A-Sha teamed up with Hot Ones—you know, the show where celebs desperately try to keep their cool while crying over insanely spicy wings—to create a trio of spicy instant noodle flavors, each one hotter than the last. The flavors are Sweet Chili (mild heat), Garlic Chili (medium), and Smoky Chili (hot). Get your milk ready, because we’re diving right in.
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty excited by the concept of Hot Ones food products. It feels like a natural next step that could satisfy heat freaks everywhere. In the past, we’ve tried both their Hot Pockets collab and their Pringles collab, and we liked them. One observation about these new A-Sha noodles off the bat: Each flavor comes with a separate “bonus heat pack,” aka a packet of extra hot sauce, letting you live out your own Hot Ones fantasy. Maybe you simply want a gentle heat wave in your mouth, or maybe you want to lick the sun. It’s your call. You’re in charge of your own noodle destiny. And I’m in charge of telling you if these trendy A-Sha noodles are worth dipping into your ramen budget.
- Hot Ones Sweet Chili (Mild)
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After tasting all three flavors, I have to be honest: None are especially mind-blowing, and they all share some of the same pitfalls. But let’s take a closer look.
Pros: Despite being the least spicy of the new flavors (allegedly), Sweet Chili is a little more complex than the others. It’s sweet, spicy, and tangy, like a hot and sour soup broth. Plus, as an overall note, the extra hot sauce packet that comes with every flavor is appreciated—I feel like I get to live out the Hot One’s experience.
Cons: Generally speaking, I’m not a huge fan of the noodles themselves. They aren’t as crinkly or flavorful as other brands of instant noodles—or even other A-Sha collabs we’ve tasted, like Momofuku. (Though it’s pretty unfair to compare any instant noodles to Momofuku’s restaurant-grade noodles, but I digress.) And while I appreciate the Sweet Chili flavor the most, it could do with some aromatic spices to better mimic a truly flavorful hot and sour soup.
Credit: Liv Averett / A-Sha
- Hot Ones Garlic Chili (Medium)
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Pros: These start off with a strong, zingy base heat that’s pleasant without being overwhelming. The garlic is a pretty mild flavor that might not have much to offer, but won’t offend your taste buds. You could probably add a dash of sesame oil, green onions, and even more garlic chili crisp to make it interesting.
Cons: Still, the whole experience here is a little lackluster. The flavor lacks nuance. I’m barely getting umami. It’s garlic and heat, and a rather bland garlic at that. It’s missing a savory component that I think could really bring out more depth. Plus, for a collab with the show that gave us the crying J-Law meme, I didn’t find this to be spicy enough—even with the whole extra hot sauce packet mixed in. And I’ll come right out and say it: I’m extremely white, you guys. If I can handle “medium” just fine, it’s simply not hot enough.
Credit: Liv Averett / A-Sha
- Hot Ones Smoky Chili (Hot)
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Pros: This is closer to what I expected from a Hot Ones collab. The smoked, savory flavor profile really lends itself to wings, while definitely working for a ramen, too. It’s more unique, almost like a sweet and smoky dry rub in a broth, and not something I’ve tasted before from instant noodles.
Cons: Maybe my mouth is broken. Maybe my time at Sporked has given me a god-tier heat tolerance. But I’m having a hard time believing this is the spiciest of the bunch. The varying levels of heat we were promised don’t come through—all three flavors land somewhere on the “medium” spectrum, even with the bonus hot sauce packet mixed in. The show is called Hot Ones. Gimme the heat!
Credit: Liv Averett / A-Sha
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!