Each day, Shadow Hills students arrive on campus with drinks in hand, often from Starbucks. On Feb. 3, 2026, the chain released its Valentine’s Day menu, featuring a new lineup of seasonal drinks and pastries. One standout item trending across social media is the Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha. While online reviews praise the new pastry selection, we wanted to know how the Knight community feels about the latest sips.
Freshman Jayleen Flores tried the Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha and found the flavor profile surprising. “The drink tastes like only chocolate and matcha, I don’t really taste the pistachio,” Flores said. “But overall, I really like the drink!”
Sophomore Miracle Carrillo-Gonzalez had a different experience, noting that she could taste the pistachio syrup clearly.
The menu also highlights other matcha-based drinks, including the Double Berry Matcha and the Banana Bread Matcha. Carrillo-Gonzalez sampled the latter and noted the dessert-like quality.
“It tastes very nutty when they add the cold foam, and they add little sprinkles,” Carrillo-Gonzalez said. “You can taste the matcha, but it mostly tastes like banana.”
Ms. Rios, who teaches college and career as well as history and ethnic studies, is a self-proclaimed matcha enthusiast. After trying the Very Berry Matcha Latte, she found the flavor profile a bit intense.
“It was pretty good, but [it had] too much of a berry flavor for my liking,” Rios said. She added that next time, she would order the drink with only the cold foam, skipping the strawberry puree.
