Two auctions are complete and we bought some of the best out of both! First, our friends in Panama, the Peterson family, held their first ever “Private Auction” for Hacienda La Esmeralda Special. This coffee has become so popular that the family took an unusual step to determine value of the Geisha variety coffee. They held a private auction for all ten lots of the coffee. In previous years, roasters were simply allotted so many bags. Of course the “Top” lots were auctioned through the Best of Panama and the remaining crop was sold to industry professionals who had built a relationship with the family through previous purchasing efforts. The price per lb. was set somewhat arbitrarily based on previous years auctions. It truly put the producers in an awkward position of determining value of their crop.This years auction seemed like the best answer to determine “real” value. Of course the best lots this year, which are traditionally harvested from “North of the Creek” at the highest point on the Peterson farm, sold for the highest price again. These lots received over $100 per lb. in the auction. We didn’t purchase these lots.Following our cupping of all lots prior to the auction, we determined that the lots we wanted were merely a point or two different from the top lots. But that point or two on a cupping scale equaled about $85 per lb in the auction. We chose to bid on value for our customers and purchased what we believe are the second best lots in the auction.First, we bought Lot #6 - This section of the farm was harvested in January from North of the Creek and some from South of the Creek. We thought that this coffee showed real maturity in the cup. It is excellent right now. All the wonderful characteristics of a Geisha coffee were present. Sweetness, perfume, jasmine, tea-like, elegance, tropical fruits all were present in the cup. So we went after this lot first and got it. This will be the lot we roast from first when the coffee arrives in July. We purchased two additional batches, both from Lot #10. This was my favorite cup! Also harvested from north of the creek and some from south of the creek, but harvested later in the season. The later harvest allowed for more development in the beans and produced an outstanding cup. You can truly see the “north of the creek” harvest influence in the flavor. Sweetness, perfume, jasmine, tea-like, elegance, tropical fruits but this cup had brighter acidity and an overall balance to make it my favorite. It is truly difficult to justify the $100 per lb. price tag that the North of the Creek lots of Esmeralda achieved. Roasted they will sell for nearly $200 per lb; you can understand my hesitance to bid on these lots. From the lots we purchased our price will remain in the $50-$60 per lb. range.How does this price affect your morning cup of coffee? Well if you do the math based on 2.5 oz per 10 cup pot, your cost per cup is still only $.78 cents per cup. Not a bad price to enjoy one of the best coffees on earth!Hacienda La Esmeralda Special should be arriving sometime in July. We are already taking pre-orders and offering a $5 discount for your consideration. For only .78 cents per cup, you can brew for your friends one of the best coffees on earth.

The Nicaragua Cup of Excellence Auction just finished minutes ago. PTs again scored big with what, in my opinion, was the best coffee in the Nicaraguan auction. Finca La Gloria and Finca Limoncillo are sister farms both literally and figuratively: they are neighboring farms and belong to two sisters in the Matagalpa region of Nicaragua. La Gloria belongs to Ethel McEwan, acquired in 1938 by their father Esteban McEwan, and Finca Limoncillo belongs to Maria Ligia Mierisch McEwan .This outstanding coffee was cultivated from a single varietal named Java-Nica, an Ethiopian Long-Berry. A lot of work went into producing this coffee. It was a risky venture to cultivate it as this varietal came from a coffee research facility that had closed and the variety was new to the region. Despite the odds, it has been an experiment that paid off for the families. Fincas La Gloria and Limoncillo combined their limited quantity of this cultivar for the Cup of Excellence competition.This coffee has been seven years in the making and PTs Coffee Roasting Co., along with our purchasing partners in the auction, are thrilled with the results of the experiment. This is a Nicaraguan coffee that has the flare of an Ethiopian varietal. Outstanding sweetness, a citrus acidity, floral nose from fragrance to cup, Jasmine and Lemon-Tea like flavor, cedarish notes and a deep, complex flavor that leans towards winey in the finish.This is the first time in several years we’ve purchased in the Nicaraguan Cup of Excellence. When you taste this coffee you’ll know why we went out of our way to buy this coffee. You should see this coffee in July. Both Panama Esmeralda Special and Finca La Gloria /Limoncillowill will have high price tags, but I never promised inexpensive coffee, only the best coffee I could find!You will love these purchases when they arrive. I look forward to sharing them with you. Jeff T.PTs Coffee Roasting Co.

Now that the 2008 Esmeralda Especial auction is over, we are accepting pre-orders on this spectacular coffee. We expect the coffee to arrive in early July and will ship it as soon as it arrives. Last year, our roast of this unique coffee received a record high rating of 97 from Ken Davids at Coffee Review. We look forward to this year’s crop being as good, if not better, than last year’s crop. As an added bonus, enter coupon code “ESMERALDA” all in caps to receive a pre-order special of $5 off retail price. Do not miss out on this opportunity to try one of the best coffees in the world at this limited-time price.

Many of you are familiar with the outstanding coffee we have offered the last several years, Hacienda Esmeralda Special, they are holding their very own private auction of their Geisha variety coffee today. This is the same coffee that last year sold for a world record $130/lb. This year, instead of just auctioning off a small lot of the coffee, they are auctioning the entire crop. You can follow all the action at this link. 

The Memorial Day weekend is almost upon us. We hope everyone has a safe and eventful weekend of BBQ’n and fun! We will be having a staff BBQ on Sunday night to celebrate the great coffee harvest and successful run at the United States Barista Competition in 2008. Steaks and BOCA (vegetarian) burgers are on the menu. If you are staff, look forward to seeing you there. If you are not staff, enjoy your weekend too!PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. will be closed on Monday. We will resume our normal work schedule on Tuesday morning.RegardsJeff

I’m reading this new book called  “God in the Cup?”  No, I’m not going to review the book - you’re safe. But it is an interesting read, even if some of the facts are a little off track and personalities a little exaggerated. My friend Duane can tell you all about the exaggerations.I  purchased my copy while attending the SCAA conference in Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago. You can get yours by following this link.  At the time, I didn’t think much of the book or it’s content. It’s kind of an old topic in the industry as we’ve all known the book was in process for several years. So I just picked up my copy and thought I’d read it on the flight home. As I turned the pages I learned Peter, Geoff and Duane had all experienced some of the same feelings, struggles and concerns about buying coffee that I’ve experienced. How to reward producers for their hard work and encourage excellence at the farm level. How do we find the best coffees on earth and what exactly is it that makes those great coffees great? Is it altitude, variety of tree, tender loving care on the part of the farmer, micro-climate or just sheer luck of location by any given farmer?The author, Michaele Weissman,  a journalist who writes about food, family and business and often is published in the New York Times, Washington Post among others, documents the struggles of the three “vanguard” coffee buyers in their pursuit to purchase the worlds best coffees. She focus’s on a coffee many of PTs customers are very familiar with, Hacienda Esmeralda Special from Panama. This is the coffee considered to be one of the worlds best, if not the best. Geoff said the first time he tasted the coffee in a cupping competition, that it was so aromatic that it was as if light was streaming out of it. But it was Don Holly’s comment that made the most news. When he took the first sip he said it was like he  ”saw the face of God in the cup.“ Well, as you may have imagined by now, Geoff, Peter, Duane and Don all bought this coffee, just as we have at PTs for the last four years. Last year alone we sold nearly 750 lbs of Hacienda Esmeralda Specia.This week I had the opportunity to cup the sample lots for the auction Hacienda Esmeralda will be hosting next week (May 22, 2008).  As I worked my way around the table, I just shook my head in wonder! Such an amazing cup! There are very few coffees that come close to this one on the cupping table. Maybe an outstanding Kenya or Ethiopian and thats about it. In her book, Weissman shares the story of the first year this coffee was discovered. Next week we’ll discover a new chapter in the story of Hacienda Esmeralda as the coffee will be auctioned for the first time. Last year a small sampling of auction lot coffee (300 lbs.) sold for a world record price $130 / lb. Will the coffee command such a price again this year? Pick up a copy of Weissmans book and enjoy the reading. Next week will bring an end to another chapter, it just won’t be in the book.Jeff 

We are proud to announce that the coffee from the Gombe Coffee Project is finally available. All of Sustainable Harvest’s and the Tanzanian farmers’ labor has certainly paid off. They have gone from producing a coffee that could not be considered “Specialty Coffee” to producing a coffee that we cupped at an 89! In the aroma, we got some nice, fleeting floral notes, and a combination of caramel and butter. While it was hot, we got a sweet spiciness that resembled thyme, and as it cooled the sweetness was accentuated with notes of blackberries and syrupy honey. It also had a dominant tangy-wininess to it. You will not only enjoy the sweet and pungent taste, but you will also enjoy knowing that you are helping coffee farmers in Tanzania break out of the shackles of poverty. Read more about this coffee here. You will not want to miss out on this wonderful coffee experience.

Sergio and Isabel have gone to great lengths to bring you one of the sweetest cups of coffee you will ever taste! This peaberry from Finca Los Planes in El Salvador is a real treat. It has an aroma that is dominated by sweet cherries. The cherry notes carry into the cup and are combined with a wonderful clove-like complexity and a touch of lemon. A peaberry is a coffee cherry that only develops one whole bean instead of two separate beans. Many people believe that this anomaly creates a much sweeter cup of coffee because the tree puts all of its energy into developing one seed instead of two. We have roasted it lightly to ensure that all of its sweetness comes through in the cup. If you have enjoyed the Pacamara from Finca Los Planes, be sure not to miss out on this peaberry.

Minneapolis, MN, May 6, 2008 PT’s Coffee Roasting Co.’s Pete Licata, of Overland Park, Kan., placed 2nd in the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 7^th Annual United States Barista Championship. The competition was held at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minn. Competitors from across the nation fought for the industry-wide acclaimed title of 2008 SCAA United States Barista Champion.During the contest, competitors are judged by coffee experts on the preparation of espresso shots, cappuccino, and a unique signature drink of their own design; adding a host of new recipes to the industry in the process. During the intense 15 minutes of performance each competitor must make four of each type of beverage, serve them with poise, and explain their coffees and processes to a panel of seven judges. In addition to style and taste, the technical aspects of the work, such as how well they know their equipment and how consistently they prepare their espresso, are heavily weighted into the final scores. Sixty baristas vied for the title. Among the competitors were 10 current regional competition winners, two former winners, and the previous United States champion. Licata, as well as all four of his teammates, chose to feature PT’s La Bella Vita espresso blend in all of their courses. La Bella Vita helped Pete Licata win 2^nd place in the 2007 United States Barista Competition and is used in all of PT’s retail stores.Pete Licata is currently a barista at PT’s Coffee Co.’s Jayhawk Central retail location at 125^th and Quivira in Overland Park. He has been a barista for five years and is the reigning 2008 SCAA Midwest Regional Barista Champion as well as former champion in 2005. See Pete’s Semi-final performance! 

The entry rounds of the United States Barista Championship are now concluded. Following the performance of 59 top notch Baristas from around the United States the top 6 are slated for the finals on Monday.PTs very own Pete Licata has done it again. On Monday it will be five Baristas from California and one from Kansas competing for the opportunity to represent the United States in the World Barista Championship held in Denmark in June.Kansas vs. California…..follow all the action live on the Specialty Coffee Association of America conference web page.Good luck Pete!

Well, most of the staff have now departed for the Specialty Coffee Association of America tradeshow and conference in Minneapolis. For those of you who will not be able to attend, please stay up to date with the USBC and much more by going to the following link. This is the largest coffee gathering of the year and many things will be happening besides the USBC. There will also be the Coffee of The Year competition taking place to pick the Coffee of the Year. This is the first year for this competition.   FOLLOW THE HAPPENINGS