I Tried 5 Cheap Spicy Noodles From Canada's Grocery Stores & 1 Is Terrifyingly Hot

Nongshim Shin Cup

What It Tastes Like: Given that this package says "gourmet spicy," I was expecting big things from this product but was a little disappointed.

It tastes like a perfectly fine cup of noodles, but I wouldn't say it feels particularly gourmet or spicy. In fact, I'd say this is comparable to Mr. Noodles in the sense that it tastes comforting and I'd eat it if it was there, but I wouldn't go out of my way to pick it up knowing that there are better options out there.

Spice rating: 1/5

Price: $1.47 (for 75 grams)

Mama Hot & Spicy Flavour Oriental Style Instant Noodle

What It Tastes Like: I'd never tried Mama's noodles before and I'm a little mad I've slept on them so long, because they are very, very yummy.

It has a really nice sesame flavour that I wasn't expecting and has a pleasantly tingly front-of-the-tongue spice that wakes your mouth up without overpowering it.

If I was hungover, getting over a cold, or coming inside on a cold winter's day, this would 100% be what I'd want as a quick and easy meal.

While I wouldn't say this is overly spicy, it's got a mild kick that I think most people could tolerate and it was my favourite of all the noodles I tried for this taste test.

Spice rating: 1.5/5

Price: $1.48 (for 90 grams)

Hanbanero Topokki

What It Tastes Like: Given the picture on the front of the bowl of the dude sweating and crying in pain, I was incredibly scared to put this in my mouth but it turned out to be manageable.

I'd never had this brand before and the entire experience was new to me. Inside the package, there was a little plastic fork, a package of vermicelli noodles, a package of tteokbokki (which Google has informed me is a popular South Korean rice cake) and a package of sauce.

When everything was added together with water, it was quite an intimidating brown-red colour that looked like it would scorch my tongue, but it was pleasantly spicy without being painful and was tempered with a good amount of sweetness.

I loved the habanero flavour with the tteokbokki, which soaked everything up wonderfully, and the glass noodles gave me the slurp factor I crave when eating instant noodles.

Spice rating: 3/5

Price: $3.49 (for 132 grams)

Buldak Hot Chicken Flavour Ramen

What It Tastes Like: This is what I'd consider to be my upper limit when it comes to tolerating spicy foods, but I can't say I enjoyed these instant noodles.

I couldn't find any discernable flavour to this other than "hot," and while I didn't actually like them, I couldn't seem to stop myself from going back for another bite.

Perhaps I just needed some spice to hurt myself in order to feel alive, but out of all the noodles I tried, it was the one I finished off first even though I preferred the flavours of some of the others.

Spice rating: 3.5/5

Price: $3.50

Buldak Hot Chicken Flavour Ramen, 2x spicy

What It Tastes Like: If the previous Buldak Hot Chicken Flavour Ramen tasted like "hot," this version, which is two times as spicy, tastes like "pain."

Again, there is no real taste here other than the overpowering spice which thoroughly coats your entire mouth.

The spice reached a level that it made my nose run, made me start to sweat and for some reason, it made me pant and hold my tongue outside of my mouth for air. It also made my lips and chin sting, so I assumed I got a bit of the noodle or sauce on them.

This feels like something I would have eaten as a teenager on a dare while pretending that I was totally fine, but truly, there is no reason to do this to yourself.

After cooling my mouth down with yogurt, I considered whether or not I wanted to put this in my fridge with the rest of the noodles I tried, but I ended up tossing them because I don't need that kind of negativity (or stomach ache) in my life.

Spice rating: 4/5

Price: $3.50