The matcha world is confusing! For many folks, the sweet milkshake-ish matcha from coffee chains is the only matcha they know. But the matcha you see here is very different.
Drinking good matcha for the first time is a little like your first great cup of coffee, and like your first great wine experience, in one. You weren't quite expecting how good it actually tasted, given your previous experience. But there's a moment when something clicks, and your brain says, "yes, please, you definitely need this!"
“...Elegant, soothing, dreamy ... hints of chocolate, lingering dreamy aftertaste, no bitterness--Love it. I refuse to drink Matcha unless it's from Breakaway.” – Christine
Unlocking the Mystery
Preparing matcha isn't like steeping a tea bag, so it might seem mysterious. With regular tea you steep it, throw away the tea, and drink the extract.Quality matcha is 100% green tea leaves, but they are ground into a fine powder using traditional granite grinding stones. You scoop some into. cup or bowl, add water (cold or hot) and then whisk it into a frothy brew. The powdery tea leaves get suspended in the water, long enough for you to consume it, leaves and all. Because you're drinking the entire plant, and not just the extract, it has a very different metabolic effect. Most of the really good health properties of matcha are found in the insoluble fibers of the tea, giving you all the tea’s many health benefits.
Obsessed (For 20 Generations)
Quality matters with almost everything, but it really matters with matcha. It's why we’ve been so picky when it comes to identifying growers who care the most. We believe we've identified the highest quality growers doing matcha anywhere in Japan. Most are clustered around Kyoto, in a place called Uji; and premium matcha is what they do there. Some farms go back 20 generations -- that’s more than 600 years of tea cultivation. And over 600 years of obsession. They're infatuated with this beautiful plant, and so are we. While we do offer culinary grades of matcha for culinary purposes and for lattes, it's the higher, hyprepremium grades we're best known for. It's relatively expensive because it's the hardest to make; it’s very time intensive, labor intensive, and knowledge intensive … but all of our matcha embodies the five tell-tale signs of a great matcha: maximum umami, an electric green color (it almost looks fake), intoxicating vegetal aroma, creamy frothability (achieved through traditional granite grinding mills), and a long, stunning finish.
Discriminating. For a Reason
We've identified 18 matcha that meet our standards for truly great matcha. We constantly get pitched to try various matcha, but the bar is set very high. We’ve never deviated from these sky-high standards. Our earliest clients include all four of California's three-Michelin-starred restaurants (The French Laundry, Benu, Atelier Crenn, and Single Thread), which are among the most lauded restaurants in the world.
On Your Own Terms
There’s far too much pressure to buy now, act now! Please don’t feel rushed. We aren’t going anywhere. Whenever you're ready -- and only when you're ready.