SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY

Posted on December 4, 2022 | Last updated February 1, 2025

SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK, an energy drink series from Coca-Cola, is sold in Vietnam and Cambodia. This particular version features a strawberry flavor.

SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK, which debuted around 2002 as a prototype, later took on the design of Coca-Cola's burn series in Vietnam. While the product is nearly gone from store shelves as of 2023, the official sources state that sales continue.

Strawberry flavor is a common choice in Southeast Asia, and it is often sold as part of a set alongside the "yellow original" flavor. Let's try this sweet, Southeast Asian-style strawberry energy drink.

SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY

Manufacturer	Coca Cola
Country of Origin	Vietnam
Price	12000 VND
Flavor	Strawberry
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.

Flavor of SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY

When opening the can, a sweet and sour strawberry candy or shaved ice syrup-like aroma fills the air. The artificial strawberry scent, which feels unlike a typical drink, is a signature feature of Southeast Asian energy drinks.
SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY
When you take a sip, you’re met with a strawberry syrup flavor that lacks the typical fruity taste. It isn’t as rich as the scent might suggest, and when it comes to the intensity of the flavor, it stays at a fairly normal level.

There’s no tang, fragrance, or umami typically associated with strawberries; it’s simply a sweet, shaved ice syrup-like strawberry taste. However, the aftertaste is surprisingly subtle, and the flavor and aroma are more drinkable than expected, which caught me off guard. It’s more tolerable than I had imagined.

Compared to SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK ORIGINAL, this one can be considered more drinkable.

Energy Ingredients of SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY

SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY
It contains 74.1mg of caffeine, 234mg of taurine, and various B-vitamins.

The sugar content is an astonishing 85.8mg per can!! This is higher than most energy drinks, even those in 500ml sizes, making it the highest globally. I thought I had misread it, but there’s 22g of sugar per 100ml. I couldn’t believe such a dangerous energy drink existed in Southeast Asia…
⇒ Energy Drink Sugar Content Ranking

Design of SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY

SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY
The Vietnam version of SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK features the logo from Coca-Cola's burn series. Given this design, I’ve classified this drink under the burn series for this review.

By the time I purchased it, SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK had already been under the Monster Energy umbrella, but the SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY I reviewed was from the Coca-Cola era.

The SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK ORIGINAL I purchased at the same time was from the period after it had moved under Monster Energy, and it contained Monster Energy branding and other details.

SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY in Cambodia

I purchased SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY during a trip to Cambodia, and the bottle was a different shape, with a larger size of 490ml compared to the Vietnam version.

The logo still uses the classic "SAMURAI" font, which is different from the burn-type version in Vietnam.

In Cambodia, even though it has been under the Monster Energy umbrella, the SAMURAI font on the label would probably make it hard to guess that this is a Coca-Cola energy drink, even for someone familiar with energy drinks.

As with the Vietnam version, it is sold at local prices in Cambodia, and I saw people drinking SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY while I was there.

SAMURAI ENERGY DRINK STRAWBERRY
The cap on the Vietnam version has "SAMURAI" written in the same font as the burn series.

In Vietnam, 2019, the stock was nearly gone, and by 2022, it had disappeared entirely. The world’s highest sugar content energy drink may have disappeared from the shelves.