matcha people is not really about matcha influencers.
it is about people who have somehow made matcha fit into the normal, weird, specific rhythm of their actual lives. people who drink it before work, between errands, after class, on set, in traffic, at their desk, or wherever the day starts becoming a little too much.
for alejandro martin cruz, the story starts with beast games.
which is not exactly a normal place to start.
two years ago, alejandro was one of thousands of people thrown into one of the biggest, loudest, most chaotic reality TV productions around. huge crowds, cameras everywhere, giant sets, impossible waiting periods, people trying to stay calm while everything around them was built to feel slightly unreal.
he says it was one of the wildest experiences of his life.
which feels like the correct review.
the funny thing about being inside something that big is that it can make the rest of the world look different afterward. once you have been part of a production where thousands of people are moved around like pieces on a board, it is hard not to start thinking about how shows are made, who gets to make them, and what it would feel like to build one yourself.
for a lot of people, an experience like that becomes a story they keep telling. for alejandro, it seems to have turned into something slightly more useful.
instead of just watching Hollywood happen around him, he decided he wanted to create something himself.
so now he lives in los angeles, works as an event coordinator, and spends his free time writing his own TV show.
the working title?
rush call.
it is a good title. fast, slightly stressed, and very los angeles in a way that probably makes sense to anyone who has ever tried to build a creative life while also having a job that pays actual money.
that is part of what makes his story work. it is not the polished, already-made-it version of LA. it is the more real version. the one where your days are split between work, ideas, logistics, people, notebooks, and the slow stubborn process of trying to make something of your own.
one part event coordination. one part ambition. one part “let us see if this goes anywhere.”
and somewhere in the middle of all that, matcha showed up.
his first time trying it was at erewhon, which is already funny enough as an origin story. he got a discount on one of their drinks and decided that was reason enough to give it a shot.
his reaction, in his own words, was pretty much:
“oh, screw it. let us give it a shot.”
which might be the least ceremonial entry into matcha possible, and therefore one of the best.
the drink stuck.
not in an overly precious way. not in a “this changed my life” way. just in a very practical, very believable way. he liked it, kept drinking it, and started folding it into his routine.
now he mixes matcha into lattes, coffee, tea, basically anything that could use a little more flavor. if the latte version is the easiest place to begin, this 60-second matcha latte guide is the whole idea without the ritual.
which is either creative or chaotic, depending on how protective you are about beverages.
probably both.
that also feels on brand for the kind of person who has already done reality TV, moved to LA, works events, and is trying to write a show. there is a certain willingness there to try things, remix things, and see what happens. some people keep their drinks simple. alejandro appears to treat matcha more like a useful green variable.
but he does have one very strong opinion about it.
matcha should not be that expensive.
fair.
possibly the most relatable thing about him.
because for all the ways matcha has become a whole world of aesthetics, rituals, price tags, tiny cups, and suspiciously serious menu descriptions, most people do not actually want a luxury performance. they just want something that tastes good, feels good, and does not cost the same as a minor financial decision.
alejandro gets that.
there is something especially fitting about that opinion coming from him, too. his story is not really about polished exclusivity. it is about access, momentum, and trying things before you fully know where they will lead.
a discounted drink at erewhon becomes a habit. a wild experience on reality TV becomes creative fuel. a person who could have stayed a spectator decides to start building something instead.
that is also why poda matcha paste makes sense for this kind of drinker. it is not asking anyone to buy into a complicated tea ceremony before they have even decided whether they like matcha. it is built for the person who wants the flavor, the routine, and the convenience without making the drink feel like a project.
for now, that means working events, writing rush call, and trying to turn one strange chapter of his life into something bigger and more his own.
there is a nice symmetry in that.
he has already been on reality TV. now he is trying to create the reality himself.
and maybe that is the thing that makes him feel like a matcha person beyond the drink itself. not just that he likes the taste, or that he mixes it into everything, or that he has opinions about the price. it is the fact that matcha fits neatly into the kind of life he is living right now: improvised, busy, slightly all over the place, but still moving toward something.
somewhere between event badges, notebooks, TV ideas, discounted drinks, and whatever rush call becomes next, he found a routine that stayed.
this is alejandro martin cruz.
matcha people.
→ try poda matcha paste
— mujtaba, founder