We at PT’s want to offer our hearty congratulations to the new World Barista Champion, Mike Phillips from Intelligentsia in Chicago! Mike is the first American to ever win the event and we are proud of him! The other finalists were Raul Rodas of Guatemala in 2nd place, Scottie Callaghan of Australia in 3rd place, Colin Harmon of Ireland in 4th,  Soren Stiller Markussen in 5th, and Stefanos Domatiotis of Greece in 6th.

2010 World Barista Champion, Mike Phillips

Starting on Monday, June 30th, you may notice a little change in your normal coffee buying experience. We are updating our website to give you a better shopping experience. We are trying to make the transition as seamless as possible, so hopefully you will not have any difficulties. One of the differences that you may notice is that you will not be taken directly to your shopping cart after adding an item to your cart. We hope that this new feature will help improve the flow of the ordering process. If you would like to go to your cart, there is a link in the top right corner that will always take you directly to your cart. There are also a couple of new features that we will highlight in the near future. If you take time to explore, you may find a little reward. If you have any questions about the update, or if you have any problems with you account, please contact us at 888-678-5282.

At the recent El Salvador Cup Of Excellence Auction, we landed our hands on Lot #11 La Pinera Pacamara. We should have this coffee arriving sometime in July or August.

The La Pinera farm is located in the Cacahuatique mountain range in Ciudad Barrios, a department of San Miguel.  Formerly this mountain range was home to tribes like Lenca and Ulúa that were established due to its geographical advantage. The region has abundant water, fertile land, and dense forests in which animals like deer, tepezcuintles, and lion monkeys still live to this day. Furthermore, many archeological artifacts have been found in this land.

This area has been ideal for growing coffee, which was introduced for the first time at Ciudad Barrios by the General, Captain, and President Gerardo Barrios known as “The Father of Coffee” in El Salvador. The first coffee mill in El Salvador was built in Ciudad Barrios, which was a rustic machine used to triturate (rub, crush, grind, or pound into fine particles or a powder) the coffee grain and remove the coffee parchment.  It still exists today in Ciudad Barrios. The Araujo Guerra Family has been producing coffee for more than a century but in the 1980´s due to the war in El Salvador, which started in Ciudad Barrios, the result was many economic problems, unemployment, and human loss that affected this area for the next ten years.

Since the 1990´s, the Araujo Guerra Family started to rebuild their land and decided to grow Pacamara coffee with the help of Angel Cabrera, (one of the innovators of Pacamara) and the supervision of Procafe.  La Pinera is one of the origins of Pacamara coffee.  Its seeds have been spread through different areas of El Salvador and Central America, giving birth to many other Pacamara coffee farms.  Due to this great achievement, Luis Alonso Araujo received a prize for Coffee Innovator and Producer for the Pacamara Variety in 1996.

Lot La Pinera produces a high quality coffee but we should emphasize that Araujo Guerra family is very committed to helping with social labor, the environment, their employees, and assisting people who have high necessities.

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.

Be the first to try the new crop of Esmeralda Special!  We are now offering PRE-ORDERS for the new crop of geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda.  We bought two lots this year from Hacienda La Esmeralda, and we are excited to offer you the two best coffees (in our opinion) from this year’s auction.  For all PRE-ORDERS, we will roast and ship your coffee within a couple days of its arrival at our roasting facility.  We anticipate the coffee to arrive at the end of June or beginning of July, and we will cover the cost of shipping on your Esmeralda.  If you order other coffees with your PRE-ORDER, we will ship them separately from the PRE-ORDER.  Purchase your PRE-ORDER here!  If you cannot wait until the end of June for your dose of Esmeralda, we have a small amount from last year’s crop left.  Purchase the last of it here!

Mario Carnaval (last year our roast received a 96 from Coffee Review) was harvested during the peak of theharvest 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 exceeded our expectations: this is what it is all about.  This experience is why people go to so much trouble just to have one cup of Hacienda La Esmeralda Special.  Purchase your PRE-ORDER here!

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 Mario 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.  Purchase your PRE-ORDER here!