Like I mentioned in my first Ramen Review, Maruchan was the brand I tended to have the most often while growing up. Since Maruchan makes so many different flavors of instant Ramen, I divided this review into 2 parts. The first part will be for Maruchan flavors that have a Nissin counterpart, while part 2 will be for flavors that are unique to Maruchan.
Beef:
Compared to the Nissin beef ramen, the Maruchan version has a thicker, almost creamy taste and feel to it; I like it much better than the Nissin Beef Ramen.
Chicken:
Compared to the Nissin chicken ramen, the Maruchan chicken's broth is thinner and more watery; like the Nissin version, it leaves behind a yellow rim in the bowl after eating, but this rim is broken rather than the continuous circle like that left behind by the Nissin chicken ramen. The flavor is somewhat similar, but tastes watered-down compared to Nissin's chicken ramen.
Chili:
Unlike the delayed reaction of the spiciness in Nissin's chili ramen, the spiciness in Maruchan's chili is more immediately felt. The flavoring in Maruchan's chili has a more artificial-feeling taste and scent, and reminds me strongly of various snack foods, like the spicy version of Doritos.
Oriental:
Unlike Nissin, which renamed their Oriental flavor "soy sauce", Maruchan has kept the "Oriental" name in its ramen. Compared to Nissin, the broth seems a bit darker, and it doesn't seem to have as many of the green flecks as the Nissin version. The flavor is a bit stronger, and also is very salty compared to Nissin's version; I had to have a drink after I finished my bowl, which I did not have to do when I tried the Nissin version. Saltiness aside, this was much more flavorful than Nissin's version.
Picante Beef:
Unlike Maruchan's chili ramen, Picante Beef has a more natural-feeling flavor and scent. It's not as spicy as Maruchan's chili, either. Compared to Nissin spicy beef, it has more of an immediate spiciness, but still has more of a delayed reaction than Maruchan chili. The broth has some solid flecks in it, but not as many as Nissin's spicy beef had.
Shrimp:
The shrimp tastes about the same as Nissin's shrimp, but the Maruchan broth is slightly less watery.
Overall, I'd say that compared to Nissin, I prefer Nissin broth but Maruchan noodles. Maruchan noodles tended to be softer and less firm, and also seem to be slightly thicker than the Nissin noodles. They also have less of a tendency to clump, and have less of the waxy feel they sometimes had when I was trying Nissin ramen.
The flavors I thought each brand did better were:
Maruchan: beef, oriental (with a caveat about its saltiness level)
Nissin: chicken, chili, spicy beef
Too close to call: shrimp
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