Smoothies are a refreshing staple to every student’s diet, especially as we approach the hot months of spring and summer. Throughout Mclean there are a myriad of smoothie places, though they all are contrasting in their appeals and taste. Four of the top smoothie places in Mclean include Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Sweet Lead, South Block, and Robeks. Each place provides students with a varying smoothie, so it is nearly impossible to find one that does not suit your taste.

Tropical Smoothie- I ordered the Jetty Punch smoothie, and within two minutes it was ready to go. The consistency was somewhat like an Icee rather than a smoothie, and I felt like the smoothie could have used some sort of other component, like cream or yogurt. In terms of flavor, it was nothing special. The taste felt inconsistent, and I felt like in some sips it was all strawberry or all banana. Another fault of this smoothie was the broken straw it came with, which made it hard to sip. Overall, I give this smoothie 3/5 stars because of its nice and creamy texture, but average flavor.

Sweet Leaf- This was a great smoothie. The Classic, a strawberry and banana smoothie, while taking the longest to prepare was certainly worth the wait. The smoothie’s yogurt base gave it a thicker texture, similar to the texture of a smoothie bowl. The taste was tangy, like that of a tart frozen yogurt, which complimented the strawberry banana flavor. My only criticism would be that the yogurt did make the fruit of the smoothie a little less strong, though I didn’t mind that. This smoothie gets an easy 5/5 thanks to the great consistency, as well as its unique, more balanced taste.

South Block-The Strawberry Passion smoothie is what I would call a vegan mom’s homemade slurpee recipe. It had an almost overbearing passion fruit flavor, with a slight hint of strawberry. The smoothie was a bright red, with a color reminding me of tomato juice. My first sip was a sour surprise. As I continued to drink it, the lip-puckering sourness faded, but I was still left with the strong dominating acidity of the passion fruit. Looking past the taste, the consistency was chunky and watery. This smoothie is a 2/5 considering its poor consistency and troubling flavor.

Robeks- This Strawnana Berry smoothie met my expectations and nothing more. It was incredibly sweet and had the most smoothie-like texture out of all of them. The sweetness made it unappetizing to my palate. It felt like eating a piece of strawberry candy, which detracted from the health appeal of drinking a smoothie. If anyone is looking for an excessively sweet smoothie, this would be a great option. Altogether, the smoothie would receive a 3.5/5 for the velvety texture but overly sweet taste.