We are searching for an energetic student that specializes in Marketing and/or Graphic Design.

This is a Part-Time or Full-time internship that has a flexible schedule to work around class schedules.  This is a unique opportunity to diversify your experience and credentials.  There is potential for future employment in 2012.

Responsibilities:

1) Research - Graphic and Marketing concepts and proposals.

2) Graphic Design - Marketing material design and ongoing development, Photoshop/image editing, image design for website usage, brand imaging, product imaging, and customer support.

3) Marketing Strategy - Managing current email databases for focused utilization and brainstorming new ideas to help build sales online and offline

4) Office/Administrative Assistance - Assist the office staff with handling file work, organization and shipping

5) Potential for international travel

This is an unpaid internship with real potential for growth opportunities and employment.  We have hired interns in the past.  Interested applicants can contact us by phone or email.

The internship is located at our roasting facility and office at 929 University Blvd., in the Forbes Industrial Park in Topeka, KS.  For more information regarding this opportunity contact Steven at 1-785-862-5282.

A printable application form can be found here.

PT’S COFFEE ROASTING CO. TEAMS WITH TORAÑO FAMILY CIGAR COMPANY

For “Single Region Tour”

(Topeka, Kansas) Specialty coffee roaster, PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. is proud to announce their partnership with the Toraño Family Cigar Company. The two quality-driven companies are launching the Single Region Tour to kick off the new year. The Tour will feature one of the Toraño Family’s newest blends, Single Region-Serie Jalapa, and also highlight some of PT’s award-winning single-origin coffees. The partnership, and this unique new tour, will kick off officially on January 19, 2011, at Havana Connection in Richmond, VA.

Within any given region and farm, micro-climates create a unique character and special quality due to soil, shade, temperature and other natural occurring conditions. For years, specialty coffees have highlighted the distinctive flavors that come from these unique micro-lots. With Single Region Serie-Jalapa, cigar smokers can now experience the same high quality flavor by smoking a cigar where the blend originates from tobacco grown entirely from one region and one farm. The blend is made from tobacco grown exclusively from a small farm called “El Estero” in the northern-most region of Nicaragua called Jalapa. This farm has been irrigated by a natural stream, which has run through the property for centuries. The water from this stream, together with rich soil (composed of sand and red clay) has enabled this farm to grow some of the finest and most aromatic tobacco in the world.

PT’s will be sampling a few of their newest single-origin arrivals. Some of those will be the Carmen Estate 1750 Reserve of Panama, accomplished finalists in the Best of Panama competition, Finca El Socorro Maracaturra of Guatemala, a former Cup of Excellence winner, and Finca Los Planes Pacamara Variety of El Salvador, which has a 93 rating on Coffee Review and recorded a 2^nd place finish in a previous Cup of Excellence competition.

“The zeal of highlighting regional flavors made the collaboration between Torano and PT’s Coffee a natural one”, stated Charlie Toraño, president of Toraño Family Cigar Company. “The events will offer great tasting cigars paired with French-pressed micro-lot coffees that will complement and enhance the flavor of both products.” The story of how each product was made will serve as a captivating lesson to connoisseurs of cigars and coffee alike. Jeff Taylor, co-owner of PT’s Coffee, supports that opinion and says, “The story and relationships with the growing regions are also another value in us working together for cigar and coffee fans. It’s a terrific pairing.”

The Single Region Tour will visit cigar stores across the country. Supporters and aficionados can log onto the Toraño and PT’s websites or their Facebook pages for a full list of dates and locations. These dates will also be sent out via Twitter.

PTs Coffee Roasting Co. roasts over 100 tons of specialty coffee annually and is among the leading roasters reviewed by industry resource Coffee Review, receiving the guide’s highest ever rating of 97 points. PT’s Coffee was also featured in Roast Magazine as “Roaster of the Year” in 2009.

PT’s Coffee Roasting Company, based in Topeka, KS, can be found at fine coffee shops and restaurants nationwide and in select Whole Foods locations. For more information: www.ptscoffee.com.  PT’s is also on Facebook: PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. and Twitter: @PTsCoffee.

A leader in the cigar industry, Toraño Family Cigar Company is a four-generation company currently based in Miami, FL. It enjoys a rich heritage and history in tobacco growing and manufacturing. For more information: www.torano.com. Toraño is also on Facebook: Toraño A family Cigar Company and Twitter: @TORANOFAMCIGARS.

Media Contact:

Jason Burton    816.679.2474

LAB5702@gmail.com

LAB 5702 – Representing PT’s Coffee

Jeff Taylor        785. 221.4121

Jeff@Ptscoffee.com

PT’s Coffee

***Photos and interviews upon request***

###

The New Year is upon us and we thought it would be a great time for a review of the past years coffee’s, with an update of what’s to come in 2011.  Last year was an exciting year for us at PT’s Coffee Roasting Co..  We made new coffee discoveries, in Brazil and Guatemala, and received great reviews for coffees that have become favorites for many.  The New Year brings an new excitement of new-found coffee discoveries and fresh harvests. We’ll continue our outstanding relationships with the current Direct Trade Farms and develop a few new relationships that we hope will become just as rewarding.

The Year In Review - 2010

In January our classic offering, Moka-Java Organic Blend, received a 90-point review.  And that was just the beginning of what would become our all-new Organic Line of Coffees.  If you haven’t checked these coffees out yet, you’re missing some wonderful Single Origin Organic and Blended Organic coffees.

One of our goals last year came to fruition around mid-year when some of our blends took on a new look and others got new names.  The Moka-Java Organic Blend is now called “OLD 93″ in honor of our company founding February 3^rd, 1993.  Another popular blend, Kansas Sunrise, became an immediate hit with its new name – Farm Girl Blend.  And Rolling Thunder changed to Thunder Road.  Same great coffees, just some updated branding.

In March, another of our 2010 discoveries, Ethiopia Sidama – Ardi, received a 92-point review from Ken Davids of Coffee Review.  We also developed the Ardi as a Single Origin Espresso and Robin Seitz featured it in the Midwest Regional Barista Competition and United States Barista Competitions.

2010 was a good year for espresso as well.  Through dogged determination, experimentation and discovery, we launched Flying Monkey Espresso. With a flavor profile that is gently fruit-filled and an undercurrent of licorice and aromatic wood, Flying Monkey Espresso has become extremely popular in it’s first year. In addition to Flying Monkey, Jeff Taylor, co-founder and coffee buyer for PT’s, and Holly Bastin, staff Barista Trainer, developed our first Seasonal Espresso Offering - Don Roberto Espresso Reserve from Finca Las Mercedes, El Salvador. This blend features coffees from three different Micro-Lots on the same farm, Don Roberto Espresso Reserve was a huge hit and didn’t last as long as we originally hoped it might. Boasting of two Honeyed Micro-Lot coffees and one fully washed coffee, Don Roberto introduced an all-new flavor profile to our line-up of espresso blends.

It was a slow year for us on Coffee Review as we only scored four other coffees that received 90+ reviews, unfortunately, as we transition through harvest seasons, some of them are no longer available.  Panama Elida Natural received a 93 and Guatemala Finca El Socorro Maracaturra received a 92, both are still available.  Burundi Mwurire and Colombia Los Naranjos San Agustin received 90+ reviews, but are no longer available.

Last but not least, as we rounded out the year, a unique find, and the only Kona coffee we’ve purchased in a number of years from Hawaii, scored a 94-point review.  Hawaii Isla Kona Mauka was the result of three pickers, including our friend Miguel Meza, who was sent to one of the highest farms in Kona, near 3200 feet, and close to the town of Holualoa.  We paid a premium to the pickers for only the ripest cherries and to process this coffee just for us to provide for you during the holidays. The resulting cup is remarkable and worth the effort. There is still a very small amount of this coffee available, but you’ll want to order soon as it won’t last. Jeff is working to process some more of this coffee, but we don’t have an arrival date yet.

2011 New Year Offerings

With so many exciting things happening in 2010, we are really looking forward to a great 2011.  

Introducing our newest Direct Trade Farm - Guatemala El Socorro Bourbon Espresso. This is our January Single Origin Espresso offering.  Holly believes this is the most balanced Single Origin Espresso she has seen since our offering of Ethiopia Sidama Ardi as an Espresso last spring.  This espresso has notes of Bing Cherry, Clementine Orange, and Bittersweet Cocoa.

We are anticipating the arrival of another new offering from South America very soon.  Brazil - Pocos de Caldas - Yellow Bourbon – Pulped Natural.  This coffee is produced and blended from 3 small farms in the region of Mogiana.  Pocos de Caldas is a volcanic crater, and these farms are located around the rim of the crater.  This coffee almost elevated itself off of the cupping table and insisted we purchase it last week. Keep your eyes open for this one.

The year 2011 is shaping up to be monumental in terms of quality for PT’s, but the high price of coffee is going to be an issue. Demand for Specialty Coffee worldwide is at an all-time high. So the climatic weather conditions that caused the loss of untold amounts of coffee in growing regions of Colombia, Brazil and many other coffee origins couldn’t have come at a worse time.  With demand sky high and supply at all time lows, the price is already at a 15-year high on the New York “C” market. This is the commodity market that sets the base price for coffee.  So we are very sorry to tell you our prices too will be rising in the near future. We’re doing everything we can to hold the line of prices, but this market is out of our control and it’s going to affect everyone. You’ll see prices for coffee going up everywhere, not just for PT’s coffee.  Stick with us and we’ll make it through this market and continue to provide you with the best coffees the world has to offer.

Because as we are often heard to say: “Without the love, it’s just coffee!”

The holidays are coming fast, and if you still haven’t found that special gift for that special someone, we have some ideas that take the pain and work out of last minute shopping.  We have launched two new Coffee Clubs.  Some of you may be familiar with these from the last couple of years.

Our Espresso Club takes the work out of having great espresso delivered to your door every month.  We will automatically ship one pound of La Bella Vita, Flying Monkey, or Gizmo Espresso once or twice a month for three, six, or twelve months.

Our Single Origin tour features one of our Single Origin coffees, selected by Green Coffee Buyer, Jeff Taylor, each month.  The single origin tour will eventually cover all of the coffee growin regions and eventually take you on a journey through the coffee world.

These clubs are wonderful gifts that keep giving throughout the year.  In addition to these two clubs, we have created an ongoing club order system through our webpage that allows you to schedule your coffee orders for automatic shipments.  Using your club order queue, you can automatically adjust exactly what coffee gets sent to you, and you will never have to worry about placing orders again.  Check out the new recurring order system here!.

We know that holiday shopping can be hectic, so in an effort to minimize the stress a little bit, we did some research on different shipping policies during the busy holiday season. Here are some simple guidelines to make sure that you receive your order before December 25th.  Orders placed via UPS should be placed before Friday, December 17th to garuntee their delivery before the holiday.  Orders placed via USPS will need to be placed before midnight on Sunday, December 19th.  UPS transit times depend on your location relative to us.  Please refer to the UPS shipping map above to calculate the exact time in transit to your location.  It is possible to expedite and request UPS 2-Day to ensure your orders arrival on short notice. Hopefully this information will help make sure that your coffees arrive in time for the holiday festivities! And as always, if you have any questions or special requests give us a call, 1-888-678-JAVA, and we will be more than happy to help find the shipping method that will best fit your needs.

Obituary for Jonathan J. Kaspar

Visitation:

Monday, June 07, 2010 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Christ the King Catholic Church
Service:
Tuesday, June 08, 2010 10:15 AM
Christ the King Catholic Church

Jonathan Jeffrey Kaspar, 20, Topeka, passed away on Friday, June 4, 2010 as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
Jonathan was born September 17, 1989 in Topeka, the son of Jeffrey and Susan Kaspar. He attended Christ the King grade school and graduated from Hayden High School in 2008. He had just completed his sophomore year at Washburn University.
He was employed as a barista at PT’s Coffee Co.
He was a member of Christ the King Catholic Church and Prodigy Soccer Club with the Topeka Blitz, and had been a volunteer with Meals on Wheels.
Survivors include his parents; sister, Jennifer Kaspar, all of Topeka; grandparents, Robert and Betty Hazzard, Meriden, Raymond and Peggy Kaspar, Topeka; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at Christ the King Catholic Church. Private family inurnment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Monday evening at the church. Penwell-Gabel Southwest Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to Meals on Wheels, 1500 SW 10th, Topeka, Kansas 66604.
Jonathan’s family wishes to express their appreciation to the PT’s Coffee family for their care and concern during this time of tragedy.

So why does Topeka, Kansas rank as the 10th best city in the country? In part, because of PT’s Coffee of course! In the July issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, they chose Topeka, Kansas as the 10th best city in the United States. In addition to Topeka’s growing economy and low cost of living, being the home of PT’s Coffee is listed as one of the reasons why Topeka is such a great place to live. Can’t really argue with that! You can check out the article here, and taste why PT’s makes the difference here!

The smoke has cleared, the bids are in, and PT’s Coffee is proud to announce our 2010 offering from Hacienda La Esmeralda.  After tasting each lot, we knew that there were two coffees that we had to have: Mario Carnaval and Mario San Jose.  Both of these spectacular lots are harvested from the region that traditionally produces the best geisha lots from Hacienda La Esmeralda.  There is something about these spectacular micro-climates that creates a flavor profile unlike any other.

Mario Carnaval (last year our roast received a 96 from Coffee Review) was harvested during the peak of the harvest season: February.  Out of all of the lots, Mario Carnaval stood out as our clear favorite.  In tasting the samples, Mario Carnaval seemed to jump off the table.  Its beautifully bright acidity and mesmerizing floral notes brought satisfaction to our eyes: this is what it is all about.  This experience is why people go to so much trouble just to have one cup.

Mario San Jose was harvested at the end of the harvest season: March.  On the cupping table, Mario San Jose surprised us.  Its fragrance and aroma made us think that it was Mari Carnaval.  It was big, it was bright and it was incredibly sweet.  When we tasted it, notes of strawberry and grapefruit filled out mouths.  Its sweet and juicy character made us long for more.  Although it was not Mario Carnaval, Mario San Jose stunned us with it unique and gorgeous profile.

Unfortunately, the Esmeralda Auction bring a little bit of sadness with its excitement and joy.  We finally know which lots we will be able to offer in the coming year, but we also know that we will have to wait a little while before they arrive in our roasting facility.  Fortunately, we have a small lot of last year’s crop still available.  While you are eagerly anticipating the new crop of Hacienda la Esmeralda, sip on the last bit of our Hacienda La Esmeralda Special - Mario Pascua.  Be one of the last ones to enjoy this special coffee here.

Given the announcement yesterday of our change in leadership at PT’s Barrington Village, some of you are probably wondering what’s going on with the previous manager, Robin Seitz. No worries- only good things! Robin has accepted the role of Account Manager for our US accounts west of Kansas City. Starting June 1, 2010, he will be busy getting to know our wholesale clients, answering their questions and helping them find the coffees and products that best fit their tastes and concept.

In the nearly 8 years that he has worked for us Robin has shown a perpetually growing interest in coffee, in all its forms and flavor nuances (prior to his employment with PT’s he had been a daily die-hard regular for another 7 years). His continuous curiosity has led him to pursue a variety of activities and opportunities such as retail management, coffee catering, trade show barista, barista competitor, barista champion, coffee trainer…and the list could go on. Needless to say, he has had a lot of exposure to different perspectives and ideas, and we feel that this experience will translate well to helping our retail partners. Keep on the look out for a Robin sighting near you!

As of June 1, 2010 there will be a new management regime at PT’s original location, Barrington Village. As the location has grown throughout its 17 years in operation, so has the role of management so we decided that it was time to take a little bit different approach…

Three people in three distinct positions. Each of them can have a primary focus on an aspect of the business, bringing their own skills sets and experience to their respective areas. As of yesterday Keith Dunbar, Morgan Smith, and Nikki Strong have accepted their positions! Here’s a little bit about each of them-

Keith Dunbar- Manager of Operations

Keith has been a barista for PT’s Coffee since 2008, but has been in coffee for about 5 years now. Finding that his love for the craft has only grown over time, he jumped at the opportunity to take on a bigger role. As a student at Washburn University here in Topeka, KS, he has been studying both Marketing and Economics and expects to graduate in May of 2011. His skill sets lend him to be a great manager for the ins and outs of operation, as well as having a way with people. Here’s a little more about Keith:

What’s your favorite coffee currently and why? “Currently I find myself favoring the Ethiopian Sidama Ardi. The light roast we’ve been running with allows for a great natural sweetness, perfect for spring.“

How do you brew your coffee at home? “Most of the time I just run down to the shop, but when I do brew at home, I use french press”

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? “Because I’m such a fan of cycling and a lover of coffee, I’d probably go to Europe. I would love to get over there in July to see the Tour de France and enjoy a street side cafe or two…”

What made you want to pursue the manager position at PT’s Barrington Village? “After working for the organization, I felt it was time for me to step up and do all I can for PT’s. I feel I have great organizational skills and wanted to put them to better use”

Morgan Smith- Coffee Quality Manager

Morgan might have only been with PT’s for a year, but it has been a really busy one for her! Last summer when the SCAA’s Midwest Regional Barista Competition was announced to be held at the end of October, she decided that she would see what she was made of. After giving up the majority of her social life for several months in order to be prepared, she not only made the finals, but walked away with the third place trophy! Since then she has prepared for her first national championship where she ranked in the top 25 baristas in the United States. We expect great things! She now wants to focus her energies into Barrington and help elevate the level of coffee knowledge, both with customers and her peers. Here’s a little about Morgan-

What’s your favorite coffee and why? “Costa Rica from Finca Cerro, Paldo, still… (she used this coffee at the United States Barista Championship). It’s clean, mellow and very well rounded”

How did you get into coffee? “I was born into it. My mom opened a coffee shop when I was born so that she would be able to work and still spend time with me. It was the customers that made me want to stick with it.”

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? “Easy. Italy or Greece!”

What made you want to pursue one of the manager positions at PT’s Barrington Village? “I saw things that I felt really needed a change and I thought I could be the right person to change them.”

Nikki Strong- Manager of Food and Bakery

Nikki started with PT’s in 2004, but her romance with coffee started in high school. Before she was taken on as a barista, she was a customer and has been a part of the PT’s family for over a decade. Through out her time with us she has also had opportunities to work for other companies that taught her the value of systems and has a firm understanding of how to apply that specifically to the area of food service. She has a creative outlook on life and we look forward to her bringing that into play with our food offerings and systems at Barrington Village. Here’s what Nikki had to say for herself-

What’s your favorite coffee and why? “I love just about every Costa Rican. They are sweet and chocolaty and yummy!”

How do you brew your coffee at home? “I don’t right now. I usually go to the shop. I want a Chemex but I’m afraid I’ll break it…”

How did you get into coffee? “I started hanging out at PT’s in high school, and that’s where I met my boyfriend (he was a barista there) and a lot of my friends. When a job became available at PT’s Stormont Vail (one of our former locations), I jumped in.”

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? “Somewhere tropical, but not touristy. The South Pacific or Caribbean. I spent a couple vacations in the British Virgin Islands on a chartered sail boat with my family and I loved it!”

What made you want to pursue a management position at PT’s Barrington Village? “I love the shop and I want to help make it even better. I’ve worked at other coffee shops that don’t have the same camaraderie and excitement, and now I’m happy to be back home at PT’s.”

We are excited to see where these three take our retail experience! Please stop by the cafe and congratulate them when you have the chance!

A smattering of thanks from Washburn Rural High School's culinary classes

On Friday, April 9th we at PT’s hosted a day of education for the Washburn Rural High School’s culinary classes. Starting at 8am we had 3 groups of students come through to tour our roasting facility and see what it is that we do exactly. All together there were about 150 students that got an introduction to sourcing and roasting coffee and even got to watch one of our barista competitors go through her presentation that she gave last weekend in Anaheim, CA for the 2010 United States Barista Championship. Today we received a huge envelope of thanks from what appears to be all of them! Here’s a few of our favorites we wanted to share with you…

“Coffee is pretty awesome. You & the people you work with put a lot of devotion in your work. The fact that what you do effects the lives of so many, well, I dig that. You put a lot of care into those beans. Thanks for inviting me in to see. If only you were hiring!

Thanks a lot

-Angela”

“Thank you for giving us such a great tour. I thought it was really interesting how so much work and care is put into your coffee, and it was cool to be able to see the process of making the coffee. I never knew that people who worked in coffee are so passionate about what they do and work so hard to make the best quality of coffee. Thanks for sharing your story with us and allowing us to see what goes on behind every cup of PT’s coffee.

Sincerely,

-Kylie”

And one for fun…

“Thanks a lot bro for the show. It was chill and the fun level wasn’t low. Now I always know what I’ll be havin’ with my toffee, that’s right, you guessed it a P-H-phat cup of PT’s coffee!

Much love -ya boi

-Hunner”

Thanks to each one of you for coming! We are so glad that you enjoyed it!