The Breu review – Student-run matcha pop-up at Orchard

Born from a love of Australian cafe culture, The Breu is a limited-run matcha and coffee pop-up created by a team of students who are home for the summer.

The Breu pop-ups at the following location will be ending by 8 February 2026.

Gyusan, Forum The Shopping Mall, #01-28
Suupaa Ben, Gerat World CS Fresh

Bringing Melbourne Cafe Culture to Singapore

The founding team behind The Breu consists of four Singaporean undergraduates who, while studying in Melbourne, fell in love with the city’s vibrant coffee scene.

They noticed that while the drinks felt familiar, Melbourne cafes often adds a touch of finesse. Nothing major. Just a small change like sweetening Hojicha with maple syrup for a rich, woody depth.

Inspired, the team spent their summer break in Singapore launching a matcha and coffee pop-up.

But The Breu is far from a casual hobby. They are serious about their craft, sourcing matcha directly from Japanese farms and refining every recipe through rigorous testing.

How were their drinks?

The Mont Blanc ($7) stands as the quintessential representative of Melbourne cafe culture, featuring an orange-infused cold brew topped with a silky citrus cream. When combined, it reminded me of an orange-flavoured chocolate. It’s apparently a crowd favourite, and I can tell why.

Another standout is the Hojicha Maple Cloud ($7), a personal favourite of mine. According to Tiffany, one of the Co-founders of The Breu, the combination is apparently a Melbourne staple, but rarely found in Singapore.

The contrast between the roasty bitterness of the tea and the mellow, caramel-like sweetness of the maple syrup is addictive, especially when finished with a signature salted cloud topping.

But for a classic, the Pistachio Matcha on Oat ($7.8) hit the spot. According to the team, customers have feedback that it’s one of the more balanced cups they’ve had — not too nutty, not too grassy. Neither elements overpowered one another, and I agree.

However, the Pistachio Cream topping didn’t really bring anything to the party.

Chilling at Orchard, here are 26 best things to do that aren’t cafe hopping

What’s next for The Breu?

With the team heading back to Melbourne after 8 February to complete their studies, the future of The Breu remains an open question.

The founders admit that Singapore’s challenging rental market makes sustaining a permanent physical space difficult. However, this two-month pop-up has served as a successful proof-of-concept and a valuable learning experience.

Locations:

Gyusan, Forum The Shopping Mall, #01-28
Suupaa Ben, Gerat World CS Fresh

Looking for the best cafes in Singapore? We recommend:

Colman Cheung

There are pros and cons when being friends with Colman. You get good food recommendations and the occasional candid shots between taking snaps of the food. But there’s also the mandatory 15-minutes waiting time and the constant whining of how your noodle pull sucks. He’s also a sucker for coffee.