I Tried BTS' ARIH Noodles & Drinks & They Really Ate With This Collab

These days, BTS isn’t just keeping fans fed with new music. The global group also recently dropped a lineup of noodles, post-biotic energy drinks, and dual-biotic sodas in collaboration with Korean fusion brand ARIH.

RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook worked alongside ARIH to create the name, flavors, and package design of the Western-Korean instant ramen and canned drinks. Some ARMY may be able to get a taste of the collection at the ARIRANG World Tour. In select cities, ARIH will have an interactive pop-up outside the venue with giveaways. Otherwise, you can shop the full launch now at Walmart and online.

As a proud member of BTS ARMY and a fangirl foodie, I had to try every noodle, energy drink, and dual-biotic soda from ARIH to see what’s worth getting on your next grocery store run. Below, you’ll find my fave flavors, what’s a skip, and which items are each of the members’ biases.

The Comfort Modern Noodles

Inspired by one of BTS’ favorite comfort foods, instant ramen, ARIH has seven Western and Korean flavors of soup-less noodles that you can make at home. There is a range of spice levels from Truffle Bulgogi to K-Super Spicy Seaweed, and each flavor is available as either a microwavable bowl or “noodle pillow” packet. The full lineup includes Black Pepper Tteokbokki, Gochujang Butter, K-Super Spicy Seaweed, Vongole, Soy Sauce Butter, Spicy Seaweed, and Truffle Bulgogi.

Price: The individual bowls are $3. The four-pack for each flavor is a better deal at $9 each.

First impression: The packaging is elevated with a clean, mid-century modern color palette that feels as cool as BTS’ style. Each bowl is also easy to make with simple instructions that you can either follow on the stovetop or in the microwave. I really appreciated how restaurant-quality the fettuccini noodles were, like I was eating at my favorite ramen spot in Los Angeles.

The flavors I like: The Gochujang Butter was the first one I tried, and it really set the bar high for me with a perfect mix of creamy and spicy Korean flavors. I was also pleasantly surprised by the Vongole (with clam oil), which wasn’t too seafood-forward. Lately, I haven’t been a huge spice fan, but the heat didn’t stop me from devouring the Spicy Seaweed and K-Super Spicy Seaweed flavors.

The flavors I liked the least: I enjoyed all the noodles, but some didn’t hit as hard for me. The Truffle Bulgogi was my biggest disappointment, because I wanted more mushroom flavor. I also thought the Soy Sauce Butter and Black Pepper Tteokbokki were just alright, though the black pepper brought out a nice and unexpected spice.

What BTS likes: It seems I’m aligned with RM and Jimin, who enjoy the Gochujang Butter and Vongole noodles, respectively. V, on the other hand, prefers the Truffle Bulgogi and Soy Sauce Butter.

Rating: 4.9/5

The Focus Post-Biotic Energy Drinks

BTS hasn’t stopped working since coming back from their hiatus. Now, they’re on a world tour while promoting ARIRANG and posting dance videos any chance they get. It makes sense they’d need a little extra energy with these ARIH post-biotic sips. Each can comes with 100mg of caffeine and 0g of sugar. The flavors include Blush Berry, Cherry Nova, Jolly Strawberry, Tropical Wave, Lemon Crest, Orange Hour, and Peachy Sunshine.

Price: A single 12-ounce can is $2, while a four-pack is $9.

First impression: The simple color palette is very similar to the noodles, but comes in more vibrant shades to really bring the energy. Despite the zero sugar, these flavors are sweet. They may not be artificial tasting, but they do give off more candy than natural fruit.

The flavors I like: I prefer the more subtle citrus flavors like Orange Hour and Lemon Crest — which tasted just like my fave yellow Starbursts. Even though they were stronger, I also liked the Blush Berry and Peachy Sunshine sips as well.

The flavors I liked the least: The Tropical Wave was good, but had no discernible fruit flavor. It just was generically sweet, and that confused my tastebuds. I was also shocked that the Jolly Strawberry didn’t taste like strawberries. I did enjoy the Cherry Nova, but that was the most candy-like flavor of the bunch.

What BTS likes: As a Jin bias, I wanted to sync up with him and love the Tropical Wave as much as he does. However, I vibed more with Suga and J-Hope’s love for the Orange Hour, as well as Jung Kook’s appreciation for the Lemon Crest.

Rating: 4.7/5

The Balance Dual-Biotic Sodas

As someone who always could use more fiber, I was most excited for the dual-biotic sodas. Each can has 3g of prebiotic fiber, which is meant to be good for your gut and digestion. The flavors include Apple Flare, Berry Bliss, Clear Lemon, Red Ruby Galore, Peach Mango Horizon, Pineapple Drift, and Positive Orange.

Price: A single 12-ounce can is $2, and a four-pack is $9.

First impression: Just like the energy drinks, these sodas are vibrant and Insta-worthy. What makes them different is they are caffeine-free and feature a plant-based fiber with only 2g of organic cane sugar. Some of the flavors were as sweet as the energy drinks, but overall, each can was refreshing, bubbly, and perfect for a hot day.

The flavors I like: ARIH does orange well, because my favorite was the Positive Orange. I also couldn’t put down the Pineapple Drift, and found the Apple Flare and Clear Lemon to be delicious as well.

The flavors I liked the least: The first flavor I tried was the Peach Mango Horizon because I heard that was Jin’s favorite, but it was overly sweet and I had to nurse it for a bit. I also felt the same about the Berry Bliss. The one flavor I couldn’t finish was the Red Ruby Galore. I’m not a huge fan of grapefruit, and this was just as bitter as the real thing.

What BTS likes: As I mentioned, Jin is a fan of the Peach Mango Horizon. It’s OK that our tastebuds don’t match up, because that just means I can share the flavors I don’t like with him. I am, however, linked up with my bias wrecker Suga, who likes Positive Orange, and Jung Kook who prefers the Clear Lemon. As far as J-Hope goes, he can have the rest of my Red Ruby Galore, which is his go-to of the bunch.

Rating: 4.8/5

Are BTS’ ARIH Noodles & Drinks Worth It?

If you’re going to pick anything from the ARIH lineup to try, I highly recommend the noodles. They were so much more elevated than other instant brands I’ve tried in the past, and they had really fresh and delicious flavors. The heat on the K-Super Spicy Seaweed almost took me out like I was a celeb on Hot Ones. The quality is undeniable, and BTS really ate with that one.

I also enjoyed taste-testing all the drinks, even though some of the flavors were a skip for me. When everything was right, though, it was delicious. Out of the entire collection, I can’t wait to stock up on more Gochujang Butter noodles, Positive Orange sodas, and Lemon Crest energy drinks to enjoy as I keep scrolling through concert videos on my FYP.