Matcha is one of the most controversial drinks of the decade. Beloved by many and hated by others, it has risen in popularity recently for its online presence in popular media. Loved and hated for its herbal and grassy taste, along with its iconic green color, the flavor of matcha can change drastically, from a nice sweet drink to a grassy mess, depending on its origin. That begs the question, what truly is the best place to get a cup of matcha?
Da Vien Coffee
By Antonio Sandoval
Da Vien is a Vietnamese-inspired coffee shop that has a variety of matcha flavor combinations, such as banana-matcha, coconut matcha, and their new flavor, Einspänner-matcha. The drink I tried is their Banana Matcha Latte, topped with banana purée and banana bits, at a price of $7 per cup, but with a significant size. The first sip was a strong taste of sweet banana, which, to anyone who likes bananas, would be in Heaven. The matcha is not overpowering, lacking the strong, grassy taste that is often associated with matcha. The banana purée is rich in sweetness. At Da Vien, they add gallons of ice, so if anyone wanted to drench their matcha-thirst, they might need to buy a few cups. Overall, it was one of the best matcha drinks I personally have ever had.
Taste : 5/5
Price : 3/5
Looks : 4/5
***WOULD RECOMMEND ***
85°C Bakery Cafe
By David Garcia
The first location I went to was the 85°C Bakery Cafe, a cafe offering drinks and desserts, with roots in Taiwan. The price surprised me, as I tried a medium sea salt matcha latte for just $4.75, a steal compared to three other places I went to after. I had never tried matcha, but 85°C certainly delivered, giving me that signature matcha flavor backed by delicious milk, both blended together perfectly with the right amount of ice to keep the matcha cool. Each aspect of the drink sought to support each other, something rival cafes didn’t quite get right.
Taste: 5/5
Price: 5/5
Look: 5/5
***ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND PLEASE GO HERE***
Starbucks
By David Garcia
The next location I tried was Starbucks. The price surprised me, but not in the right way. I paid $5.45 for a small iced matcha latte, which was half the size of the medium at 85°C. The disappointment continued, as the matcha flavor did not make itself as prevalent. In fact, most of what I drank consisted of less than great milk, with simply too much ice. There are other options to add to your matcha, sure, but the base matcha, the one that you can walk into the Starbucks and order, does not meet my expectations.
Taste: 3/5
Price: 2/5
Look: 4/5
***WOULD NOT RECOMMEND, PROBABLY DON’T GO HERE***
Even the most exquisite matcha could not convince someone who despises matcha to their core. Many hate the drink, considering it one of the worst war crimes in modern history. Even here at Cypress High School, some spread the love of matcha, and some spread its downfall. If our school is divided by one thing, it’s matcha.
D1 Matcha-Hater, Finn Cooper
Junior Finn Cooper is a crusader in the effort of matcha-hate, saying no matter how performative he would want to be, he is never sipping matcha ever again. Cooper remarks that matcha is a
drink that is purely for show, for the sake of performance. “It’s for the act, it’s for the performance. Mustard? More like must be hard to drink liquid grass,” said Cooper. He reveals that it’s a drink purely to show, the reason why people’s cups of matcha are always full is because no one truly wants to drink matcha. “It felt so much like a cold, grassy, blended cow food,” stated Cooper. He despises matcha with all his soul, saying that there isn’t a single part of matcha that would be enjoyable to the human taste buds. “I didn’t enjoy it. There was no savory, there was no sweet, there wasn’t any of those S’s, there was no classification with it. It’s just matcha.” Cooper leaves a message of wisdom to all those who claim to enjoy matcha, a message to stay true to yourself, “Be true to yourself. No matter how performative you want to be, everyone loves being performative, but no Labubu you carry is going to mask the fact that you are drinking something so unenjoyable that it’s ruining your vibe. Does it look cool with you because it’s performative? No, it’s bad, it doesn’t matter. You have to be true to yourself and be honest. Matcha is not as good as people glaze it to be.” He adds something that we can all agree on as a collective society, “Instead of matcha, I think the new performative drink should be Baja Blast or Dr. Pepper.”
D1 Matcha-Glazer, David Villalobos
Sophomore David Villalobos believes that matcha is the best thing to ever happen to mankind, saying that without matcha, the world would have ended. “Matcha is the best human invention ever. If we didn’t have matcha, I think the world would have collapsed already. Matcha brings people together.” He encouraged everyone to drink the sweet matcha nectar sent from the gods. He expresses his admiration of matcha to all who listen, “I frickin’ love matcha man, I would die for matcha,” Villalobos states. He believed everyone should try matcha, and what he says to the matcha-haters who say it tastes like grass is, “To people who hate matcha, man they don’t know what they’re talking about. Matcha is the best.”
Matcha’s Worst Nightmare, Gabriella Alcaraz
Senior Gabriella Alcaraz has a burning hatred for matcha, every single day, she prays for its downfall. She stated her hatred for matcha: “I hate
matcha; matcha is so disgusting. It tastes like grass, and it tastes like cows that eat the grass then poop it out, that’s what matcha tastes like. It’s so disgusting, and I hate it. Anybody who says they like it is lying to spread propaganda, it is so disgusting, and it tastes like farts.” She also states that if she could, she would slap matcha out of the hand of anyone she saw that was drinking it, but she wouldn’t because she states, “Matcha is overpriced, it’s so expensive. Why are you paying $14 for a cup of matcha? So gross… I would look at them and judge them really, really hard. Maybe say matcha is disgusting, then we get into an argument, then we fight.” Alcaraz’s hatred for matcha goes so far down the bone that she’s willing to throw hands with anyone she finds with a cup, even her own siblings. She says that anyone who enjoys matcha is a liar and, in her words, “fit with the agenda.”
Though we have such divisions in our community, we shouldn’t let it stop us from loving one another. Regardless of whether someone might be a matcha-hater or a matcha-lover, we all treat each other with kindness. Though we can’t all agree that matcha is great, like how we all agree that Dr. Pepper is S-tier, we can all agree that matcha is one of the most controversial drinks in modern history.
