005 | 100 Mateo
100 Strangers Project
I first moved to Arizona around 5 years ago, and I was quickly drawn into the growing coffee culture in the east valley. Peixoto was only a short walk away from my office at the time, and from there a few more coffee geniuses have taken flight. Pair Cupworks and Mythical Coffee arrived on the scene and became new favorites. One day, I stumbled upon Grind Time, and for a season, this became my go-to spot for many brainstorming sessions and production meetings. And then came Little Jupiter, which hadn’t officially opened it’s doors when I started this portrait series, and is now quickly making an impact in the local scene putting on latte art throwdown events and dinner nights at the cafe.
Lil Jup is also the location of Mateos first coffee event. At the time of collaborating with him for this project, he was preparing to unleash the Quanta Coffee pop-up experience. And pop up is exactly what he kept doing for the last few years, all around town. It seemed like every cafe I walked into, Mateo was there taking orders and adding his own personal flare to wiggling steamed milk across espresso with his signature “pinky up” technique. Yet, we never really chatted beyond the typical coffee order exchange until he landed at Little Jupiter. It became one of those situations where you know that you know a bunch of the same people but you’ve never introduced yourself, and it’s been so long that it would probably be kinda awkward to do so now. Until one day, I finally just blurted out “Hi, I’m Rick. We haven’t really met but we keep running in to each other…” or something like that. Sometimes making friends as a grown up can be awkward.
Mateo 005 | 100
Q&A (Pre Pop-Up)
Rick: Tell me about your go-to coffee drink at the moment.
Mateo: It depends on what type of shop I'm at! If I'm at a trendier shop that puts a lot of work into their syrups, I'll go for a seasonal drink! Or if I'm at a shop whose roasts I enjoy, I'll get a pourover or a flash brew! My overall go to drink is espresso, but I'm violently picky about preparation style, so I pretty much only trust Aerial and Pair for that! But I'm more than happy to test out my wild theories out on myself to scratch that itch
I think all coffee has merit, each person has their preferences, which are shaped and molded by their environment, the quality of the shops they frequent, and the knowledge of the barista preparing the drink, and I enjoy many styles of coffee, but espresso takes the cake for me every time.
I love the versatility of espresso, I love its range in texture and intensity, how it pairs with milk, how it stands on its own, and just how wild it can be.
I think a lot of shops fall short on the espresso preparation because they're held back by boundaries set 20 years ago. Fuck a 30 second shot 1:2 shot; try a 1:5 ratio, try a 12 second shot, updose like crazy, use a million tools, brew it fast and big, brew it slow and short!
Hypothesize, experiment, taste, repeat. Espresso can be anything you want it to be, so why be boring??
Rick: So, I saw you working here and there and over there... How did you get started making delicious coffee for the masses all over the east valley?
Mateo: It all started at a local market I worked at in Tempe from 2016-2019. They had a beat up Brasilia two group espresso machine (an absolute WORKHORSE), and served Cortez coffee. The training there was pretty much non-existent (I didn't know you were supposed to add air while steaming milk for at LEAST 6 months, haha), and while the equipment was well weathered, I still enjoyed it! The Market was pretty close to the Cartel on Ash, and as their baristas came in and I started to chat with them, and started to get curious. I looked up to a lot of their staff (shouts out Zoee and Emma!!), really got inspired to learn more and delve deeper, and to this day that curiosity and inspiration still drive me!
Rick: Describe who you are in a single sentence
Mateo: A fiery ball of passion, intensity, and idiocy, in equal parts
Rick: I like that! I have this belief that most people have a different life before the one they're currently living now. Who or what were you before now?
Mateo: I've had PLENTY of phases, haha! I've been playing music since I was 10, did marching/concert band for seven years, I thought that was my path for a while, but I've realized it's just a fun hobby and escape.
I've been 2D/3D drafting since I was 14, and went to architecture/civil engineering school for a while at MCC and ASU before realizing that I REALLY don't do well with following rules/curriculums that are one-size-fits-all, but I still use the skills I learned to design my models for 3D printing, which is WAY more fun and invigorating!
I worked at local venues and was MUCH more active in the hardcore community, and met a ton of wonderful people through that, but after seeing how many horrible people really hold up that scene, and how many men in positions of power abuse their influence to prey on and then silence women, I made my way out. I'll just listen at home
On a lighter note, I worked in the grocery industry for six years before I made my way into coffee, I climbed up the ladder a bit, and really enjoyed the social aspect of it, and how fast-paced it was, but ultimately decided the environment wasn't exciting enough. It introduced me to the vegan scene though, and I've made so many friends and connections through that!!
Rick: How would your best friend describe you?
Mateo: I couldn't choose a single person, so I asked around, haha!
"Respectfully kind and rightfully violent"
"Punk rock's Mr. Rogers. Someone who goes to great lengths for the people he cares about while living a life authentically his own"
"Mateo's the type of dude to pull a knife on you for not believing in yourself”
Rick: That totally checks out! The multiverse would offer up a punk rock version of Mr. Rogers. And he would be respectful, kind, yet violently passionate about making sure you know your worth. I love that.
You recently picked up film photography. What drew you to it? What are you learning from it?
Mateo: I've been interested in messing with film photography for a while, seeing Kimhak with his absolute arsenal of cameras helped me finally take the plunge. Also him giving me hella gear, haha!
The idea of analog film photography has also been so fucking romantic to me. I absolutely love older engineering, from Japan in particular (from cameras to road bikes to cars etc), before the crazy complications of computers, and electronics in general. I love the simplicity and reliability of analog builds, no bells, whistles, or frills, just the basics done extremely well.
It's really teaching me to slow down and appreciate the moment, as corny as that sounds. To sharpen my eye and look for beauty in ordinary situations, to soak in the scenery, revel in the magic, and capture it.
Rick: What can you give a masterclass on at a moments notice without needing any preparation?
Mateo: I've been building my foundational knowledge of general coffee extraction for years, but have really kicked it into high gear at Pair, via endless experimentation and incessantly grilling Kimhak about his theories. I have quite a ways to go, but I could talk forever about my findings thus far!!
Rick: What do you wish people knew about you?
Mateo: That even though I can look/act scary, I'm just a giant dork that loves sharing knowledge! I've been told a lot that I initially come off as standoffish and intimidating, but I think it's just because my focus looks weird, I love talking to new people, come say what's up!
Rick: Here’s a time machine, but it’s stuck in reverse. So you can only go back in time, and once you set the date, that’s it! That’s the only day you can visit. You can travel back and forth between that date and the present as many times as you want.
What day do you set and why?
Mateo: That’s so damn hard… I'd probably have to say June 28th, 2015. I drove to Anaheim with my brother and some friends to see a hardcore show at Chain Reaction, and the lineup was wild: Modern Life is War, Dangers, Cult Leader, and Culture Abuse.
Modern Life is War was my introduction to hardcore punk, and to this day are one of my favorite bands ever, I listen to their first two records weekly, even still. Dangers are one of the most frenetic bands I've ever listened to/watched, and I actually learned about Mamiyas because their singer shoots on a Mamiya 6, the potential start of my film curiosity.
It was the best show I've ever seen, the room was electric, the setlists were perfect, and I've never felt more alive. I felt an elation after the show that I've still yet to recreate, and I could live that night over and over again. Gonna have to figure out how to heal my vocal cords every night from screaming along so violently though, haha!
Rick: You’re about to throw your first pop-up. How’s that going and how are you feeling?
Mateo: Oh, I'm TERRIFIED!
I've never done anything like this before, building three menus from scratch and trying to implement a pretty big notation change, while trying to make it all intuitive has been... Stressful!
I also had to one-shot-wonder my spro dial-ins because of the amount of coffee I bought, was tearing my hair out about that one, these coffees were EXPENSIVE!
But I'm overall happy with the results so far, these coffees are all insane and essentially dialed themselves, and I'm happy with the special offerings!
Rick: What do you hope people walk away knowing, feeling, remembering from the event?
Mateo: My biggest hope is just that people have a nice time! That they get to talk to people they haven't seen in a while, share a conversation over an interesting coffee, and make the scene a little more tight knit than it was before
Past that, I really want to push the preconceived notions of what coffee is/can/should be. I'm tired of squandered potential as a result of pointless boundaries. I'm tired of imperial measurements and terms coined 100 years ago. I'm tired of inconsistency and gatekeeping knowledge. I'm tired of "okay" coffee.
I want to revitalize the specialty coffee scene with an open source approach. I want to share everything I know so people can apply it to what they know, and experiment, whether they're a barista, customer, roaster, whatever!
Overall, I just want people to have a better understanding of how much of a science coffee is, how influential your knowledge can be, and have a better appreciation for how much work goes into your cup, from the farmer, processor, roaster, and barista
Rick: Beautiful! Quanta Coffee. Is there a meaning behind the name???
Mateo: Quanta is the plural form of quantum, which in physics is the smallest discrete amount of something. The building blocks of everything.
I romanticized the concept a bit, but I love the idea of breaking coffee down into its smallest subdivisions, and from those building something impenetrable and consistent.
Rick: Who are you looking to for guidance as you prep for your first pop-up event?
Mateo: I asked a lot of people for general advice, but truthfully I threw much of that to the wind to truly test out my ideas. I didn't want to play it safe, I didn't want to consider money while experimenting, I spared no expense and expected to lose every dollar I put into it. Best case scenario I make a few bucks, worst scenario I paid a few hundred bucks to learn things first hand, and have a party with my friends doing what I love. The choice was easy.
Quanta Coffee Pop-Up | 02.24.23 | Little Jupiter Cafe | Gilbert, AZ
Q&A (Pre Post-Up)
Rick: Now that it’s all behind you, how did you feel after two days of serving up the Quanta experience?
Mateo: EXHAUSTED, haha! Preparation for the pop up was so much more arduous than I'd expected, in so many regards, especially with working my normal hours at my coffee shops before each night. I worked three consecutive 16 hour days, and slept maybe 2 hours a night.
I learned an IMMENSE amount however, and had an absolute blast, it was so incredibly worth it! People seemed to love the ideas I was sharing, and picked up my weird nomenclature quick!! I had to explain a fair amount, but that was expected. I wanted Quanta to feel like a discovery, a new way to view coffee, and that's never gonna click instantly. I wanted to almost guide people through my perception of coffee, and I think it went extremely well!
Rick: Is there anything you would’ve done differently?
MatI probably should have dosed out my beans for the Decent menu beforehand, I spent SOOOOO long weighing out coffee! I didn't expect to sell out of all my coffees for that menu, so streamlining that process never occurred to me, it was definitely a blessing and a curse that they sold like wildfire, haha
Other than that though, not really. I put a LOT of thought into my menus, dialed in coffees exactly how I wanted, and prepared on every other front. Most things went according to plan
Rick: What was your favorite part about the weekend?
Mateo: Just spending time with everyone who came out to support, I really didn't expect the turnout to be as insane as it was!
It was so wild to see all these people (some of whom I've been making coffee for for upwards of 5 years) still be about my crazy ideas, and show up with such enthusiasm!
My goals were to test insane ideas, spend time with my homies, and try to bring the community a little closer together, and I think Quanta achieved all of that 🖤
Rick: Anything else I should ask you?
Mateo: Maybe the inescapable "when's your next pop up???"
I'm currently in the works of planning a pop up for Quanta at the end of May, with a special guest who I'm INCREDIBLY excited to work with!!!
Nothing's set in stone yet, but keep your eyes peeled and follow @quanta.coffee for updates!!
