For the past year or so, I’ve been going to Peet’s Coffee near my work to get their Matcha Javiva frozen drink. It’s the perfect choice if you find other frozen coffee drinks too rich and sweet. I was surprised to find recently that Starbucks has a Matcha Frappuccino and was curious to see if it would compare to Peet’s. So for the sake of research, I bought both and decided to do a taste test. In the battle of blended green tea drinks, which one wins?
Nutritional facts
| Peet's Matcha Javiva – Small | Starbucks’ Matcha Green Tea Crème Frappuccino – Tall | |
|---|---|---|
| (Non-fat milk) | (Non-fat milk) | |
| Calories | 200 | 290 |
| Fat - Total | 1g | 8g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g | 5g |
| Trans Fats | 0g | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 3mg | 30mg |
| Sodium | 210mg | 170mg |
| Carbohydrates | 42g | 50g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1g | 1g |
| Sugars | 40g | 48g |
| Protein | 8g | 5g |
It’s important to note that I get my drinks without whipped cream, but I couldn’t find the nutritional value sans whipped cream. That aside, it’s interesting that Peet’s wins in every category except sodium. The difference in fat is especially surprising. Starbucks asked if I wanted the sweetener, which I’ve never been asked at Peet’s, but Starbucks’ website doesn’t note any difference in the nutrition between unsweetened and sweetened.
Taste
Even though there are differences in fat and calories, there was little difference in taste. I believe the Frap was a tad bit sweeter, but it wasn’t too noticeable. I would be happy drinking either version. I’m curious to go back and see how the unsweetened Frap compares in taste.
Price
Peet’s version wins in the price category as well. A small there is $4.05 while Starbucks’ Frap costs 20 cents more. As you can see in the pictures below, there is little to no difference in size, so Peet’s is the better deal.
Conclusion
If you don’t have a Peet’s Coffee nearby, I would still recommend checking out Starbucks’ matcha drink, but for those of us that are lucky enough to be near a Peet’s location, the Matcha Javiva is the one to get.