I am no foreigner to matcha. In fact, some would call me a connoisseur. As a Californian native I have had my fair share of matcha, and Starbucks’ green tea latte does not cut it for me.
For those of you who are not so well-versed in the matcha world, it is just powdered green tea leaves, but if you do it wrong it can taste like seaweed, and if you do it right, it is sweet and creamy green tea.
After moving to the Midwest (where matcha doesn’t seem to be so popular), I figured I had to find a place to satisfy my cravings. This has lead me on my wild goose chase to find the best matcha in Evanston, Illinois, starting with Cupitol.
Cupitol is a vibrant and hip café filled with mismatching furniture, which creates a very eclectic vibe. I walked up to the counter, and next to the hightech IPad cash register, was a display case filled with muffins and pastries. I got a maple pecan scone to pair with my low-fat matcha latte.
I watched as the barista flawlessly moved from the mini fridge, to the frother, to the espresso machine and within 20 seconds my latte was in an off-white, ceramic mug in my hand. My hand wobbled as I carried my 12oz latte and scone to a pink, plush armchair. I sat down and was finally ready to take a sip.
Cupitol’s matcha tasted like warm milk with a hint of green tea. The matcha flavor I was looking for wasn’t entirely present, and the consistency was chalky, with flakes of green tea sticking to the side of the cup. If you’re in the mood to blow $5 at Cupitol I would recommend the Nutella latte over the matcha because the calorie count comes out to be roughly the same, and you might as well treat yourself to something good.
Sorry Cupitol, but I would give you a ⅖ on the matcha. Now I’m off to the next place to find the best matcha.