For those of you go on a daily Starbucks run for that creamy, venti matcha iced latte, and painfully watch your bank account take hit after hit, this new addition to the Dunkin’ menu may be for you. On February 26, matcha-flavored drinks, inclduding iced, hot, and frozen lattes, were made available at Dunkin’ nationwide. With Dunkin’ situated so close to the high school and our students being so dependent on caffeine, this is sure to make an impact on the community. 

Matcha is, essentially, green tea leaves that have been ground into powder. Both matcha and green tea are derived from the same plant, called Camellia Sinensis. However, matcha tea has a much richer and more buttery flavor, giving it a distinct taste and a more opaquely green color (this is largely due to the chlorophyll present). A great first trial of a matcha drink for those of you who have not tried it is the iced matcha latte at Starbucks, which uses powder that is a blend of sugar, flavoring, and green tea—it’s not as strong as pure matcha, but you could always ask for extra scoops of powder.

It’s unclear what type of matcha powder Dunkin’ uses—the website simply states that it’s high quality—but it’s definitely not the same one as Stabucks’s, or if it is, it is blended in a far different manner. Although Dunkin’ has stated that it blends the powder with milk, the drink looks and tastes very watered down, especially after the copious amount of ice begins to melt. There’s milk involved, for sure, but how much is questionable. 

After a little over a week of matcha availability at Dunkin, Tenafly students have begun formulating their opinions on the new drink. “It tastes very milky and not as sweet as the Starbucks one,” Norhan Zouack (’21) said. “Another downside is that it gets watered down very easily.”

Other students are more forgiving. “For the price, I think it is well worth it,” Ariana Bondi (‘20) said. However, she continues to say, “Although, compared to Starbucks’s matcha green tea, it is not as good.” The consensus with our community seems to be that the Starbucks matcha is far superior in taste, but considering how often we as students get coffee, the price is also a factor to look at. A medium at Dunkin’ is $3.19 plus tax, and a venti at Starbucks (which holds about the same amount of coffee as the aforementioned Dunkin’ option) is more than a full dollar more, depending on add-ons and varying milk options. That extra money adds up, as many students’ debit card reports can readily prove.

We can all be thankful for this new addition to Dunkin, because although it’s not incredible, it’s the half-decency you can expect from the chain.  “Since it’s come out, I’ve gotten one every day we’ve had school,” said Zouack. Although Stabucks is better, it’s still good.” 

Next time you’re a few minutes early on your way to school, drop by Dunkin’ and give the green drink a try. Maybe it’ll become your new regular.