ENERGY HUNTER LUTEIN

Posted on December 6, 2020 | Last updated February 6, 2025

The third edition of Topvalu's private brand energy drink, Energy Hunter, is the limited-time Energy Hunter Lutein. This time, it’s an energy drink containing lutein, which is known to be good for the eyes.

ENERGY HUNTER LUTEIN

Manufacturer	Aeon
Country of Origin	Japan
Price	138 JPY
Flavor	Orange、Chemicals
Total rating	★★★☆☆

Author information Author: Energy Drink-kun

In 2001, while living in the United States, I encountered energy drinks through the dance scene and was deeply impressed. After returning to Japan, I found that energy drinks were considered novelty beverages, so I established a comprehensive website in 2013 to share the true appeal of energy drinks. As an energy drink enthusiast, I began drinking them seriously again, collecting over 7,000 varieties of energy drinks from various countries. I am also active as a critic and expert, receiving media interviews.

Energy Hunter Lutein Tasting Review

I thought the contents would be purple, but it turned out to be a murky orange-yellow. There's a slight chemical smell. Let's try drinking it.

Energy Hunter Lutein
When I take a sip, the flavor reminds me of candy-like ramune with a chemical-like taste, and there's a lingering aftertaste of something sweet and sour, almost like orange. It's not purely a chemical taste, more like "a medicinal flavor that tastes like orange."

The chemical taste, artificial sweeteners, and orange flavor don't leave an overwhelming aftertaste; it's quite refreshing and light, with no residue left in my mouth. This makes it easy to drink even with a 300ml can. By the way, the sugar content is about half of what you'd find in a typical energy drink.

Energy Hunter Lutein has a flavor profile that's about 70% chemical taste and 30% orange flavor. So, if you approach it with the mindset of an energy drink mixed with a health drink, or if you're someone who just wants to feel some effect, this might be a good match.

Energy Hunter Original became a topic of discussion among energy drink enthusiasts when it was first released, with a theory that the target audience wasn't just young people, but also middle-aged and older shoppers who frequent AEON stores. This theory suggests that the product was designed with easy-to-understand product names, design, taste, ingredients, and pricing to appeal to a wider demographic.

Personally, I would prefer a normal, delicious orange flavor without the medicinal taste, but I think the general image of energy drinks is often associated with the difficult-to-drink, artificial flavors of health drinks. Perhaps that’s why they chose this taste? Or am I overthinking it?

Energy Ingredients of Energy Hunter Lutein

Energy Hunter Lutein
It contains 195mg of caffeine, 600mg of arginine, and 0.93–3.9mg of lutein. This makes it one of the top energy drinks in terms of caffeine content. You’ll want to be mindful of how much you drink and when.

The "lutein" in Energy Hunter Lutein is known for improving blurred vision and eye fatigue, and it's also found in supplements. Typically, supplements contain 15–20mg of lutein per capsule, but in this energy drink, it's only a maximum of 3.9mg, so unfortunately, it’s not enough to make a noticeable difference for eye strain. But I don't think many people would expect that from an energy drink... (^_^;)

By the way, there used to be an energy drink called Survivor Protect with lutein, which was also marketed as a product to protect your eyes.

Design of Energy Hunter Lutein

As the name "Energy Hunter Lutein" suggests, it's characterized by the inclusion of lutein. Since lutein is found in abundance in blueberries, I thought they chose purple for the can design. However, the taste isn't at all blueberry-flavored Σ(´∀｀；). I expected a blueberry flavor before drinking it, considering it contains lutein and has that purple can color.

As indicated on the top label, this Energy Hunter Lutein is a limited-time release. Once it's gone, it'll be discontinued.

Considering the sales floor, I think it’s best to release new limited-time products several times a year. If that’s the case, we can look forward to new flavors coming out in the future.

Since it’s difficult to keep differentiating with just ingredients, it would be great if they could keep us entertained with a wide variety of flavors. If they focus too much on specific ingredients or target audiences, it might limit the potential of the product.

Especially with the Energy Hunter series, there’s often a lot of talk online about it being "the strongest," "dangerous," or "best value," thanks to its high caffeine content. While that’s true, if they continue expanding the series, I’d love for them to take the flavor to the next level—something so delicious that it leaves you speechless the moment you take a sip, while keeping the same energizing ingredients.

Let’s look forward to more variations in flavor, can colors, and limited edition designs for the future of Energy Hunter!

Update on February 6, 2022

After being released as a limited-edition product in 2020, Energy Hunter Lutein had disappeared from the shelves, but in February 2022, it started appearing in stores again. The expiration date is listed as November 2022, which means they’re making new batches.

As of this point, there’s no information about Energy Hunter Lutein on the official website, so it looks like it was discontinued and then re-released.