A PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. cupping lovingly puts coffee on a stage that is less about prying open weary eyes than it is about artistry.
The local coffee company that sends employees around the globe in search of the best beans is more than happy to teach customers about what makes a really good cup of joe. It is a tour of coffees, from light to dark, and from different regions of the world. And it provides a peek into the care that draws in loyal followers.
“PT’s coffee is the best,” offered Lana Gordon, a state lawmaker, before a recent cupping.
Cuppings take place 1 p.m. Saturdays, and 6 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at PT’s Coffee, 5660 S.W. 29th. PT’s also does cuppings at other locations that use its beans.
The public is welcome to take part to the cuppings although they’re also a chance for employees to learn more about the coffee. And there is a lot to learn, PT’s Jason Johnson explained as he carefully set white cups on an espresso brown tablecloth.
Talking coffee with Johnson is a bit talking to a sommelier about the nuances of wine. To start, he said, coffees have different flavors and profiles. Coffee flavors are developed at each step of the process, Johnson explains. If the beans are immediately removed from the berry for drying they have a different flavor than if they partially dried with the berry. And it’s an all together different flavor (more earthy) if the beans dry partially on the ground. Then, everything changes depending on how the beans are roasted, which is where PT’s has expertise.
“You don’t have to be an expert to notice flavor differences,” Johnson said.
Johnson ground the beans. Then it was time to smell the grounds with quick sniffs — short bursts of smell — to soak up the aroma. Still, smell won’t tell you everything.
“I think you’ll see they don’t always taste how they smell,” Johnson said.
Hot water — “30 seconds off boil” — was poured over the grounds. Four minutes later, the aroma of the coffee was soaked in again as Johnson “breaks the crust” of grounds at the top of the coffee cups. Finally, it was time to try the coffee, but not by sipping. Johnson sucked the coffee off his spoon like a vacuum cleaner might pick up a piece of link (and just about as loud).
“You’re cool the louder you can slurp,” he explained of the method that sends coffee flying toward all taste receptors.
Tasted one after another the differences were clear — some tasted more earthy, others more sweet. Some would taste nice steaming hot with a little cream. Others improved in taste as they cooled.
“Some people think coffee is just coffee,” Johnson said.
If they only knew.
PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. Public Cuppings
When: 1 p.m. Saturdays, and 6 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays
Where: PT’s Coffee, 5660 S.W. 29th
Cost: Free
