BTS Just Launched a Noodle and Soda Brand, Here's What We Know About ARIH

BTS just launched a food and beverage brand at Walmart, and all I can think is: Why didn’t my K-pop phase start later in life? I would love to call myself an ARMY instead of a VIP. I could be reveling in the success of the most popular South Korean boy band in history, not wrestling with the moral implications of once stanning a group with a member who served literal jail time. Big yikes, BIGBANG. Big yikes.

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Anyways, back to the topic at hand:

The new food and drink brand from BTS is called ARIH, and it’s already available at Walmart.

The name ARIH comes from “ARI,” a Korean word meaning “beautiful,” and the letter H, which is supposed to represent “harmony, happiness, and health,” according to the brand. This launch includes instant noodle bowls, energy drinks, and “dual biotic” sodas (sodas that include prebiotics and postbiotics). Buckle up, because there’s a lot of new products to cover.

ARIH Modern Noodles are Western-Korean instant noodles with flat, fettuccine-style noodles. You can buy them in “bowls” or “pillows” (aka, packets). They come in these flavors:

Black Pepper Tteokbokki: sweet & spicy sauce with black pepper
Gochujang Butter: red Korean chili paste with butter
Soy Sauce Butter: savory soy sauce with butter
Truffle Bulgogi: beef and truffle flavors with soy sauce
Vongole: white claim oil linguini pasta
Spicy Seaweed: smoky stir-fried noodles with seaweed
K-Super Spicy Seaweed: extra spicy stir-fried noodles with seaweed

ARIH Postbiotic Energy Drinks have 100mg caffeine, no sugar, and a blend of vitamins. Don’t worry, I’ll discuss what “postbiotic” means below. For now, these are the flavors:

Blush Berry: a berry medley
Cherry Nova: juicy cherry and lime
Jolly Strawberry: sweet strawberry
Lemon Crest: simple, refreshing lemon
Orange Hour: bold orange
Peachy Sunshine: blend of peach and lemonade
Tropical Wave: blend of tropical fruits

ARIH Dual Biotic Sodas include 3g of plant-based prebiotic fiber, postbiotics, and low sugar.

Apple Flare: sweet apple and a hint of cinnamon (giving cider vibes to me)
Berry Bliss: another berry medley
Clear Lemon: classic, simple lemon flavor
Peach Mango Horizon: sweet peach and mango blend
Red Ruby Galore: grapefruit flavor
Positive Orange: orange, but optimistic?
Pineapple Drift: sweet pineapple

I feel like I’ve run five miles just listing all of that out. (I have, in fact, not left my couch.)

While these won’t have packaging with the faces of BTS on them (bummer), each BTS member has a favorite product from the line-up, if that’s any consolation.

This is for the serious stans out there. You’re welcome.

RM’s favorite: Gochujang Butter Noodles
Jimin‘s favorite: Vongole Noodles
V‘s favorite: Truffle Bulgogi and Soy Sauce Butter
Suga‘s favorites: Orange Hour Prebiotic Energy Drink and Positive Orange Dual Biotic Soda
J-Hope‘s favorites: Orange Hour Prebiotic Energy Drink and Red Ruby Galore Dual Biotic Soda
Jungkook‘s favorites: Lemon Crest Prebiotic Energy Drink and Clear Lemon Dual Biotic Soda
Jin‘s favorites: Tropical Wave Prebiotic Energy Drink and Peach Mango Horizon Dual Biotic Soda

Okay, back to postbiotics. What the heck does that mean?

Admittedly, I thought this new buzzword was just a whole lotta nonsense. I’m not totally convinced otherwise at this point, but I pulled this description from Harvard Health:

This term refers to the waste left behind after your body digests both prebiotics and probiotics. Healthy postbiotics include nutrients such as vitamins B and K, amino acids, and substances called antimicrobial peptides that help to slow down the growth of harmful bacteria. Other postbiotic substances called short-chain fatty acids help healthy bacteria flourish.

Prebiotics feed the gut bacteria. Probiotics are the gut bacteria. Postbotics seemingly slow down the growth of harmful bacteria and, like prebiotics, help good bacteria flourish. Do with that what you will.