The blueberry muffin is a bakery staple that one Street editor claims "should be its own food group." Any self-respecting bakery or coffee shop offers up a version, (unless they're all out ... screw you ABP) and we scoured campus to find out who's got the best. A group of Street staffers, fearless in the face of carbs, participated in our blind tasting. They critically assessed muffins from Fresh Grocer, Bucks County Coffee, Cosi, Gia Pronto and the Penn Bookstore, labeled A-E to avoid any preconceived biases. Although the tasters diverse and random opinions provide minimal consensus, they should serve as a rough guide the next time you're craving some cakey, crumbly blueberry goodness. Here are the results:
MUFFIN A
Fresh Grocer, 79 cents
Gena: I would rather eat the muffin wrapper.
Michelle: Not worth buying a bigger pair of jeans for.
Kali: Citrus flavoring does not belong in a blueberry muffin.
Alex: Cakey, zesty.
Maggie: Pleasantly delicate frost of cinnamon. Mmm...cinnamon.
BOTTOM LINE: Good choice for lovers of citrus and cinnamon.MUFFIN B
Bucks, $1.79
Michelle: The fresh blueberries make me feel unsettlingly healthy.
Julia: Chock full of fresh blueberry goodness.
Gena: Tastes like tushie.
Kali: I think this place found a regular.
Maggie: Reminds me of my experiences in 'Nam.
BOTTOM LINE: High ratio of blueberries to cake, though it may invoke painful memories of war.MUFFIN C
Cosi, $1.89 price
Kali: Sweet! No blueberries. I hate blueberries.
Alex: I thought I liked it, but I tried it again, now I hate it.
Julia: Tastes like sweet nectar from the gods.
BOTTOM LINE: Best for those who favor minimal blueberryness.MUFFIN D
Gia Pronto, $1.75
Kali: This muffin makes me hate my life.
Gena: You insult my intelligence.
Alex: Sand-like.
Michelle: Really dry, I thought I was going to cough up a hairball.
Maggie: What the fuck is wrong with D?
BOTTOM LINE: Overall, the worst and most despised muffin. Gia, stick with healthy stuff.MUFFIN E
Penn Bookstore, $1.75
Alex: Tastes bad, but curiously addictive.
Kali: What is this?
Claire: Best, just like my Croatian grandma makes.
Julia: Tastes like blueberry trash. Poor man's blueberry muffin. I vomited in my mouth a bit after eating this.
BOTTOM LINE: Although reviews were mixed, overall the Bookstore was the dark horse of muffins.
