A Look Back at 2022
Phew! This year was an exciting one. Between discovering new coffees from impressive producers around the world, strengthening our relationships with Direct Trade partners, and earning accolades that will go down in PT’s history, we’re thrilled with how the year shaped up.
As travel continued to ease slightly we were able to briefly visit Direct Trade partners in Guatemala and Colombia, including Juan Diego de la Cerda of Finca El Socorro and Nando Diaz of Finca Santa Ana (pictured with Jacob White, our green coffee buyer, at top). We continued to keep in touch with our partners through video chatting platforms, making sure that even if we could not see each other physically we could at least meet virtually to review recent harvests and plan for the future!
What did the year really look like?
We offered a total of 71 different coffees, 26 of which were produced by our Direct Trade partners.
We continued to support our local community and our international coffee community with various special offerings:
- At the beginning of the year, our Food 4 Farmers benefit raised $2,815 for the CESMACH co-op in Chiapas, Mexico.
- In April, Per Aspera benefited Topeka’s Children’s Discovery Center, raising $1,000 to support their programming.
- Currently, our Coffee For a Cause is La Tortuga AAA, sourced from the Galápagos Islands and benefiting the Galápagos Conservancy.
In June we redesigned our website with a new look, more features to aid in browsing, and improved functionality.
Head Roaster Mike Mazulo and roaster Matthew Yoakum attended the Coffee Roasters Guild Retreat in August, connecting with roasters from around the globe.
In November our cafe in KC's Crossroads neighborhood hosted a latte art throwdown. Our very own barista Tristan Smith (pictured below) earned 4th place in the event!
We rekindled our collaboration with Hazel Hill, a small-batch chocolatier in Topeka, to bring you another unique coffee-infused chocolate bar.
Awards and Accolades
This year was capped by a milestone that will go down in PT’s history! In May, our Yemen Haraaz Red Mahal Aqeeq ul Station Natural earned 97 points from Coffee Review. In December, they named it the #1 Coffee of 2022!
Though we’ve received nearly fifty reviews of 94 and above from Coffee Review over the years, this is our first time clinching the #1 spot on their year-end list.
- Colombia | Granja La Esperanza Tres Dragones Natural: 94 points, June (evaluated as espresso)
- Panama | Hacienda La Esmeralda Porton 5N49 Gesha Natural: 95 points, June
- Panama | Hacienda Bajo Mano Static Gesha Natural: 95 points, July
Meanwhile, Gear Patrol named PT’s one of the Best Coffee Roasters in America and Food & Wine named PT’s Best Coffee Roaster in Kansas!
We of course couldn’t have accomplished any of this without our loyal customers. With your continued support, patronage, and enthusiasm, we’re looking forward to what 2023 will bring with renewed optimism. We love what we do! After all—without the love, it’s just coffee.