PT's Coffee Roasting Co. The Flatlander Signature

By

Bryan Huynh

on September 29, 2024

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Sticking with the same type of coffee gets quite boring, coming from a coffee lover. Every now and then, it is important to switch things up and expand your taste buds! After discovering coffee companies with subscription services, I can’t help but to try them out. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the whole bean Flatlander Signature offered by PT's Coffee Roasting Co. 

Flatlander is a reference towards the vastness and intensity of the Great Plains that surrounds PT's hometown of Topeka, Kansas. PT's coffee tastes amazing and may be consumed black. It has a sweet and smooth flavor with a bittersweet scent and a nutty aftertaste. You can anticipate caramel notes and a small tangerine sharpness, which should be easy to distinguish even for a novice sipping black coffee for the very first time. This medium-roast will suit everyone and is ideal for sipping throughout the day. If you would like to hear a full review on the PT's Coffee Roasting Co. The Flatlander Signature, continue reading below! Check out our Coffee Club page to compare and read more reviews of our favorite coffee clubs.

Fun Fact: The co-founder of PT’s Coffee Roasting Co helped found the United States Barista Competition in 1999.

Background

PT's Coffee Roasting Co. was founded in 1993 in Topeka, Kansas, by Jeff Taylor and Fred Polzin based on a simple desire for a delicious cup of coffee. After four years and two retail locations, PT's started purchasing green coffee, roasting, and journeying to the source, creating the Direct Trade agreements that have propelled them to the forefront of the specialty coffee business.

Around 80% of the coffee produced here comes from a Direct Trade program. Exceptional coffee is dependent on strong collaborations, and partners are chosen for more than just their harvests—they are also socially and environmentally responsible. I absolutely love how PT’s is an environmentally conscious organization. With all the awards won, I knew the cup of coffee was going to exceed my expectations. 

PT's roasts dozens of single-origin specialty coffees to order for their retail stores, wholesale clients, and internet consumers. Roast Magazine named them Roaster of the Year in 2009, and they are among the top roasters rated by industry reference Coffee Review, with almost 50 ratings of 94 and above and many entries in their Top 30 Coffees of the Year—including No. 1 in 2022! The wholesale business serves excellent cafés, restaurants, hotels, grocery shops, corporate offices, and small companies across the country.

Summary 

The Flatlander Signature is sweet, smooth, and crisp.There is a violet smell in aroma and cup, with overtones of raisin, almond, caramel, and fresh-cut fir. Acidity is round and creamy, with a mildly syrupy, velvety mouthfeel. The fir and caramel notes, in particular, carry through until a softly resonant finish.

Flatlander has a bittersweet chocolate smell, a round body, caramel undertones, and tangerine sweetness. It finishes with roasted almonds and chocolate. If you are like me and love a balanced, yet flavorful cup of joe, this might be the perfect for you.

The whole bean Flatlander Signature from PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. was aromatic, and overall a well rounded medium roast. Coming from a coffee lover, this coffee should be in your shopping cart as soon as possible!

Origin: Columbia, Mexico

Processing: Washed, Pulped Natural

Varietal: Mixed

Roast: Medium

Body: Round, incredibly smooth

Acidity: Well balanced

Tasting Notes: Bittersweet Chocolate, Tangerine, Roasted Almonds

Pros

  • Choice of roast level and grind size
  • Option for subscriptions and frequency
  • Informative packaging
  • Socially and environmentally responsible company
  • Roasted fresh to order (Roast date printed on packaging)

Cons

  • Might be bit pricey for single-origin coffee
  • Shipping fees for smaller orders

Buying the Product

PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. packaging is definitely high-quality bags with all of the information needed such as flavor notes, roast dates, brewing guides, and components origins. It might be a little pricey, but given the quality of the beans and the company's sustainability practices, I would say it’s completely worth it. 

One of the best things about PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. is that you can buy the precise coffee bean that you desire! You can also sign up for the Roaster's Choice single-origin subscription club. You have the option to choose your favorite roast level and grind type, and the highlighted coffee will be freshly roasted to your specifications. If you wish to update anything about your membership, PT's makes it simple for you to do so.

I always strongly suggest getting freshly roasted coffee beans if you can. This will prevent you from getting the ones that have been pre-roasted and wasting away on the store shelves. Orders are roasted to order 5 days a week. Each order's bags contain roasted dates printed on the front. 

Whether you would like to join the monthly Roaster's Choice single-origin subscription club or simply have your favorite coffee delivered on a frequent basis, PT's make it simple to set up and maintain subscriptions. The roasting and quality control teams choose a monthly selection of fresh single-origin offers and subscriber-only special batches. The subscription club is perfect for those who are indecisive or simply want to be surprised each month!

Each subscription package includes two coffees in either 12oz or 2lb bags. This is offered as an ongoing monthly membership or a prepaid 3-, 6-, or 12-month subscription at a 10% discount. When you acquire a subscription, your money is processed straight away. Your first subscription box will be roasted and shipped on the first Tuesday of the month following. Following orders are handled on the 27th of every month.

Flatlander Signature - One-time purchase= $16.50 

Subscribe + Save 10% = $14.85

Coffee orders over $50 automatically receive free domestic shipping!

Flat Rate shipping costs $5 for coffee orders under $50.

Check out our full review on PT's Coffee Club!

Results

The packaging of this coffee bag was high quality as well as the coffee beans themselves. A great touch that this packaging has over others is that it is resealable! I knew this was going to be a journey the instant I opened it and had a sniff of the beans. This medium roast is incredibly easy to drink and will quickly become addictive. 

This cup was elegantly fruity, with a hint of spiciness. The aroma and cup characteristics include notes of chocolate, tangerine, and roasted almonds. The bittersweet structure is complex, with round, gently rich acidity and a lightly syrupy texture. 

Those who appreciate a well-balanced, softly vibrant lighter-roasted cup with a very exquisite floral fragrance, I might have found the perfect coffee bean for you. Honestly, this might satisfy every coffee drinker out there. I enjoyed everything about it, from the intriguing scent of the beans when I first opened the bag to the incredible flavor after grinding and preparing a fresh cup.

I would say that the PT's Coffee Roasting Co. The Flatlander Signature had a cupping score of 91/100. In accordance with the Total Score Quality Classification, it would be considered outstanding, also known as a specialty coffee.

Cupping Scores

Published by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. The Cupping Form allows you to note the following coffee flavor qualities: Fragrance/Aroma, Flavor, Aftertaste, Acidity, Body, Balance, Uniformity, Clean Cup, Sweetness, Defects, and Overall. These are evaluated on a 16-point scale indicating quality levels in quarter-point increments ranging from 6 to 9. To score your coffee, go through each specific flavor attribute and mark the points based on your own personal appraisal. 

Quality Scale

  • Good: 6-6:75
  • Very good: 7 - 7.75
  • Excellent: 8 - 8.75
  • Outstanding: 9 - 9.75

The Final Score is calculated by adding the individual scores for each of the key criteria in the "Total Score" box. Defects are then subtracted from the “Total Score” to arrive at a “Final Score.” The Scoring Key below has shown to be an effective technique to represent the range of coffee quality for the Final Score.

Bottom Line

At PT's Coffee Roasting Co, they truly live by their motto: "Without the love, it's just coffee." I could tell how much thought and effort they put into not just the coffee, but the packaging as well. Flatlander, formerly known as 1861, has a bittersweet chocolate fragrance with a round body, caramel overtones, and citrus sweetness. 

PT's Flatlander Signature Blend is made up of excellent beans acquired from sustainable coffee farms around South America and freshly roasted in Topeka. Flatlander blends especially well with cold brews because of its well-rounded body and depth of taste built on a bittersweet foundation with nutty overtones of almond, chocolate, and caramel! To help you get the most out of your coffee, PT’s offers an in-depth brewing guide that teaches you everything you need to know about the various brewing methods and how to make the most of them.

It might be time to retire that old coffee of yours. If you aren’t scared to try something new, then why not sign up for PT’s subscription service? This is best suited for those who enjoy medium roasts but will please everyone and is perfect for drinking all day long. The PT's Coffee Roasting Co.Flatlander Signature brewed a great tasting cup of coffee, and the smell filled up my kitchen upon brew. 

This medium roast develops tasting notes of Bittersweet Chocolate, Tangerine, and Roasted Almonds. You can expect this cup of coffee to be crisp, delicate, and sweet. If you don't believe me, try it yourself and try to taste each flavor with each mouthful. 

If you are not really interested in this specific coffee, return to our coffee reviews! We've sampled a lot of coffee, so check these out to see if their more your taste: 

Joe Coffee Burundi Turihamwe Review

Big Island Coffee Roasters Kona Noir Review

Big Island Coffee Roasters Kona Peaberry Review

Atlas Coffee India Roast Review

Atlas Coffee Ethiopia Roast Review

About the Author

Product Tester & Writer

Bryan Huynh

Product Tester & Writer

Bryan Huynh is a determined Product Tester & Writer. Being a coffee addict, it is only right that he mainly tests and reviews different coffee from around the world and coffee subscription services.

Bryan Huynh is a determined Product Tester & Writer. Being a coffee addict, it is only right that he mainly tests and reviews different coffee from around the world and coffee subscription services.