Each year, as the cherry blossoms ramp up to peak bloom status, food and drink specials to celebrate the flowers pop up on menu boards around the District. From sakura cocktails at bars to cherry-filled desserts at bakeries, Washingtonians and tourists alike can take their pick of floral or — let’s be honest, sometimes sickly sweet — treats to mark the yearly festival.

It’s a local phenomenon that I have always tried to embrace, but there’s always too many specials to keep track of and I get overwhelmed by how many I want to try in the short few weeks they’re available. So this year, I set aside a day for this singular purpose. I trekked around D.C. and tried as many cherry blossom specials as my stomach, wallet, and time allowed.

I set off on a sunny Saturday morning on an empty stomach to pick up some treats from across town and set myself up for success. I managed to knock out six in one day, and they’re rated below using — what else? — a scale of one to five blossoms. (I also included some honorable mentions I had the day before or after.) Many of the specials will be around through the end of the festival April 17, so here are some highlights to inform any cravings you may have this week.

Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken’s cherry blossom doughnut ($4.50, 🌸🌸🌸🌸 four blossoms)

Hands down, this was the prettiest treat of the day. The piped frosting blossoms on the white cream cheese glaze background made for a doughnut that was almost too pretty to eat. I did eat it, however, and it was delicious. The airy yeast doughnut paired well with the sour cherry jam and sweet glaze —.the jam was definitely the highlight.

Baked & Wired’s gluten-free cherry blossom cakecup ($5.50, 🌸🌸🌸 three blossoms)

The respective lines at the resident Georgetown cupcake shops made my decision for me on which I would be trying. (Who’s got time for that line when there’s more treats to try?) Though Baked & Wired sells a regular cherry blossom “cakecup,” as they call it, with maraschino cherries folded into the cake and flavoring the icing, the gluten-free alternative was the only one available when I stopped by. That cakecup’s gluten-free chocolate cake had a similar treatment that was not overly sweet. It only had a very subtle cherry flavor, though, so it’s not going to replace my favorite from the bakery. (That would be the “Razmanian Devil,” which pairs lemon cake and frosting with raspberry filling.)

District Doughnut’s cherry blossom doughnut ($4, 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸 five blossoms)

This doughnut may have been the highlight of this long day, even though I’m usually not that much of a doughnut person. The vanilla bean donut with cream cheese glaze, cherry pie filling, and pie crust crumble created a treat really reminiscent of cherry pie. The cream cheese flavor was stronger here and the tang balanced the rest of the sugar in the doughnut. Plus, the crumble added a nice texture. It got five blossoms despite the fact that it was responsible for the only fashion-related disaster of the day: the stain on my pants from the jam that leaked out of the center when I took a bite.

E-Tea’s cherry blossom milk tea ($6.50 with bubbles, 🌸🌸🌸 three blossoms)

Undeterred by my stained pants and increasingly full stomach, I headed to the Wharf’s latest addition, E-Tea. I am a sucker for boba — for the uninitiated, that’s Tawainese milk tea with tapioca balls — so I’ve tried some of their drinks since opening in early March. This was my first time trying the cherry blossom milk tea, however, and the line out the door showed that everyone else was excited to try it too. The biggest takeaway is that it tasted almost exactly like strawberry Nesquik. It was delightful and pretty, but a bit too sweet to drink while munching on the now multiple doughnuts I had acquired. (Full disclosure, the drink’s sweetness may also be on me, since I didn’t adjust the sweetness level when the cashier asked, as is typical in boba shops. I’d also recommend skipping the whipped cream topping for a more balanced version.).

Immigrant Food+’s Tidal Basin mocktail ($10, 🌸🌸🌸🌸 four blossoms)

This fast-casual restaurant’s outpost at Planet Word Museum is perfect for a happy hour — or in my case, a midday break in the nonstop sugar rush I had so far been on. The harissa hummus and adobo chicken sliders aren’t cherry-blossom-themed necessarily, but I needed some salt and sustenance. Immigrant Food+ had a separate bloom-themed menu with a pink dragon panna cotta, pink tres leches cake, and a sakura sour cocktail, but I chose the Tidal Basin mocktail. With raspberry shrub, cranberry juice, ginger ale, and aquafaba, it was the most refreshing drink I’ve had in ages, and was just the thing I needed to bring me back to life.

Foxtrot Market’s cherry blossom latte ($4.50, 🌸🌸, two blossoms) and amarena cherry macaron ($5, 🌸🌸🌸, three blossoms)

By this point, I wanted to wrap up the day, but I soldiered on and stopped by Foxtrot to try out their cherry blossom latte. I was surprised to find they had an amarena cherry macaron. The latte was a bit of a letdown—it tasted like a regular iced coffee with oat milk. (Again, this may be on me; I heard from others that it tasted more floral with other milk options.) The macaron saved this trip, however. It was oversized, and had a crunchy exterior and chewy interior, and a light, whipped frosting surrounding the syrupy Italian cherry. Plus, the blossom pasted on top with the colorful sprinkles made it such a fun treat. By this point, I thought I couldn’t stomach more sugar, but this macaron was just too pretty to resist. That final sugar rush told me it was time to go home where I later found myself eating pasta with butter to soak up all the sugar.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Dolcezza (🌸🌸🌸, three blossoms), Compass Coffee  (🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸, five blossoms) Call Your Mother (🌸🌸🌸 three blossoms) Residents Cafe (🌸🌸🌸🌸, four blossoms)

Dolcezza rolled out a deliciously tart and creamy mascarpone and hibiscus cherries gelato flavor  ($7 for a pint) to celebrate the festival, and I tried it out at CityCenter the day before my quest. Compass Coffee also reprised its now locally-famous cherry blossom cream cold brew ($5.70) to much fanfare. While people are divided over the bright pink drink, I enjoy the subtle vanilla and cherry flavors. I’ve already ordered it three times in the past month, so sue me. Among other cherry blossom caffeination options is the choco-cherry pistachio latte  ($5.50) at Call Your Mother, which is more nutty and less sweet.

Lastly, if you’re looking for scenery while enjoying blossom specials, Residents Cafe is the place to be right now, if you can manage to snag a reservation. Their covered outdoor patio is draped in pink flowers, creating a forest of cherry blossoms in which to enjoy the bar’s gorgeous and refreshingly floral sakura cocktail ($17).