On the Cold Front: PT’s Coffee Coffee Roasting Co. in Topeka and KCMO

It seems like just yesterday we were talking about the boiling point of pumpkin spice lattes, but time flies, seasons change and here we are, smack dab in the middle of cold brew season.

The past two months have arguably been filled with more packaged cold brew product releases than any other two-month period in the somewhat divisive history of cold brewing. And as the cold brew wars heat up (apologies), we’ve been witnessing all kinds of innovation in this segment — in packaging, brewing methodology, recipe development and marketing.

With this in mind, we present the first in a new series called On the Cold Front (“That’s Cold, Ice Cold” was also in the running), in which we will profile some of the most exciting, interesting and/or creatively packaged cold brew releases of Spring/Summer 2015.

First up are two cold brew types from PT’s Coffee Roasting Co., a 2009 Roast Magazine Roaster of the Year, based in Topeka, Kansas.

• Vessel: North American Longneck glass bottle
• Closure/Seal: crown cap
• Brew Method: cold press (Cold Front), Kyoto slow drip (single-origins)
• Packaging Innovation: brown wrapping paper that includes notes on single-origins, flavor notes, and brewing/bottling dates.

PT’s Cold Front is composed of a blend of several coffees that have been roasted and coarsely ground before a steeping period with cold water for up to 24 hours. We don’t have the exact recipe, but PT’s suggests the drink is “rich, dense, and low in acidity.”

The company is also offering bottles of single-origin coffees brewed with a Japanese slow drip method. Again, the precise recipe belongs to PT’s but the company says the brew time is at least eight hours.

Cold Front is available at $3.75 for singles and $15 for a four-pack “Quadzilla.” The single-origin bottles are $4.50 and $18, respectively.