Matcha Review: We Learned There is a Thing as “Too Much-a Matcha”
Hi everyone and happy holidays! In the spirit of festivities, and of school going on break, we’re finally publishing the long awaited matcha review which we actually did ages go — but better late than never!
In the past, we’ve done Thai food reviews, bakery food reviews, and boba reviews. This past year has scene a sprouting of matcha locations in Squirrel Hill, so it behooves us — as an Asian-centered magazine — to try them all out and give our extremely important and valid opinions on them (ignoring the fact that one of us doesn’t even like matcha but still went with us on this trip …).
And so, one Friday evening, we boarded the 61. Unfortunately, we did not foresee a lot of things: 1) the fact that we’re extremely lactose intolerant, 2) the fact that matcha has caffeine and it’s late in the day, and 3) the fact that trying the same matcha products three times was bound to get us a little sick of matcha.
It was a trial of an experience, with a lot of tribulations. But we still made it to the end, trying out Kyo Matcha, Mango Mango, and Meccha Matcha.
Kyo Matcha
Matcha Latte
“It was good for matcha latte” 3/5
“I liked the matcha flavor, compared to iced matcha lattes at other places like la prima or Starbucks, it was definitely less watered down and had a stronger flavor.”
“It had a good amount of sweetness, and the powder was definitely noticeable but not overly strong.” 4/5
Matcha Crepe Cake
“Very Creamy, Good matcha flavor.” 4/5
“It was very nice! I loved how creamy it was, and how it seemed to melt. The matcha flavor was strong but not too overpowering, and it wasn’t too straight. It is slabs of cream between thin layers of dough, so if you don’t like cream or soft textures or matcha, you might not like this!” 4/5
“Very creamy but good would’ve preferred no layers” 3/5
“Matcha felt very weak. It felt like a layer cake with matcha added as an afterthought.” 2/5
“Loved the texture and flavor and presentation.” 4/5
Matcha Parfait
“Very surprising! The corn flakes were a creative touch and added a nice crunch. I liked the red bean and the little rice balls. The matcha ice cream was very matcha flavored and not super sweet; I feel it could have been sweeter. “ 3.5/5
“i really like how the textures mixed.” 4/5
Mango Mango
Green Tea Crepe Cake
“I am aware it is green tea and not matcha. Flavor is extremely subtle — almost flavorless, to the point that it tastes just like vanilla crepe cake. Nice sweetness level, soft, decent but not mind blowing at all.” 3/5
“Was too creamy, not enough matcha/green tea flavor, lighter and too sweet.” 2/5
“Lot of cream, less dense than kyo matcha, didnt rly leave a lasting impression on me, softer crepes, and less powder.” 4/5
“No green tea flavour.” 2/5
Green Tea Red Bean Sundae
“The cinnamon chocolate sticks were the best part. The red bean was very odd and not that enjoyable, felt canned and nostalgic but not in a pleasant way. The ice cream was mediocre, sweet and had a light flavor.“ 2/5
“IT WAS JUST VANILLA FLAVOURED BROOO.” 2/5
“Ice cream underwhelming, red bean super lame and tasted like from a can, not awesome.” 3/5
“Red bean texture is kinda crunchy, not that flavorful; ice cream flavor isn’t distinctly strong; i do like the green tea flavor tho.” 1/4
Mango Sundae
“It melted very fast, and when it did, it basically felt like eating soup. The sago was nice but it was so soft you could barely feel it in your mouth. The mangos were fine in my opinion. The ice cream didn’t have a strong mango flavor.” 3/5
“MID ASF HOLY SHIT but the mango was ok. Go to meet fresh in cali please 🙏” 2/5
“Sooo watery, ice cream mid, mango was mid.” 2/5
Meccha Matcha
NOTE: As you can probably tell, our strength and our taste buds were flagging. The caffeine and lactose were starting to hit. So, unfortunately, a lot of us forgot to post our reviews for the items at Meccha Matcha, but thankfully there wasn’t much to say — it was all decently matcha flavored and pretty mid.
Matcha Vanilla Latte
“I quite like this one! By this point, I was a little sick of matcha so this one was welcome. This one was very vanilla-y and the oat milk added a nice, comforting taste. The matcha flavor was nice and subtle.” 4/5
Matcha Ice Cream
It tasted like matcha.
And if you want to know how the next few hours went for us …
