Wednesday, February 28, 2007

CLOVER...!!!!

Hey everyone, the CLOVER arrives tomorrow! IF you haven't seen one of these in person before, you won't believe the quality of coffee drinks it produces. Give us a call or stop by the roasting plant to take a look. We'll be happy to make you a cup that will knock you socks off! Look forward to hearing from you!

Jeff Taylor

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Saturday, February 24, 2007

Coffeefest Chicago

Hello from Chicago!

It's quite chilly here as I write this evening. We got an unexpected (at least to us) bluster of snow today. It has definitely added an extra layer of excitement to an already amazing show. There are so many great people here from all over the country, even other parts of the world. Our booth is right across from Nuova Simonelli's so we've had plenty of opportunity to get to know the Italians :)

The USBC Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition is underway, the finals start tomorrow morning at 1:00pm. It looks like a good spread, with a few from Intelligentsia, Java Hound, and Metropolis. The competition as a whole has been interesting to watch as they were completely full with a waiting list. There are a lot of returning competitors, as well as some fresh faces. I have the privilege of judging tomorrow in the finals and I'm looking forward to it. As long as I have internet access tomorrow, I will make sure to take some time to post the winners.
The show itself is pretty awesome. I've been to the SCAA trade shows and a Fresh Cup Road Show, and Coffeefest is totally in between for me. There's so much to see at the SCAA show that it can almost be overwhelming. Coffeefest is a little smaller (not much) in scale with a much more leisurely feel for the attendees. At our booth we've been busy, but still able to have a lot of good conversations and meet some amazing people. The new Clover we are debuting is sweet. It's a one cup at a time brewer that is insanely specific in its controls and produces an absolutely decadent cup of coffee. My personal favorite from it was the Lake Tawar from Sumatra. It's a very intriguing way to brew coffee.

I'll make sure to keep everyone posted through out this adventure. So far all I can say is that everyone should check out a Coffeefest as soon as they can.

Signing out from the snowy city- Holly

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Jeff's El Salvador Bound!

Right now Jeff has just entered the county of El Salvador. While there he is going to visit the farm of Los Planes home of the number #2 2006 Cup of Excellence coffee. Jeff is planning on meeting with plantation owner Sergio Ticas Reyes while touring his farm. El Salvador Los Planes is currently available for purchase on the PT's Coffee Co. Website.

Espresso Elizabetha


The wait is almost over, Robin's winning espresso blend Espresso Elizabetha is available for sale starting February 19th on the PT's Coffee Co. website. This blend will be available for a very limited time! Enjoy the espresso that was created by the 2007 SCAA Midwest Regional Barsita Champion.

A Word from Robin

My personal espresso blend is called Espresso Elizabetha. I named it after my 19 month old daughter Elizabeth. It is a simple blend composed of only two beans; each exceptional as single origin shots. First there is the Brazil Natural Yellow Bourbon from Fazenda Cachoiera. It has been African bed dried and to me it is full of natural sweet notes. Complex and heady, it can be interpreted as citrusy sweet, or maybe even floral (perhaps orange blossoms). The other coffee is a blended origin from the northern parts of Sumatra, in the Aceh and Lintong provinces near Lake Tawar. It too is sweet, but it gives the espresso a little more body and an interesting spiciness in the finish. The spice isn't obvious or prevalent. It is more like an after-aftertaste. It reminds both me, and our head roaster Jayson of perhaps cardamom.

I really enjoyed these coffees together. They were complex, and tasty, without the hard bitter finish that some espressos bring. This one without fail finishes smooth. It makes you want to sip more. It is best enjoyed as a straight shot or in a simple coffee drink with a higher percentage of coffee in the beverage, like a traditional cappuccino, macchiato, or con panna.

I was very excited to offer this coffee which I worked so hard on to the judges of the Midwest Regional Barista Competition. I was interested to see what their thoughts on it were, and how they liked it in the combination drinks, like the cappuccino and my specialty drink. I really didn't think going in that I had much chance of coming out on top. I was, after all, a first time competitor, and we have some great baristas and coffee companies in our area. I was excited just to make finals.

In finals I thought I was done for during my introduction because I knocked over one of my sugar bowls! I had to take the time to clean up the table, but it was costing me time. I was sure I was going to go over time. But I held it together, maintained my professionalism, and focused on making the best coffee drinks I could, and let my espresso do most of the work for me. Hearing my name as winner was exhilarating. I had to stop myself from jumping up and down. I felt that I had done well, but I didn't know how well. It was also a bit of a relief knowing that my endless hours of practice with our Barista Team were worth while.

Now the team is gearing up for United States Barista Competition in Long Beach, CA this upcoming May. We took a couple of weeks off of practice, but now its back on. The PT's team is looking forward to making a strong showing this year. We're going to be busy the next couple of months polishing up our skills, going over the feedback that judges gave us at Midwest, and continuing to improve our craft. Regardless of results, you can be assured that our involvement in these competitions is providing you, the customer, with better baristas and better coffee to enjoy.

Cheers,


Robin Seitz

PT’s Coffee Co.
PO Box 19229
Topeka, KS 66619
www.ptscoffee.com
888-678-5282
785-862-5282

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Jeff in Guatemala


The country that was home to Jeff's first coffee adventure seven years ago, is once again the destination for PT's co-owner Jeff Taylor. Jeff is currently traveling around Guatemala visiting many different coffee plantations and trying some of the best coffees that the country has to offer. Enjoy the wonderful pictures on Jeff's photo journal, while sipping on a great cup of coffee.