance

Product: Samyang 1963 Uji Pa-gaejang Cup Ramen
Maker: Samyang Foods
Price: 2,000s won at convenience stores / 1,800s won at supermarkets
Weight: 115g
Calories: 475 kcal (sodium 95% of daily value)
Main components: Beef-tallow (Golden Blend Oil) noodles, bone-and-green-onion pa-gaejang liquid base, add-in sachet, dried leek and beef flakes
Verdict: ★4.0 — Nutty noodles and a refreshing, savory pa-gaejang broth come together well; just less spicy than the packet version, so it may divide opinion.

Samyang 1963 Uji Pa-gaejang Cup Ramen: Price and Highlights

As with the Samyang 1963 packet ramen when it first launched, this one, too, looks like Samyang quietly put in the effort. They front three concepts: a deep, clean pa-gaejang broth finished with beef bone and green onion, big and generous flakes, and nutty, chewy noodles flavored with beef tallow. This menu, too, seems set on carrying forward the heritage and premium feel of the earlier Samyang 1963 ramen. The price is in the 2,000s of won at convenience stores and the 1,800s at supermarkets. New products often launch with a 2-plus-1 deal early on, but so far there’s no discount news for this one.

Key features of the beef-tallow frying tech

This menu totals 115g at 475 kcal, with sodium at 95% of the daily value — not much different from an average ramen. It uses the same Golden Blend Oil that actually contains beef tallow. Just as Harim puts chicken broth into its noodles, this one puts beef tallow into the noodles for a nutty flavor. Looking at the ingredient list, things like beef aroma and beef seasoning stand out quite a bit.

There are two cooking methods: microwave and stovetop. The recommended one is the microwave. Fully remove the lid, add the liquid soup base, pour in boiling water, and cook for 1 minute 30 seconds in a 1000W microwave. Finally, you add the sachet.

Contents and Cooking

First, let’s do a quick check of the contents and then get cooking. Like a packet ramen, this menu comes with a liquid-type soup base, plus a separate add-in sachet. Being a cup ramen, the dried toppings sit at the bottom, with dried leek and dried beef as the mains.

Liquid Base, Add-In Sachet, Microwave Cooking

I made a small slip while filming the cooking. The proper method is to add the liquid base first, cook, and then add the sachet. I put both the sachet and the liquid base in and cooked them at once — but when I tried it again later, there wasn’t much difference in the taste itself.

Beef-tallow cup ramen review impressions

Naturally I went with the recommended microwave method. Once it’s cooked, loosen the noodles well and eat them together. Right away, a refreshing, spicy ramen aroma comes wafting up.

Here’s how it looks after cooking. Since Samyang 1963 ramen, premium as it is, is fundamentally a very back-to-basics ramen, you don’t really notice much difference, right? Haha. Still, given how ambitiously Samyang prepared it, I’m hopeful the flavor will be pretty solid too.

Samyang 1963 Uji Pa-gaejang Cup Ramen: The Taste

Now let’s dig right in. First off, the ramen itself seems to have cooked quite thoroughly in the microwave. Let me start with a chopstickful of noodles. I’m already looking forward to it.

Checking the convenience-first cook time

Nutty Beef-Tallow Noodles and a Refreshing Pa-gaejang Broth

The first thing I noticed was nutty noodles that paired well with a spicy yet refreshing broth. They say there’s beef tallow in the noodles, but compared to other noodles I couldn’t tell at a single bite. Still, the chewy noodle texture and the reduced flour smell I’d also felt in the Samyang 1963 packet ramen are clear points of difference.

Consumer preference for Korean broth ramen

On top of that, cup ramen though it is, going through the microwave process let the broth soak deep into the noodles, so I could eat it even more happily. The broth’s spicy-sharp heat wasn’t as strong as I expected, so it quietly paired well with the noodles too.

New cup ramen recommendation impressions

The broth itself emphasized a quite clean, refreshing taste. Compared to the packet ramen, where a spicy-sharp note came through a bit more vividly over a savory base, this one clearly leaned more toward a pa-gaejang or clear-broth feel. On this point, those who preferred the older packet-ramen style might be a little divided.

Green Onion, Beef-Tallow Savor, and the Divide

Of course, if you love ramen with a strong green-onion aroma, this may suit your palate more than the packet version. Personally, I lean toward a refreshing broth with plenty of green-onion aroma. That said, it’s not merely a light taste — since it uses a beef-tallow-based liquid base, the rich broth’s savory depth also comes through quite well.

The broth is a touch salty overall, but conversely it’s refreshing and savory, so it’s just right for pouring in rice. It was good enough that I wished it had also come out as a packet ramen. Since the base is such an excellent premium ramen, the quality holds up even released as a cup ramen.

Recommended convenience-store broth ramen

Of course, opinions may vary a bit from person to person. Those who thought the older packet ramen was truly spicy-sharp — worth paying a premium for — will likely find this one clearly a bit less spicy. But that’s only a slight difference in style; on the fundamental point of being a tasty ramen, nothing much changed. Haha.

How beef tallow and pa-gaejang harmonize

Final Verdict

What about you? Beyond the one I reviewed here, I bought two more and ate them fairly often. Haha. The broth felt better than expected, so it was quite good as a next-day hangover ramen and as a full meal with gimbap on the side. And while it’s called a premium ramen, unless it’s one of those 1-plus-1 or 2-plus-1 convenience-store ramen, the price is about the same, so it didn’t feel like much of a loss. Haha. If you’re curious, I’d recommend giving it a try. For readers abroad, it’s an easy way to try a premium Korean beef-tallow broth ramen.

For more on the Samyang 1963 brand — revived after 36 years — and the uji pa-gaejang broth concept, you can read the (Korean source) Electronic Times (ET News) report.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much is Samyang 1963 Uji Pa-gaejang Cup Ramen?

It’s in the 2,000s of won at convenience stores and the 1,800s at supermarkets. It’s 115g at 475 kcal, with sodium at 95% of the daily value.

Q. What kind of ramen is Samyang 1963 Uji Pa-gaejang?

It’s a Samyang 1963 premium cup ramen that pairs beef-tallow noodles with a pa-gaejang broth made from beef bone and green onion. It comes with a liquid soup base, an add-in sachet, and dried leek and beef flakes.

Q. How does the Uji Pa-gaejang Cup Ramen taste?

Nutty noodles come together nicely with a refreshing, savory pa-gaejang broth, and it’s well made. That said, it’s less sharply spicy than Samyang 1963’s packet ramen and leans more toward a green-onion broth, so spice fans may be divided.

Q. Is the Uji Pa-gaejang Cup Ramen worth trying?

Yes, the refreshing, savory broth works well as a hangover ramen or a full meal, so it’s recommendable. It’s called premium, but its price is similar to regular convenience-store ramen, so it’s not a strain.

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