MentalFloss: The Best Coffee Roasters in All 50 States

KANSAS // PT’S COFFEE ROASTING CO.

Location: Topeka, Kansas

Photojournalist Jeff Taylor, and his roommate, fast food chain manager Fred Polzin, founded PT’s (P for Polzin, T for Taylor) in 1993 after Taylor tried—and failed—to find a local outlet that brewed an amazing cup of coffee. Taylor eventually convinced Polzin to give roasting a try, and in 1997, PT’s reestablished itself as a roasting operation, and began sourcing beans from skilled artisan farmers around the world. Nearly 80 percent of their coffee is acquired through direct trade, meaning the company buys beans straight from the growers, cutting out the middlemen. In 2009, Roast magazine named PT’s their "Macro Roaster of the Year," and you can now find the company’s product across the Midwest and in select East Coast coffee shops.