written by Marlene Arroyo and Brianna Aguayo
As a pair of journalists, one of us is an avid matcha consumer, and the other is a newbie. Together, we decided to hunt down the best matcha places surrounding M-A. We hope you try some of these spots!
*As a control, we ordered the same thing, an iced matcha with oat milk, at each spot, without asking for any extra sweeteners (besides the ones the drinks come with).
Starbucks:
This classic go-to spot for some convenient matcha holds nothing special. You may taste some graininess from the powder or spot a lot of green at the bottom of your cup since the matcha doesn’t seem to dissolve thoroughly. The latte is a bit sweeter compared to other ones, but the flavor was pretty good for a coffee chain, although not a standout.
Rating: B-
Coffeebar:
This is one of our favorite local coffee shops, but it utterly disappointed us with its underwhelming flavors. From the moment we received the drink, we knew by the light green color that something was off. The balance of milk to matcha flavor was off, with the overpowering taste of oat milk. While it was refreshing after a hot day, we were not searching to drink a glass of iced milk with a subtle flavor. The pricing was also comparatively higher than our other options, especially for a subpar drink. It places at the bottom of our list.
Rating: D
Verve Coffee:
When you step into this shop, you immediately feel the radiant ambiance, preparing you for a nice treat. Once you thoroughly mix your drink, the flavor of the honey blends in perfectly with the rich matcha flavor. Verve Coffee by far had the best consistency compared to the other latte. For a more sophisticated option, Verve is a must try!
Rating: A-
Blue Bottle Coffee:
Although not as sweet as the other lattes we tried, Blue Bottle’s matcha was not overpowered by the oatmilk. If you’re looking for a more refreshing option, this matcha would be the one for you. The biggest downside is the price, which was surprisingly more expensive than even Coffeebar.
Rating: B
Peet’s:
At first sight, the light green color made us believe that this was going to be a failure, but we were pleasantly surprised. Similar to Blue Bottle’s matcha, this is also a less sweet alternative but still rich in flavor. We recommend asking for more pumps of sweetener as the standard may not appear as much throughout the drink. The foam on the top is a unique touch that we didn’t find in the other locations. The balance between milk and matcha was perfect, and the overall result was refreshing and creamy. If you’re looking to try matcha for the first time, you should definitely stop by Peet’s.
Rating: A-
