The Story
PT’s Coffee was born in 1993 in Topeka, Kansas out of Jeff Taylor and Fred Polzin’s simple desire for an excellent cup of coffee. The Barrington Village location soon became a hot spot, so they opened a second store in 1994 at Fleming Place.
It was the early 1990s, before Starbucks became a household name. Jeff Taylor and Fred Polzin were roommates in Topeka, plotting their next steps in the world. But Jeff just couldn’t function without a good cup of coffee, so he started brewing an idea with Fred—why not open their own coffee shop, and bring a higher-quality coffee to Topeka.
Their partnership combines Jeff’s ideas and Fred’s business sense. “He’s always looking at the highlight, and I help make sure it gets done,” Fred said with a laugh.
An intense passion for coffee led them to start roasting coffee in 1997. Disappointed by available options for roasted coffee, PT’s begins to source coffee and roast at the Fleming Place cafe in Topeka.
We’re proud to have grown from a small Topeka cafe into an internationally lauded coffee roaster while never losing sight of what’s most important: exceptional coffee, lifelong relationships, and the wisdom to appreciate both.
We were named Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine in 2009 and are among the leading roasters reviewed by industry resource Coffee Review, with more than 50 ratings of 94 and above and multiple appearances in their Top 30 Coffees of the Year—including No. 1 in 2022!
Earlier this month, two veteran, direct-trade-focused coffee companies joined forces when PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. of Topeka, Kan., acquired San Diego’s Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. PT’s will take a primary leadership role and financial stake in the Southern California company (which has three San Diego cafes), with owner Jeff Taylor moving to San Diego to lead the transition.
Sourcing & Relationships
As one of the first coffee roasters to establish a Direct Trade program, PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. has long been committed to artisans of coffee cultivation who practice their craft with skill, passion, and dedication to sustainable practices. An award-winning coffee roaster with Kansas roots, PT’s helped pioneer the Direct Trade sourcing model and has been at the forefront of specialty coffee for years.
Trips to Colombia, El Salvador, and Guatemala mark the beginning of PT’s Direct Trade program. Four years and two retail locations later, they began roasting and traveling to the origin, forging the Direct Trade partnerships that have made PT’s a leader in the specialty coffee industry.
Coffee quality must be exceptional. All decisions flow from the quality of coffee in the cup. The verifiable price paid to the farmer or local co-op—not the exporter—must exceed the C-Market price and/or Fair Trade price by a minimum of 25% for any coffee scoring above 88 on the cupping table.
The farmer must be committed to sustainable-quality coffee, healthy environmental practices, and responsible community practices. PT’s representatives must visit the farm or cooperative at least once per harvest season. We may visit two or three times per year: pre-harvest to craft strategy, during the harvest to monitor quality, and post-harvest to review and celebrate successe
While serving on the SCAA board, Jeff made the transition to Coffee Buyer for PT’s and began the process of building relationships with producers around the world. To this day, Jeff travels to meet with our coffee-producing partners in Central and South America and Africa to experiment, source and evaluate the harvests from each farm, and develop a strategy of partnering on social projects. This direct relationship with the producer guarantees that the price paid for the coffee goes straight to the farmer and not through a third-party middleman.
At PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. in Topeka, direct trade means buying first-rate beans, paying premium prices and encouraging sustainable practices, financial transparency and annual farm visits. PT’s sources about 80 percent of its coffee this way, says Jeff Taylor, who co-founded the business
Roasting Philosophy
We want to develop the bean to develop what the flavors are,” Jeff said of the roasting process. “We’re looking for development that allows the nuance of the coffee to come through.
Their warehouse has three roasters of various sizes. A computer system tracks roast profiles and weather stations monitor both indoors and outdoors, since factors like humidity can impact roasting.
Our roasting facility currently houses three roasters, Diedrich IR-5, Diedrich IR-24 and Gothot 90-Kilo.
Don’t expect to see piles of product sitting on shelves. As they’ve maintained from the beginning, freshness matters. Beans leave the roaster to be bagged and almost immediately sent on their way to customers.
We roast to order five days a week and ship the same day, reaching most of the U.S. within two business days. You won’t find fresher coffee anywhere.
The roasters, the baggers, all cup coffee, so they know how it’s supposed to taste,” Fred said. “We want layers of flavor.
It’s more like wine now,” Jeff said. “We’re identifying brewing processes that accent that coffee. We’re trying to tell the story of that farm, where the coffee came from, and it’s our job to accentuate the flavor that’s there naturally.
They’ve grown from roasting about 5,000 pounds of coffee a year to 40,000 pounds a year, serving customers in 24 states.
What to Try
Combining coffees from Latin America and Southeast Asia, Flying Monkey is a striking blend with a lot of versatility—much like its fictional counterparts. Balanced, yet playful. Featuring notes of smooth chocolate, honey, and graham cracker, this three-bean medium roast espresso blend creates a beautiful harmony of flavors with enough depth to show off in long milk drinks.
Flying Monkey, one of our signature espressos, was recently named Brew Queue Favorite in MistoBox’s 9th Annual Golden Mug Awards! We’re pleased to announce that Flying Monkey is a 2024 Golden Mug Award Winner! The MistoBox community has spoken, and we’re honored to have been named this year’s Brew Queue Favorite—an award that recognizes the most in-demand coffee with MistoBox subscribers.
Ad Astra features Dark Chocolate, Cola, Brown Sugar notes, while Cold Front offers Blackberry, Grape, Caramel. Flatlander delivers Bittersweet Chocolate, Tangerine, Roasted Almonds notes, and Flor del Sol presents Cocoa Powder, Raisin, Sweet Lemon.
It’s no secret that we are located about as far from any coast as you can get, so we decided to lean into our Kansas roots. We are based in Kansas, after all!
Browse seasonal single-origin offerings from our Direct Trade partners across Latin America.
PT’s is among the leading roasters reviewed by industry resource Coffee Review, with 50 ratings of 94 points and above—including the No. 1 spot on their Top 30 Coffees of 2022—and has been featured in Food & Wine, Uncrate, Gear Patrol, Bon Appétit, and more.
Finca El Socorro, owned by Juan Diego de la Cerda and his family, is a model of sustainability and farm management that has proven itself to be one of the best coffee farms in Guatemala, with four First Place Cup of Excellence finishes since 2007.