Notebook Review #6: Taroko Design Breeze Notebook

I was talking to some people on instagram about good Tomoe River notebooks, and someone suggested the Taroko Breeze. I had never heard of it before, so I immediately hunted it down and ordered one. I purchased mine from the Taroko Design Etsy shop. It did take a while to get to me, but it shipped from Taiwan, and I live in Washington, so it's understandable that shipping takes some time. 

The cover is stiff black paper, and has the branding on the front. I will say that for me, the branding information takes up way too much of the cover. I understand that the company wants to advertise their product, but when I use a notebook, I don't want the notebook brand to be the first thing I see. I prefer more subtle branding.

The spine is soft cover thread bound with glue reinforcement. I appreciate that the notebook can lay completely flat. 

On top is the Taroko Breeze, and on bottom is the Nanami Crossfield. They are the same width and height. 

The Breeze has a lot less pages than the Crossfield (this Crossfield is completely full, so it is thicker than it used to be). The another difference is that the Crossfield has rounded corners while the Breeze has square corners.

The paper is 68 gsm Tomoe River white paper, which is different from most Tomoe River paper, which is 52 gsm. Mine is a 5mm dot grid.

I love that the pages are numbered. There are 183 numbered pages.

The first two pages of the book are an index. 

The last four pages are for documenting your pens and ink. I think it's a neat idea, and very useful. 

The paper handled Dr. Ph Martin's Hydrus watercolor really well. There is just a bit of crinkling. 

I used Robert Oster Blue Water Ice for ink drops, and they showed through less than they do on 52 gsm Tomoe River paper.

I don't think I would use this paper for ink reviews, just because it is thicker Tomoe River paper, and most people have the 52 gsm, but I will absolutely use it for ink drops.

Only the Sharpie and Prismacolor markers bled through, but the other markers did well.

The paper handled all of the pens well, no bleeding or feathering. 

The paper handled the pencils well, no problems there. 

Overall, the paper is a better version of the average 52 gsm Tomoe River paper. I love that the notebook has squared corners, numbered pages, lay-flat binding, and an index in the front. The paper/ink pages in the back are a nice touch as well. 

I dislike the huge branding on the cover, and that there aren't more pages. I use a lot of paper, and 183 pages doesn't last me that long. 

I think the Taroko Breeze is a good option if you like Tomoe River paper. I know I will use the whole notebook, but it also makes me excited for the Hippo Noto (another Tomoe River notebook) to come out. 

Disclaimer: I purchased this product myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. There are no affiliate links on this page.