With Boise’s 90 degree summer days, no feeling can compare to stepping into the air-conditioned oasis of a local coffee shop. Craving something that will combat your mid-day slump but tired of your usual coffee-based blend? Matcha, an earthy green tea, always does the trick.
I visited four cafes to find the best iced matcha latte in Boise, judging each shop with five pieces of criteria in mind: color, taste, smell, texture and price. For the sake of this experiment, each 16 ounce matcha was made to my usual order: creamed with oatmilk and sweetened with vanilla.
Dawson Taylor’s matcha is nothing special — the vanilla is overpowering with a flavor that hits instantly. The lack of silkiness could’ve definitely been better. As this drink was a little over $7.00, I was overall disappointed. I want to be drinking matcha, not an overly-sweet green beverage.
I really did enjoy this earthy experience. The silkiness combined with great flavor made this matcha almost perfect. Why almost perfect? The price. The District only makes their matchas in a 12 ounce size with the price still totaling on the higher end of $6.00.
I adored this matcha. I initially thought Flying M would take the top spot as number one as the flavor itself was perfectly curated and smelled wonderful, albeit the texture was quite thin. The price was steep and would’ve been more reasonable if I wasn’t charged for both sweetener and the oatmilk. I wasn’t thrilled to give up that much for a drink that was downed in 10 seconds.
Java’s matcha was the clear stand out in this experiment. The flavor of this drink was delicious and the texture was seriously perfect. The vanilla and oatmilk didn’t overpower the taste at all and I loved the dark-green color. Good on you, Java! The price is teetering on $7.00, but there was no charge for the sweetener. Java will definitely be seeing me again!
