About PT's Coffee Roasting Co.
PT's Coffee Roasting Co. is a specialty coffee roaster founded in 1993 in Topeka, Kansas by Fred Polzin and Jeff Taylor. Operating three cafe locations across Topeka and Kansas City, it is recognized as one of the first roasters to establish a formal Direct Trade program and earned the top slot in Coffee Review's 2022 annual ranking.
About
PT's Coffee Roasting Co. launched in 1993 in Topeka, Kansas, when co-founders Fred Polzin and Jeff Taylor decided they wanted a genuinely good cup of coffee and built the infrastructure to make it happen. Over three decades, that single-shop ambition evolved into one of the more decorated roasters in the American Midwest — notable less for scale than for being among the first companies to formalize Direct Trade sourcing at a time when the term barely existed in specialty coffee.
The company started as a single Topeka cafe and grew steadily, eventually operating three locations across Topeka and Kansas City. In an expansion move that drew national attention, PT's acquired San Diego-based Bird Rock Coffee — a transaction Bon Appétit described as "two veteran, Direct-Trade-focused companies" joining forces. That acquisition extended PT's geographic reach without visibly shifting its operational model.
PT's roasts five days a week to order and ships same-day, with most domestic packages arriving within two business days. The current lineup runs heavily toward single-origin lots with precise process designations — naturals, washed, honey, and experimental ferments — sourced from Colombia, Guatemala, Ecuador, Ethiopia, and Burundi. A Blue Label tier handles premium and micro-lot releases. Both Gear Patrol and Food & Wine have flagged PT's as a pioneer in establishing formal Direct Trade programs, a sourcing model the company was helping to define before it became industry standard.
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Coffee & Beans Review
PT's accumulated record includes Roast Magazine's 2009 Macro Roaster of the Year award, three Good Food Awards (2013, 2021, and 2023), and the top slot in Coffee Review's annual ranking for 2022 — that last distinction accompanied by more than 50 scores of 94 or above. Gear Patrol listed the company among the best roasters in the country, calling it "one of the first roasters to establish a Direct Trade program." Food & Wine echoed the point, citing PT's role in "pioneering the notion of Direct Trade." Bon Appétit has recommended PT's online shop for more than 25 years of consistently high-quality output.
PT's operates three cafe locations across Topeka and Kansas City, open daily. TripAdvisor reviewers describe the spaces as well-suited for extended work sessions or conversation, with reliably friendly service. For those outside the region, the company ships direct and offers a Roaster's Choice Single-Origin Club — monthly curated lots selected by the roasting team, with early access to new releases and exclusive club-only inventory. A standard subscribe-and-save option applies a 10 percent discount to recurring orders.
Coffee at a Glance
- Roaster status
- Profiled
- Bean products
- Subscriptions
- Best buying path
- In store or subscription
- Specialty transparency
- Limited
Awards & Recognition
- ★Macro Roaster of the Year2009· Roast Magazine
- ★Good Food Award2013· Good Food Foundation
- ★Good Food Award2021· Good Food Foundation
- ★Good Food Award2023· Good Food Foundation
- ★Top Ranked Roaster (Annual Ranking)2022· Coffee Review
What PT's Coffee Roasting Co. Roasts
blackcurrant, nutmeg, semi-sweet chocolate
pomegranate, cocoa powder, lemon
A light-roast washed San Salvador varietal from Finca Palermo in Ecuador's Zamora Chinchipe region, grown at 1,650 masl by third-generation producers Sebastian, Jorge, and Carlos Jiménez. PT's describes it as almost candy-like, with aromas of cherry, nougat, and Swiss chocolate, and sipping notes of candied pecan, butterscotch, papaya, and dried mango acidity, finishing with honeycomb and cashew.
golden raisin, swiss chocolate, cashew
peach, nougat, meyer lemon
A limited Colombia coffee with tasting notes of Fuji apple, Swiss chocolate, and berry compote.
fuji apple, swiss chocolate, berry compote
hibiscus, guava, vanilla bean
pear, lemon thyme, caramel
candied almond, grilled lemon, raisin
peach, butterscotch, dried blueberry
A Guatemala coffee with tasting notes of black tea, marmalade, and almond.
black tea, marmalade, almond
A washed Guatemala coffee with tasting notes of malt, orange zest, and peanut brittle.
malt, orange zest, peanut brittle
A natural-process Colombia varietal from Granja La Esperanza's Potosí farm in Valle del Cauca (1,400–2,000 masl), this medium-roast opens with aromas of rum, strawberry-rhubarb pie, and nutmeg, with tasting notes of strawberry jam, black cherry, lime, and vanilla, and a finish of cocoa nib and clove. Cherries are hand-picked, fermented 36 hours under controlled temperature, silo-dried for 48 hours, then solar-dried for 15 days to 11% moisture content.
strawberry jam, lime, vanilla
See full sourcing detail & the producers behind these beans →
Coffee Profile
Flavor Notes
Processing Methods
Certifications
Services
Citations & Press
Third-party coverage and sources for PT's Coffee Roasting Co..
- TripAdvisorwww.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60747-d4920562-Reviews-PT_s_Coffee_Roasting_Co-Topeka_Kansas.html
- Home-baristawww.home-barista.com/cafes/pts-coffee-is-roast-magazines-roaster-year-t8142.html
- Ptscoffeeptscoffee.com/blogs/pts-in-the-news/kccoffeegeek-everything-i-thought-i-knew-about-pts-coffee-was-wrong
- Lovelocalwww.lovelocal.com/listing/pts-coffee-roasting-company-inc
Featured in Premium Roast Editorial
This listing appears in the following Premium Roast editorial pages.
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