Yaaqu3

My guess is that it might have been sweet tea with a bunch of sugar, or possibly something like kool aid/iced tea powder that you stirred in which is what burned. Because yeah, pure water would just have evaporated.

Of course the ramen doesn't fill up the cup when it's dry, because it swells when water is added and would overflow otherwise. Let them soak and then drain all the water, and you'll see they pretty much fill the cup.