Grace von Oiste and Yasmine Bazos Visuals: Piper Tingleaf 09.22.22: Superficial, Arts

Some like coffee. Some like tea. Others need a little more. 

Enter the matcha latte. It’s lightly caffeinated, giving you the slow buzz you need to stay alert morning or night. The matcha tea that forms its base is high in antioxidants and has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including promoting liver and gut health and reducing the risk of heart disease. And whether it’s served with oat milk or regular, iced or hot, the taste is unmatched.

We took to the Cambridge streets on a mission to find the best matcha in the Square. 

Flour takes the cake—pun intended. This matcha latte is better iced, but you really can’t go wrong. It’s luscious—creamy and smooth—and the perfect green color. Not too sweet, but not too bitter, striking the perfect balance. Add your own simple syrup for an extra kick—or don’t—either way, it’s perfect.

If you like to online order a matcha for quick pickup, this isn’t your spot. But if you have some time to kill, then Blue Bottle’s matcha is worth your while. Creamy, potent, and not bitter, this matcha takes a long time to make for a reason. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, try their Hojicha, which is a toasted matcha that gives the drink a bit more of a deep, earthy taste.

This matcha latte is definitely a sweet one. It’s the perfect pick-me-up when you’re in the mood for something on the sugary side of things. The latte has a distinct taste and has a pretty good matcha powder to liquid ratio. Go for oat milk—it’s like dessert. 

A classic. It’s creamy, has just the right amount of foam, and Tatte makes you wait just long enough to really crave it by the time you get it. Perfect location to grab one post-Boylston lecture. You can never go wrong with a beverage the color of the Green Monster!

Nope, not a fan of this one. It might be that the ambience of Life Alive is characterized by vegetables, but this drink tastes like vegetables. Even with oat or almond milk supplemented, it lacks creaminess. Although Life Alive offers a daily dose of health, that might not be what you’re looking for in a Matcha latte. 

Unfortunately, we’d have to rank this one the lowest on the list. Sorry, Peet’s, but this is literally just green water. It was lukewarm and not at all the right ratio of matcha powder to liquid. Even almond milk didn’t help with the texture or blend of the drink. But come for the 50% discount for Harvard students!

Grace von Oiste ’24 (gvonoiste@college.harvard.edu) had already tried all the matchas.

Yasmine Bazos (yasminebazos@college.harvard.edu) will be going back to Flour every day now.

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