(to continue the absurdly long product name/description: “With shiitake mushrooms, tofu and chives.)
The first thing one notices upon stirring the contents of this soup packet into a cup of water is the fuzzy, algae-looking off-white scum that develops along the top of the liquid. This is discomfiting, but with enough stirring, it will dissipate, somewhat.
The mushroom bits floating in the broth are spongy, with little more flavor than texture. Spongier still are the tiny tofu cubes.
The broth itself is sweet (”dextrose” is the second ingredient listed) and salty, with only a bit of the characteristic richness of miso.
One bright spot is the dried chives, which come alive with flavor in the soup. This may be relative: everything else, even the seaweed, is perfectly flavorless. Even so, the chives do not fully rehydrate, leaving them chewy rather than crisp.
The soup finishes with a tinny, sweet aftertaste, reminiscent of artificial sweetener.
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