Showing posts with label PT's Coffee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PT's Coffee. Show all posts

Monday, March 25, 2019

Mea Cuppa Coffeebar




Subject: Mea Cuppa Coffeebar
Location visited: Capitol Market, Charleston, WV
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

Every city needs a good local market. Philly has the Reading Terminal, Seattle has Pike Place and Charleston, West Virginia has the Capitol Market. Located in an old railroad terminal, the Capitol Market has been providing excellent food, produce and general good stuff to West Virginia since the late 1990s.

Friday, January 11, 2019

PT's Coffee




Subject: PT's Coffee Roasting Co
Location Reviewed: Topeka, KS
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I remember when I first got into quality coffee around 2006 that there were a few names well-known across the nation. One of those roasters of renown was PT's Coffee out of Kansas, a roaster I first sipped (and later reviewed) all the way back in 2008. Through the past decade, PT's has continuously impressed me with their excellent coffees yet a visit to Kansas to try them out on their home turf continuously eluded me.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Hebrews Coffee



Subject: Hebrews Coffee
Location: Springfield, MO
WiFi?: Yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I am a tremendous fan of the noble pun. What better to insert into a conversation than a clever exploitation of different uses of similar sounding words? I trace my fervent love of witty word play to my days in Montana when I studied under a man who greatly regarded them as the highest form of communication. Forever my eyes have been o-punned.

Monday, December 08, 2014

The Coffee Ethic




Subject: The Coffee Ethic
Location: Springfield, MO
WiFi?: Yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]


I am a great fan of open town squares, especially when they sit amidst local merchants. In walking through hundreds of urban open spaces, ranging from Central Park to Golden Gate Park, it seems that the proper dosage of local commerce (though I do not know the ratio) makes for the greatest level of enjoyment for said open spaces.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Mugged: Konga Natural Ethiopia [PTs Coffee]



Subject: PT's Coffee (via My Coffee Pub)
Coffee Mugged: Konga Natural Ethiopia
Rating [see key]: 6+


To state the obvious, not all coffee subscription services are created equal. Some legitmately send out great coffee, month to month, pouring forth delicious specimens with few exceptions. Some, sadly not so much (some services just seem to pick some really blah stuff). There's also the differentiation of quantity and variety, with some going with a dozen micro-pouches, each with only a few beans per coffee, while others send up to multiple pounds per month. Fortunately, it's easy to try most of them prior to long-term committment, so you can avoid a year of wasted beans and find your right niche.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Barista Parlor



Subject: Barista Parlor
Location: Nashville, TN
WiFi?: Yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]


It's been some time since I have been able to get on down to Nashville, and since my last visit, several great coffee establishments have sprung high into the atmosphere. Possibly the most recognizable, due to the giant orange garage doors, mammoth footprint and wondrous array of coffee is Barista Parlor. Frequently ranked as a must visit amongst locals and tourists alike, Barista Parlor possesses a giant garage on the side of a building (aka don't look for it's blue and orange frontage on the road) in East Nashville. 

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

CC: Elixr Coffee

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What's does "CC" mean?


Subject:
Elixr Coffee
Location: Philadelphia, PAFree WiFi ? : yes
Rating:
6+ [
see key]



 *LOCATION HAS CHANGED SINCE REVIEW*

I always find it pleasing when a great coffeehouse takes the place of a former, lackluster establishment. Hausbrandt once had a Philly coffeehouse that ran a decent leg, but after a while it fizzled. Following its closure, the former shell on 15th street remained abandoned.

Enter the phoenix of Elixr Coffee. Having just opened up in January (by a partnership that includes an Eagles' Winston Justice), this outfit moved in strong, distributing PT's Coffee out of Kansas and taking their coffee quite seriously.

I made my way over one leisurely afternoon to sample their wares. The interior is very homey, with a nice arrangement of furniture (with a lot of bar seating), and a tv playing barista championships while customers sip and work. I ordered a cup of the Finca El Molino, El Salvador via drip and an espresso (the coffee used for my shots was not named). The drip produced a light-bodied, honey-filled cup with some wheat, cherry, jasmine, almond cookie and sassafras (delicious). The espresso, pulled short with a marbled crema, sang of spicy cocoa, a prominent saltiness, lemon candy, whiskey, cookie dough and syrupy mouth feel (also quite good). The tea I did not note.

Elixr was the medicine that Philly needed. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, pop in.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Mugged: PT's Coffee [Ethiopia Sidamo]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject: PT's Coffee
Coffee Mugged: Ethiopia Sidamo
Rating: 5+ [see key]




W
hat a better way to start off the day then with a gloriously rich coffee? Let's forget the caffeine aspect; if your coffee doesn't make your eyes roll into the back of your head in ecstasy, then you have either been woefully misled or you're stuck somewhere unable to get a decent cup (my deepest sorrows are with those of you in the latter category).

But for the rest of you able to get your hands on coffee via delivery, my recommendation currently would be PT's Coffee's Ethiopia Sidamo. I just had the luxury of sampling this coffee via french press, vacuum press and drip; each one holding a flavor greatly abundant. Ground, the coffee is rich of all kinds of aromas but the most distinct was the overwhelming flares of blueberry. The vacuum press confirmed the aromas as it hit like a blueberry sledge hammer, complimenting with a nice acidity and a luscious merlot taste on the back. The french press produced similar accents of berries, with hints of a nice brightness and overall smooth taste. The drip had a bit more of a subdued tastes with some cocoa flavors popping out as well as a stronger presence of the merlot.

While I doubt many of you who are reading this frequently ingest bad coffee, if it does happen to be you who sucks the bad black water, I would at the very least recommend treating your tongue one time to such a good coffee as PT's Ethiopia Sidamo.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Mugged: PT's Coffee [Kenya Ndaro-Ini]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject: PT's Coffee
Coffee Mugged: Kenya AA Ndaro-Ini
Rating: 5+ [see key]




Over the years, I have ingested many a single origin coffee and thus far, I've had great coffee from most major coffee-producing countries. But no area of the world has continually amazed me as the east Africa region.

PT's Coffee recently threw me their Kenya AA Ndaro-Ini to try out and having high expectations as it got a 92 from Coffee Review, I looked forward to trying it out. After grinding, I wafted strong scents of berry and other fruit. I proceeded to sample it via french press, vacuum press and drip. The french press produced a gloriously bright cup, full of raspberry and tangerine, a nice acidity and finished with a natural sugar cane. The vacuum press held a light cup with a little more of an earthy depth and a strong sweetness on the end. The drip, though also similar, produced less complexity but still a strong presence of tart fruit and a sweet finish. All together, my expectations were strongly embraced.

If you're looking for a great direct trade coffee from Kenya, give PT's Coffee's Kenya
AA Ndaro-Ini a slurp.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Mugged: PT's Coffee [Finca La Felicidad - Guatemalan Antigua]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject: PT's Coffee
Coffee Mugged: Finca La Felicidad - Guatemalan Antigua
Rating: 5+ [see key]


R
ecently, a number of coffee roasters have made great strides in creating direct trade with coffee farmers (i.e. cut out the middle man), a move that develops long-term relationships with the farm and ends up benefiting both parties with a greater product and fair pricing across the board (quite often the farm benefits many times more then Fair Trade certified farms).

PT's Coffee would be an example of one such roaster working hard at it. When they recently sent me a bag of Finca La Felicidad - Guatemalan Antigua to try out, I was thrilled to find the coffee comes from such a Direct Trade relationship.

As mentioned on PT's website, the coffee beans did produce a lovely potent buttery aroma. I sampled the coffee via french press, vacuum press and drip. The french press produced a deep chocolate taste, medium smooth body and followed with flecks of spice and molasses. The vacuum press had similar flavors, with the spiciness a little more pronounced and a bit more of an earthy flavor that came out. The drip had a much smoother body and little more subdued expression of the flavors (especially the cocoa).

On the whole, this coffee rocked my socks off. If you're looking for a great South American coffee, try Finca La Felicidad for sure.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Don't Forget the Thanksgiving Coffee!


As the great American holiday rounds the corner, don't forget to grab a pound or two of great coffee for whatever events you plan to host or attend.

With that said, here's a few coffees (alphabetically-listed) that I've either heard a lot of good things about or I've had the pleasure of tasting myself. If you're really in a rough spot (you know of no good coffee nearby), shoot me an email as I would not wish such a fate on anyone.

Crescent Moon's Brazil Daterra Sunrise
Received a 92 from Coffee Review recently and from what I hear, this year's crop produced a tremendous coffee. On a direct recommendation, one of my recent favorites is the Raccoon Creek Blend as it was recently reworked and has become even more glorious.

Gimme Coffee's Nicaragua Linda Vista Cup of Excellence
While any Cup of Excellence Coffee is a good choice, Gimme usually has a tremendous track record in my experience of great CoEs.

PTs Coffee's Ethiopia Limu - Gomma Organic
An amazing light coffee I've had the distinct pleasure of imbibing, give this or a number of PT's other coffees a whirl.

And here's a few holiday blends (I've heard nothing on these but it sure is good marketing):
Counter Culture Coffee's Holiday Blend
Intelligentsia's Celebration Blend


If you have any others, feel free to leave them in a comment below.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Mugged: PT's Coffee [Ethiopia Lima - Gomma]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject: PT's Coffee
Coffee Mugged: Ethiopia Lima - Gomma
Rating: 5+ [see key]



S
trong credible publicity is all to hard to come by but when you get it, it really makes a difference. Take central US coffee roaster PT's Coffee; for a year or two now I've been dying to try their coffee and I can't say I really know why (some would say that good publicity has that exact effect).

Regardless, I was elated when newly launched Coffee Roasters Club sent me a pound of PT's Ethiopia Lima - Gomma (as well as 2 other coffeess - reviews to come!) to try.

Cracking open the bag (always a glorious experience), the coffee beans appeared lightly roasted, a nice light brown/dark caramel color. I was able to sample the coffee via french press, vacuum press, and drip. The french press twas my first undertaking and it produced a wonderful cup of coffee; a coffee that proved indeed very light but had a nice mellow brightness to it. Although there proved slight notes of chaff (common in lighter coffees), the occasional hints of fruity acidity really compensated. The vacuum press further brought out the sweet tastes of the coffee, taking the fruity accents a bit further (little hints of blueberry showed up in this mug). The drip also proved pleasant; though not nearly as vibrant as the other two brews, the drip still delivered a very sweet and bright coffee.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this light Ethiopian coffee from PT and the success of this batch makes me all the more interested in PT's other coffees. Thus, it goes to show that good product in itself can be the best kind of publicity.