Metaté
"Make your morning meaningful."
An ancient tool for a modern rise and grind.
What
Metaté references an ancient grinding tool, redesigned for modern mornings. As technology fills and simplifies our routines, Metaté seeks to help bring a healthy balance to the mix.
Who
Metaté is for humans seeking something real. We crave meaning, and are currently starved for it. All around us digital interfaces mask real experiences. They make us feel good in the moment but lack actual interaction.
Why
Rather than immerse ourselves in social media or the news, take some time for yourself in the morning. Metaté gives us a way to work with our hands, clearing the fog of sleep and getting us ready for the day ahead. You grind your beans. You smell their fragrance and notice subtle notes listed on the bag. When you drink it, it tastes better because you’ve worked for it.
How
Metaté uses the ancient grinding technique used by indigenous peoples of the Southwest. By rolling the crisp roasted coffee beans between the rough textures of a hand held stone, and the sloped base, the coffee begins to quickly break into fine pieces. Once ground to preference, the beans are poured into the coffee making device of choice.
The manual process give you a stronger and fresher taste by balancing the extraction of oils from the coffee beans.
15 min
Use
There is not shortcut, no mechanism, no batteries, no instructions. It is you, two stones, some beans, and the best damn coffee you’ve ever tasted. You made this coffee. It's real, and your efforts endue your every sip with meaning.
Presence
We exercise our bodies, our minds should be no different. For meaningful mornings, embrace effort.
Metaté
Design Details
Staying true to the most meaningful design meant keeping everything simple, from the look to the function to the manufacturing.
03 04 05 06 09 07
03 Carved | 04 Pressed | 05 Scooped | 06 Slab cut | 09 Press mold | 07 Slab cut
Not everything made it.
Final Design
Sturdy base, gentle slope, strong wall thicknesses. Small enough to fit in a small apartment, large enough to make one cup of coffee. Sustainable & made in the USA.
The bowl on the metaté is sized for a single serving of coffee - about 16oz. The stone is asymmetrical and encourages multiple ergonomic positions.
Metate grips the counter top surface with an adhered cork underside.
Process
Making it
The goal was to find a method that worked best for getting a good Metaté result, over and over again. Of all the variations, the simple press mold yielded the best quality with the fewest touch points. After being in the mold a few hours, the clay body shrinks, allowing for 0 degree draft removal. The body is then finished by hand, adding chamfers and smoothing surfaces with rasps. Once the piece is 'bone dry' it is bisque fired at 1840, then high fired at cone ten, 2381. Cutting out the cork pad base is simple using a template, and placing it with industrial adhesive. Matatés are rinsed and scrubbed of dust. Click images for descriptions.
Figuring Out
Scanned spreads showing design details and decisions from kiln notes to presentation formats. Part of doing a 'simple' product design like Metaté meant having the details figured out. Keeping all these ideas in an accessible, editable, form was key to flexibility and adaptation throughout the process.
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Building 'Metaté' and assembling the pieces. Lots of testing, trying and refining to find the best shape for the grinding process. Working with clay was an enjoyable experience because it could be sculpted immediately with simple tools. For example, if you wanted to see what an edge would look like with a radius, you could use a damp sponge to smooth the corners down.
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Construction