Nissin launches the world’s first “cold-water instant noodles,” breaking expectations—spicy kimchi with chicken salt and lemon, available in Japan on 7/20

Nissin Foods breaks the tradition of soaking instant noodles in hot water for 55 years, launching the world’s first “cold-brew cup noodles” series that only requires cold water. Starting July 20, it will be sold across Japan. The two flavors are priced at 285 yen each, and can be eaten after waiting 5 minutes.

Table of Contents

Toggle

• Five years to forge it: Patent cold rehydration technology is key
• Spicy kimchi and chicken salt lemon
• Can you get it in Taiwan?

You’re not seeing wrong—instant noodles can actually be soaked in cold water! This week, Japanese food giant Nissin (Nissin) unveiled a new product series called “Cold Brew Cup Noodles” (冷しカップヌードル), which is designed to be rehydrated with ice water and explicitly instructs consumers not to use hot water. It is expected to roll out across all retail channels throughout Japan starting July 20.

The way to eat it is simple: pour ice water into the cup, wait 5 minutes, and you can start eating. Each cup costs 285 yen, which is about NT$56. Since Ando Momofuku first served the first bowl of Cup Noodle in 1971—55 years ago—Nissin has for the first time personally scrapped the old rule that “instant noodles must be soaked in hot water.”

Five years to forge it: Patent cold rehydration technology is key

Behind this product is a 5-year development effort. The core technology comes from the brand’s patented Cold Rehydrate (Cold Rehydrate method) cold rehydration method, paired with a dedicated noodle design. Even when using only refrigerator-cold water, it can restore the noodles’ springiness and smooth texture within 5 minutes. The company recommends soaking with ice water at 5 to 10 degrees Celsius for the best results.

Nissin said that the starting point of this research came from a simple question: in sweltering summer, if people don’t even want to boil hot water, can instant noodles also become a cold food? As climate change accelerates worldwide and Japan’s summer heat keeps setting new highs, the market demand for cooling foods such as cold noodles and chilled noodles has continued to grow—prompting the company to invest resources to develop this “anti-tradition” new product.

Spicy kimchi and chicken salt lemon

The first wave includes two flavors. The first, “Cold Brew Cup Noodles Spicy Kimchi Flavor,” uses chicken broth as the base and combines the sour and spicy taste of kimchi to deliver a punchy, Korean-style flavor. The toppings include Nissin’s signature “mystery meat” processed pork cubes, kimchi, egg ribbons, scallions, and sesame seeds, with a focus on making it sour, spicy, and appetite-boosting.

The second, “Cold Brew Cup Noodles Chicken Salt Lemon Flavor,” uses chicken broth as the base, paired with bonito and dried small fish for a fresh umami profile. It adds lemon’s refreshing aroma and follows the route of Japanese chilled soup noodles. The toppings are steamed chicken, egg ribbons, scallions, and red sweet pepper.

Can you get it in Taiwan?

At the moment, this cold-brew cup noodle is only sold in the Japanese market, and Nissin has not announced whether or when it will be introduced to Taiwan’s distribution channels. However, judging from the product design logic, this kind of ready-to-eat item—“no heating, ready in 5 minutes”—fits well with scenarios like camping, outdoor activities, or simply being too lazy to turn on the stove in summer. If sales performance is impressive, it is not out of the question that Nissin will consider bringing the cold rehydration technology to overseas markets.

What Nissin is challenging this time is consumers’ long-standing, fixed perception: instant noodles equal hot water. If cold-brew cup noodles can gain solid ground in Japan, it effectively opens up another product dimension for the entire instant noodle industry beyond just “temperature.”