I. Love. Matcha. 

I used to be an iced coffee girlie, as most people in Massachusetts are. However, once I took my first sip of that smooth green goodness, I was hooked. Coming to Harvard, I was so excited about all the different matcha options that would be available to me, all within the short walk to Harvard Square.
 
With all of these options, I wanted to go out and see which one, in my opinion, was truly the best choice. I may not be in STEM, but I understand a bit of the scientific method. I ordered the same thing at all of the locations: a small iced matcha with skim milk, vanilla, and splenda.

My quest started off with a visit to the Capital One Cafe. During the Major League Baseball season, they have this really nice deal where, every Monday, any drink is free! Luckily for me, this included my matcha. Normally, though, I believe it would be around $4 for this order. This matcha was a little less sweet than what I was normally used to, but it tasted more ‘real’ too. For my personal tastes, I gave this one a 4/10.

One of the very popular spots on campus is Blank Street, so it just made sense for that to be my second stop in my journey. One of the cool perks about this shop is that they have a subscription, which allows you to order an unlimited amount of drinks every week. I'm not a member, so my drink cost me $6.32. This one also tasted rather authentic, in my opinion, but I still wish it was slightly sweeter. Overall, I gave this matcha a 6/10.

The Smith Campus Centre features a few cafes, so that was the next location for me. The third matcha in this little experiment was from Pavement. They didn't have skim milk, so I opted for low fat instead. In total, I paid $7.22 for my drink. This was very cool, sweet, and refreshing, a really good pick-me-up that is very conveniently located. I rated this drink a 7/10.

Also in Smith is Blackbird, which doubles as a doughnut shop. Here, my drink cost me $7.49. The staff here was super kind and answered all of my questions. The drink, though, was very milky and not sweet enough to my standards. There was also a lot of foam at the top, which wasn't my personal preference. I think that, for those who like an unsweetened matcha taste, this would be perfect. For me and my sweet tooth, though, I would rate this a 1/10. Their doughnuts though were amazing, and I'd highly recommend the S'mores Bismarck. 

The next matcha on my list was from Peet's Coffee. This drink cost me $6.53. I ordered the smallest size here, which was 12 oz., but I'm not quite sure how this stacks up against the other 'small' sizes. This one was cool and sweet, but had a mild grassy aftertaste that I wasn't the hugest fan of. I would rate it a 5/10. 

The next place I visited was Kung Fu Tea. Hear me out...I know this isn't your typical location to get a matcha, but I saw the poster in the window and I had to give it a try. This drink cost me $6.74, and it was definitely money well-spent/ It had just the right amount of sweetness, and the tapioca pearls were so tasty. I would rate this drink as a 9/10. 

My next spot was Blue Bottle. Once I walked in, I realised that I had been passing this cafe every day on my commute to class from Quincy House, but never really noticed. When I ordered, there was no vanilla, so I got the brown sugar syrup instead. In total. my drink was $7.22. This one was really, really good! I was very pleasantly surprised by just how yummy it was. Overall, 8/10 on my scale. 

As someone from the east coast, I had to finish off my search with my childhood favourite: Dunkin' Donuts. Here, I accidentally ordered a medium, because that's what I usually get, but for a small it would cost $5.20. I also ordered this one on a Monday, so I got extra points in my rewards account. I know how this sounds, but this really was my favourite! Maybe it's the nostalgia, maybe it's the familiarity, maybe it's the comfort. Whatever it is, something about the taste is just unbeatable for me. By my ranks, it's a 10/10.

Ranked by Taste

1. Dunkin: 10/10

2. Kung Fu Tea: 9/10

3. Blue Bottle: 8/10

4. Pavement: 7/10

5. Blank Street: 6/10

6. Peet's Coffee: 5/10

7. Capital One Cafe: 4/10

8. Blackbird: 1/10

Ranked by Price

1. Capital One: ~ $4.00

2. Dunkin Donuts: $5.20

3. Blank Street: $6.32

4. Peet's Coffee: $6.53

5. Kung Fu Tea: $6.74

6. (TIE) Pavement: $7.22

7. (TIE) BlueBottle: $7.22

8. BlackBird: $7.49