We hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday, filled with beautiful coffees and exciting coffee gifts. As we reflect on the past year, we cannot help but be filled with memories of great coffees come and gone, new Direct Trade relationships formed, and awards received. All of these memories would not be possible without your support of great coffee. As a little holiday/thank you gift, we are releasing a new line of coffee equipment at a special introductory price. Browse our selection of Hario’s brewing and grinding equipment here!

Hario Brewing Equipment

Hario is a glass manufacturer based in Japan that is entering the US market with its line of high end brewing and grinding equipment.  PT’s Coffee is fortunate to be one of the few coffee roasters to be able to offer Hario’s high quality products.  As an introductory offer, take 25% off the price of Hario’s products until January4th!  If you happen to have a little money left after the holidays, this will be a hard offer to pass up.

Hario Ceramic 1-Cup Drippers

Perfect for the office or anyone who just wants one cup.  These ceramic drippers fit perfectly on your coffee cup and can brew some of the best coffee you have ever tasted.  Check out the ceramic dripper in both red and chocolate here!

Hario Iced Coffee Brewer

Iced coffee in December?  We know it sounds slightly ridiculous, but once you taste the delectable brew from this easy to use iced coffee brewer you will understand why we are excited about it, no matter what temperature it is outside.  Check out Hario’s Iced Coffee Brewer here!

Hario Buono Water Kettle

The Buono Water Kettle allows you to get the most out of your pour over coffee brewers.  Its long, thin spout allows you to have precise directional control on your pour and the position of the spout allows for even water temperature dispersion.  Purchase a Hario Buono Water Kettle here!

Hario Mini Slim Hand Grinder

Perfect for traveling or for those who do not want to hear a loud motor while waking up in the morning. Hario’s Mini Slim Hand Grinder is light, portable and a great price for a good burr grinder. It does a wonderful job for pour over brewers like Hario’s Ceramic Drippers or a Chemex. Purchase Hario’s Mini Slim Hand Grinder here!

Happy Holidays to all of our customers!  PT’s Coffee will be closed from December 24th until December 27th.  All orders received after December 23rd will be roasted and shipped on December 28th.  Everyone have a beautiful holiday, filled with wonderful coffee!

Day 8:

Following a successful MWRBC, I made a last minute decision to continue the coffee party and head to Seattle for the weekend. Seeing an opportunity to share some coffee with industry professionals up there, I brought with me a bag containing some of my favorite coffees from PT’s, including Panama Elida Estate Natural, Las Mercedes El Pepinal 1, Beloya Selection #8, and our signature espresso blend, La Bella Vita, amongst others. I worked with my good friend Alex Negranza to organize a last minute candlelight cupping at Trabant in Pioneer Square.

Upon stepping off my plane, however, I was first headed to Slayer Espresso for an informal cupping and experimental exploration of what a variable pressure espresso machine could do for coffee. I’d visited Slayer back in July, about a week before the first machine was shipped off to Melbourne, Australia. Unfortunately the “display” machine was not up and running at the time, so I could only gaze at the beautiful wooden paddles and stainless steel X’s longingly. Eric Perkunder (one of three masterminds behind Slayer) did, however, spend at least two hours excitedly explaining the machine to me. Not as a salesman, mind you – Eric is far too down to earth, not to mention he knows how much baristas make – but as an inventive coffee geek sharing discoveries with another coffee geek.

Even now, Eric will tell you he still doesn’t have a 100% understanding of the machine’s possibilities. Slayer simply created a machine designed with the barista in mind in every way possible, from variable pressure to unlimited dry steam to individualized group head temperature control to a little stainless steel mirror that lets the barista watch their shots from any angle (brilliant). From there, they’re right there with the rest of us trying to understand what this tidal wave of possibility truly means for coffee.

Nathan, Sam, and myself huddled around a beautiful pull -Photo by Eric Perkunder

This weekend I was fortunate enough to get a glimpse of what that possibility might entail. An impressive crew had convened for a day of exploration. I had the pleasure of meeting Sam Lewontin, barista trainer for Equal Exchange, and Nathan Slabaugh, whose wild journey includes his work as a musician in the circus, a motorcycle trek from Florida to Alaska, and of course, coffee. Nathan’s story can’t possibly be relayed in a few sentences, so be sure to check out his blog at www.thecalloftheroad.com. Later on we were joined by seasoned competitor barista and fellow Midwesterner Robbie Britt, of Zoka. Nic and Glenn of Black Mountains Coffee Co. in the UK had already been around caffeinating themselves with Seattle for at least a day. I also had the opportunity to meet another of Slayer’s masterminds, Jason Prefontaine, with whom I spent hours discussing the inner workings and design of the machine. We really had our own little coffee convention right there in Georgetown, Seattle.

Out of my bag we initially pulled out PT’s espresso blend, La Bella Vita. On a standard espresso machine, La Bella Vita is beautifully balanced with a deep red fruit sweetness, dark chocolate body, and peppery spice finish. Slayer didn’t necessarily change this – it amplified it. All those notes we at PT’s have become custom to expecting in La Bella Vita suddenly exploded in technicolor on my palate. In what I’d find to be a theme with anything we pulled with Slayer, the most notable aspect was a remarkable clarity of flavor, not to mention an effortlessly full body. Even more interesting was the potential of control through pressure profiling. I won’t be claim to be well versed in the techniques to approaching Slayer, but through various pressure profiling parameters, we were able to highlight different aspects of La Bella Vita’s flavor profile. With a soft pre-infusion of 3.5 bars of pressure to the standard 9 bars for most of the extraction, we might get the aforementioned red fruit and chocolate. A slight change in pressure profiling and that red fruit became citrus while the chocolate became caramel – still balanced, still full bodied, and still our trademark La Bella Vita, just with small shifts of controlled focus. It was fascinating.

Sam tinkers while Robbie and I discuss the potential... -Photo by Eric Perkunder

Next, Eric wanted to throw our Sumatra Harimau Tiger in the Anfim’s hopper – eliciting a chuckle from myself. Sumatran coffee is excellent as brew and provides much of the body and spice in La Bella Vita – but I’ve joked on numerous occasions about using it as a single origin espresso. The one time I attempted this I was met with an overwhelmingly earthy and not-so-pleasant savory characteristic. There was no sweetness and it was unbalanced no matter how long I spent trying to dial it in otherwise. Eric, however, gave me a knowing smile and pulled a shot anyways. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to try it, but closed my eyes and threw it back nonetheless… and was absolutely stunned. The same shot that previously contained notes of dirt and black pepper was now a beautifully sweet and round espresso, full of body and shockingly balanced with notes akin to a fresh red bell pepper. I still can’t explain how this happened, but I suddenly understood Eric’s infatuation with Indonesian coffees.

Bewildered as I already was, Slayer had more tricks up its sleeve for me. I’d heard whispers that Slayer could “brew” a cup of coffee similar to a French press. My introduction to this “pseudo-French press” technique was with the same Sumatran coffee. I watched in amazement as Eric dosed a naked portafilter with 7.6 grams of coffee, pulled it for a little over a minute at 3.5 bars of pressure, into a 6 oz ceramic cup. There was no tamping and no crema. We passed it around to appreciate the aromatics until I took a sip – and I can now say the best cup of Sumatran coffee I’ve ever had was brewed with an espresso machine. To say it was comparable to a French pressed cup might be an understatement, since I felt it was better. I apologize if this is blasphemy, but once again Slayer pulled a beautiful sweetness and clarity that I’ve never experienced in a Sumatran before.

The same routine was repeated with several other coffees, including our Panama Elida Estate Natural, which reminded me more of a chemex-brewed coffee and astounded us with it’s floral aromatics and bright acidity. Eventually it was late in the evening and we were far too caffeinated to think straight, much less drink more.

I said goodbye and caught a bus to Capitol Hill for the night, where my good friend Alex Negranza lives. Alex is a certified USBC judge and currently works the bar at both Trabant and Tougo Coffee amongst a slew of other coffee-related activites. Though my eyes could barely open following an intense caffeine crash, Alex convinced me to join him for a ‘night capp’ from Victrola Coffee on 15^th. I’d mention if it was good or not, but by that point in the night, my palate was shot – the day was over.

Day 9:

A miniature coffee crawl commenced following a failed attempt to wake up early. First on our list was Victrola, where we ordered Ethiopia Harrar single origin espresso. Perhaps there was a bad extraction or the flavor profile simply didn’t agree with me – I’ve had a number of fantastic espressos from Victrola – but this particular cup was salty, even reminiscent of salted pork (No, I’m not kidding). Kind of a startling flavor for a vegetarian! It wasn’t terrible, just very odd and not particularly enjoyable.

Your friendly baristas at Cortona Cafe -Photo by Alex Negranza

Next stop was Cortona Café in the Central District, for whom Alex has been working as a consultant. The atmosphere was minimalist but warm, nestled in the midst of a quiet neighborhood. It was their opening day, so I will admit my expectations were rather low when I asked barista-on-duty Whitney for a shot of espresso. My first reaction when she handed me the demi: “Oh my god, that’s beautiful!” My second reaction, upon first sip: “What is this?! You just served me a better shot than Victrola, on your opening day!”

Turns out the coffee being used was Herkimer, which I’d honestly never heard of before. According to Alex the espresso was a seven-bean blend, which sounds like a horrible idea initially, but apparently works in such a way that when one note isn’t hit, another is brought into focus. Probably not the most predictable espresso, but it was indeed consistently sweet and balanced.

Cortona Cafe -Photo by Alex Negranza

La Marzocco Mistral at Stumptown -Photo by Alex Negranza

After a quick stop at nearby Tougo Coffee (we didn’t get anything), we were onward to Stumptown on 12^th in Capitol Hill for a quick macchiato. I was impressed, not only by the drink but by the shiny La Marzocco Mistral on the bar. I’ve never used one of these, so I can’t attest to much beyond its looks, but boy is it shiny!

The candlelight cupping at Trabant was a lovely event. We brought together a number of roaster’s offerings beyond PT’s. 49^th Parallel, Stumptown, and Ritual graced the tables as well. So as not to encourage any subconscious discrimination, we kept the tasting blind. We weren’t interested in pitting them against each other – simply noting the differences. That said, I got a kick out of one barista’s comment on two particular cups, “Those are too clean to be anything I’m familiar with.” Those cups turned out to be PT’s Panama Elida Estate and Beloya Selection #8.

Alex and Mike at Trabant -Photo courtesy Alex Negranza

Though the dimly candle-lit tables provided a romantic setting (not to mention my firm belief that constricting certain senses can heighten others), I admit we were a little over-zealous in the number of coffees on the table! At times it was hard for us to keep track of what flavor profiles we noted in what cups. I must also note that we were careful to use scentless candles – a must for anyone wishing to conduct their own candlelight cupping.

After clean up and a quick cab ride Alex and I were back at Cortona Café for their opening party. I had the pleasure of meeting owner Will Little, whom I believe will invariably succeed in his efforts to provide a solid community center in the neighborhood. Clearly word was well spread, as the place was packed. I was somehow roped into working the bar (OK, I admit, the possibility was passively mentioned and I eagerly jumped on it) alongside Cortona barista Joe, who pulled lovely shots while I steamed milk for most of the evening.

Joe and myself making free drinks at Cortona's grand opening -Photo by Alex Negranza

Finally the crowd left, the bar was cleaned and the lights were shut off. I’ve experienced a lot of caffeine crashes since becoming a barista, but this one made them all pale in comparison. Time to pass out!

Day 10:

Alex was off to Portland to serve as a guest barista at a coffee fair well before the sun was up, and my flight wasn’t much later. Before heading to the airport though, I realized I still had some coffee leftover from the weekend – it wouldn’t be fresh enough for formal cupping if I kept it for later, so what to do? I called Eric from Slayer to see if he’d be interested in using it down there. He met me at Victrola on Pike about a half hour later for cappuccinos and lovely non-coffee related conversation (is it odd that that’s odd nowadays?). I gave him the coffee and Eric, easily one of the nicest people I’ve come across in coffee, offered me a ride to the airport - even gave me some reading for the flight! The Devil’s Cup: A History of The World According to Coffee - I’ve only begun it but I can already recommend highly, even to the non-coffee snobs among us. It’s remarkable to realize just how much coffee has not only been present throughout history, but the degree to which it has frequently influenced history itself. Thank you Eric!

It’s been quite a weekend, and I look forward to many more like it. All of it might seem a bit silly and over-the-top to some, but I have to nod to a PT’s motto and agree, “Without the love, it’s just coffee”. Back to Kansas!

Food + Flicks recently stopped by PT’s Coffee for a cupping of the widely coveted Hacienda La Esmeralda Special.  Check out their cover here!

It is always nice to have your hard work recognized, especially on a national level.  Imagine our excitement when we read PT’s Coffee’s name on MSN New’s latest report on “America’s Best Coffee.”  MSN loved our committent to quality and rewarding the farmer for his or her hard work!

You can read the article here!

Seeing as I’m a fairly new addition to PT’s and the coffee world at large, I suppose I ought to introduce myself; My name is Kasey Klimes and I make coffee. It’s what I love. While living in St. Louis I worked the bar for Kaldi’s Coffee for two years before moving to Kansas to attend KU. I began working for PT’s about two months ago and at the same time began training for the Midwest Regional Barista Competition. We were cutting it close – competition was only six weeks away – but PT’s trainer Holly Bastin graciously invested the extra work in me to make it happen.

As I write this now, I am sitting in the Seattle airport waiting on a flight back to Kansas. The past ten days have been a caffeinated whirlwind, beginning the night before MWRBC.

DAY 1:

At about 7:30pm team PT’s rolled into St. Louis just in time for the MWRBC kick off party at Velocity Café, a relatively new shop that has ingeniously tapped into the intrinsic overlap between coffee people and bike people. The atmosphere was jovial and friendly. It made me even more excited to be making coffee in the Midwest, amongst these amazing people.

Having been initially trained by Mike Marquard during my time at Kaldi’s, we were granted a light-hearted moment of Obi-Wan/Darth Vader melodrama before catching up with each other. It was good seeing the Kaldi’s guys again.

Naturally, a latte art throwdown had to commence, in which several others and myself embarrassed ourselves while Pete “The Pete” Licata took all our money in the night’s jackpot.

The gathering stood as proof to anyone who might suspect otherwise that any rivalries in the Midwest coffee community exist purely within the realm of competition. If anything, we all wish we could get together outside competition more often.

DAY 2:

The first two days of MWRBC comprise round one, in which all competitors are given 15 minutes to serve four judges each a single espresso, a traditional cappuccino, and their own signature espresso beverage. Lucky me, I’m the first of our team to bat.

It took about a dozen scrolls through my checklist to convince myself I had everything I needed before rolling out my cart for prep time – allowing Holly to wish me luck and go babysit other nervous baristas. I remembered tasting my espresso earlier in the morning and found confidence in the fact that, whether or not I was among the best baristas here, I did have some of the best coffee - and a barista can only be as good as his or her coffee.

Explaining the herbs & spices of my sig drink -Photo by Mike Marquard

Despite the adrenaline vibrating through my hands while pouring my cappuccinos, my performance overall went fairly smoothly. It wasn’t the best I’d ever done but it certainly wasn’t my worst. I had a spill or two, served a slightly hot set of cappuccinos, and cross-contaminated one of my rags, but I served good coffee and I knew it. I left the stage proud (and to be honest, a little relieved that it was over). My espresso gave me consistent results as well, something I couldn’t have promised beforehand. A good amount of my blend was a natural processed Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, which blessed the espresso with a wonderful juicy sweetness but also cursed it with an unpredictable behavior. I’d been wrestling with it for weeks. In fact, the blend was finalized only three days before competition – how’s that for cutting it close?

Team PT’s had the pleasure of joining forces with Jon Freihofer and Tom Billionis of The Coffee Ethic in Springfield, Missouri, during the weeks of training prior. Jon and Tom both used PT’s La Bella Vita espresso blend to impressive results. Jon gave the judges an admirable performance later on in the day, serving his own brand of charm alongside his delicious pumpkin and white chocolate signature drink.

Day 3:

The next day of round one lined up Tom, Robin, and Morgan, all of whom put on incredible performances. I’d seen Tom become a little flustered when problems arose in practice run-throughs. Under the real pressure though, he presented the judges with a smooth, polished professional. As with all performances, small things didn’t go as perfectly as planned, but Tom disregarded them with the grace of an athlete and kept his eyes on the ball. The Mad Greek didn’t even break a sweat, certainly more than the rest of us could say.

Robin infusing his ingredients -Photo by Jeff Taylor

Robin “Big Daddy” Seitz met and exceeded the expectations that awaited a returning regional champion. He displayed his passion and knowledge while keeping his performance light hearted and entertaining. Having sat on the judges table for many of his practice run-throughs, I can assure the judges enjoyed a sweet espresso with notes of cane sugar, stone fruit, and cocoa. His “espresso soda” is a light and crisp beverage with an amazing citrus nose that strengthened the body of his espresso, El Pepinal 1 from Las Mercedes, produced by Lucia Ortiz in El Salvador.

In fact, the PT’s team was infinitely fortunate to have Lucia with us for the weekend to cheer us on – and to give Robin a little extra pressure! It was an honor to meet and talk with the producer of such a beautiful coffee – an opportunity very few baristas ever get.

Morgan's secret weapon: La Bella Vita -Photo by Jeff Taylor

Morgan Smith finished the day for PT’s with a solid performance. Nonetheless, I was in the back biting my nails. We both later agreed that it is far more nerve wracking to sit on a teammate’s sideline than to perform yourself. No need, however, as Morgan made it look like she’d been doing this for years (Morgan, like myself, was a first-time competitor).

So, who would rank amongst the midwest’s top six baristas? The end of the day brought our results; Robin Seitz (PT’s), Mike Marquard (Kaldi’s), Joe Marrocco (Kaldi’s), Micah Svejda (Kaldi’s), and, to our earnest surprise, Morgan Smith and myself.

What Robin had previously dubbed the “Midwest Side Story” was now playing out – Sharks vs. Jets, PT’s vs. Kaldi’s. The top three Kaldi’s baristas against the top three (aka the entire) PT’s team.

I can’t give details, but there was indeed a triumphant air amongst the PT’s crew as we left the building. Whatever happened, finals were destined to be epic.

Day 4:

Finals brought us six solid performances, all of which proceeded with minimal hiccups (Robin was even able to prove he can pull amazing shots in the dark!). Team Kaldi’s once again brought out their impressive Costa Rican single origin espressos and notably coffee-centric signature drinks. Team PT’s represented our own outstanding coffees well. Of the two main contenders for the 1^st place prize, there was certainly no clear winner until it was announced. Ultimately, Mike Marquard took home the hard earned title of regional champion. Big Daddy took runner-up. Both of these baristas have taught me a massive amount about coffee, and I am incredibly happy for them both. They’re veterans with years of experience and knowledge under their belts. They’ve worked hard to achieve what they’ve done and I’ve long looked up to them both.

MWRBC Champion: Mike Marquard -Photo courtesy Mike Marquard

That said, to me, 3^rd place is the truly amazing story of MWRBC. Underdog and first time competitor Morgan Smith took the competition by surprise. I’ve had the honor to work and train beside Morgan for the six weeks prior to competition. She is a humble and hard working barista that I can promise will represent our community well in Anaheim.

Team PT's -Photo by Jeff Taylor

And so it was, we packed up and hit the road. Pete Licata graciously tolerated Morgan and I’s pestering coffee questions for at least four hours (we gave him a ride to Kansas City), and excitedly discussed ideas for USBC – at which all MWRBC finalists have agreed to compete. Plans to keep each other sharp and on our toes are being discussed - the Midwest will undoubtedly prove a united force at nationals.

Days 5, 6, 7:

Pretend to be a collegiate scholar, work a couple bar shifts back in Topeka, and attempt to keep my life outside of coffee looking reasonably well-maintained.

PT’s new Table Top French Press is perfect for a table of two or a long, relaxing morning. Our 20 oz insulated French Press gives you the convenience of enjoying your coffee throughout the morning. With its double-walled, vacuum-insulated stainless steel construction, your coffee will remain at the perfect temperature for hours.

A French Press is one of the easiest and best ways of brewing great coffee. You simply grind your coffee, put it in the French Press, pour on water just off the boil and wait for four minutes! The outcome will be an incredibly full-bodied coffee that highlights a coffee’s depth and spiciness.  Purchase PT’s Table Top French Press here!

What it is: A 10-cup automatic coffee brewer.

Why we love it: It does everything right. It is one of the only automatic home coffee brewers on the market that can brew coffee at the correct temperature, around 198 degrees. It maintains that temperature throughout most of the brew cycle, ensuring an even extraction. The thermal carafe will help keep your coffee hot for hours without burning it on a hotplate.

Order the Technivorm KBT-741 before December 31^st, and we take $30 OFF the price of a Maestro Conical Burr Grinder, and we will cover the cost of shipping! Order this incredible coffee brewer here!

Coffee Review just scored our Costa Rica Finca Cerro Paldo a 95!  This fabulous Direct Trade coffee will appeal to almost everyone!  You can purchase a bag here and read Ken Davids’ review below!

Blind Assessment: Delicate, tartly crisp profile. In the aroma pungent nut, semi-sweet chocolate. In the cup balanced acidity, silky mouthfeel, intense sweetness with continued nut and dry chocolate notes. Very sweet, very long, flavor-saturated finish.

Who should drink it: Delicate intensity. A classic black, multiple-cup breakfast coffee, pure and elegant.

Our NEW Organic Ethiopia Amaro Gayo is a beautiful, naturally processed coffee that will astound you with its crisp cleanliness and bountiful berry notes. If you enjoyed the Ethiopia Sidamo Wondo Bonko, you will love Amaro Gayo (also from the Sidamo region of Ethiopia).  As an introductory offer, purchase Amaro Gayo before Friday, December 4th and receive $3 off the retail price!  Order Organic Ethiopia Sidamo Amaro Gayo here!