Samurai Chu-hi

This is my first alcohol review.  I was walking through the “Mini-Stop” in Sasazuka and something special caught my eye.  I saw a samurai on a Chu-hi can.  Chu-hi, pronounced “chew-hi” or 「チュー ハイ」, is a very popular alcoholic drink in Japan.  It is similiar to a wine cooler in the US.  They are usually between 4 and 8 percent alcohol depending on the brand and flavor.  This brand, Oenon, is not for sale in every コンビニ (convenience store).  I found them in Sasazuka Mini-Stop and when I got home, I could not find it at the Lawson, Sunkus, AM-PM or 99 shop.

My favorite part of 侍チューハイ was the tagline on the can: “Enjoy the refreshing real Japanese taste! A Samurai never breaks his word.”

Oenon Samurai Chi-hi comes in 4 flavors:

• Strong Lemon: 8% alcohol, 2.7% fruit juice
• Lemon and Lime: 5% alcohol, 1% fruit juice
• Ramune: 5% alcohol
• Blood Orange: 5% alcohol, 1% fruit juice

Of these four flavors, I enjoyed Strong Lemon the most.  The flavor was very similar to other brands of chu-hi.  The higher percentage (although only 2.7%) of fruit juice really makes the flavor nice.  The higher percentage of alcohol also gives the drink the most bang for the buck.

Ramune and Blood Orange are my next two favorite flavors.  The ramune can has a simple sweet flavor.  It was just what I expected a ramune flavored cocktail to taste like.  Blood Orange is not my favorite fruit, nor is it my favorite flavor, however the chu-hi version was very enjoyable.  It has a sweet orange start with a sour orange finish.  Very nice!

The flavor which I enjoyed least was “lemon lime”.  I was expecting a 7-up or sprite flavor however what I tasted was a lemon flavor with a lime aftertaste.  It was not terrible but I will probably not buy it again.

If you are someone who likes Chu-hi then you should give these a try.  As I said, I was only able to find them in Mini-Stop in Tokyo though if you look around, you may find them in another shop near you.  If you do find them and enjoy them, please leave a comment and let us know where and what you thought!

Oenons Homepage

(I could not find this drink on their page however!)