Breakaway Matcha
Blend SE
Tasted May 23rd 2020
About Breakaway: Located in San Anselmo, California, Breakaway Matcha is founded by Eric Gower, a chef and cookbook author who had previously lived in Japan for 16 years. The company's motto is providing exceptional matcha and education. At the time of this review, Breakaway offered 17 different grades of matcha, which were all sourced from small, domestic farms in Japan. Many of these farms have been producing matcha for over 20 generations. Each blend was crafted in collaboration between Eric and the farmers to achieve a particular depth of flavor. You can take a quiz on their site to be matched with a matcha blend best suited to your liking. Blend prices vary depending on availability of the yield. Breakaway gets its name from the concept of moving away from strict tradition and ritual, to a way that is perhaps more simple and true to ones lifestyle.
About Blend: This blend is from Uji (Kyoto), Japan and described as “pure umami.” During the last month before harvest it is shaded by plant reeds, which is much more labor intensive than using plastic or cloth shading. This technique can produce nutrient dense tea.
Price: $149 per 30g
Scent: Potent vegetal (spinach), seaweed, and buttery smell.
Blend SE Review
Color: Bright, electric green, with the tiniest white fade. Points 4.75
Foam: Instant and thick, with a full bodied matcha texture. Points 5
Taste: So unique it might confuse you at first. Strong vegetal, roasted rice, and seaweed flavors. The seaweed flavor lingers at length from sip to sip. No bitterness or acrid flavors. With oat milk, the seaweed flavor disappeared, allowing the different umami and spinach notes to come through. Points 4
Final Score: 4.6 out of 5
Conclusions
I find this blend to be an acquired taste. You know you’re having something truly special and perfect, but that doesn’t mean you will like it. For me, the flavor was very intense and required milk to fully enjoy because otherwise the seaweed notes dominated. I’m guessing this flavor is a result of immaculate reed shading, which allows the plant to develop high chlorophyll levels. I would recommend this blend to a matcha connoisseur who is seeking something new and unusual, or to someone who loves intense flavors such as wheatgrass. If you are interested in trying, I would suggest getting the 4 piece “sampler” to make sure this is your cup of matcha before splurging on the 30g container.