PT's Coffee Roasting Co

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  This is a great spot. Friendly service, and nicely prepared coffee. I come here when visiting my folks, and I wasn't expecting to be overly impressed with coffee in Topeka. I could stay here for hours! There is a great atmosphere, very good food, and, yes, I like the coffee! I enjoy coming here every I'm in town.

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  Posted on 07.20.13 Jennifer M.

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  Having recently sought to visit best coffee houses from coast to coast, this shop (and associated roastery) stand out as one of the best. Open, airy atmosphere with super-friendly, completely un-pretentious baristas, and world-class espresso (the fruity Sugar Daddy is exceptional) that stands up to the best from Chicago (Intelligentsia, Passion House) or even Portland (Coava, Heart, Stumptown). Who'd have thought? Way to go, Kansas!

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  Posted on 07.09.13 Brian B.

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  Now granted, I did work for Jeff Taylor and PT's Coffee (Barrington Village location) for nearly 5 years, so I may be a bit biased. But this also makes me pretty darn knowledgeable when it comes to coffee.
  
  This shop has, hands down, THE BEST coffee and espresso drinks in Topeka. Don't waste your time going anywhere else; their espresso will be bitter, their milk overheated and frothy, and their regular coffee will be brewed incorrectly. (Yes, even other shops that serve PT's beans.) Yeah, other shops may have more baked goods, but this is a coffee shop, not a bakery, and I'm here for that sweet, sweet nectar of life: coffee. If I want a better selection of muffins I'll go to the Dillon's bakery.
  
  The baristas at this shop are knowledgeable and passionate about their jobs and love to help you learn about coffee. The atmosphere is bright, modern and clean. Nice bathrooms, good food, and nice music.
  
  If you call yourself a coffee snob, this is your diamond in the rough... an oasis in the desert of crap coffee that is our sweet little town of Topeka.

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  Posted on 03.02.13 Sara J.

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  Geeze, I feel guilty rating Flying Monkey AKA PT's with only three stars. I just couldn't bring myself to rate it any higher. Hell, I even considered giving it the dreaded 2 star rating......Let me explain.
  
  First off, PT's coffee is 100% hands down my favorite bean besides Revo Cup in Overland Park Kansas. OK, now that I have that out of the way......What the hell is going on Jeff (PT owner ;)) with the temp of the coffee at Flying Monkey. On two straight separate occasions my "pour over" was luke warm at best. Almost cool to the lips. I swear I'm not making this up. Don't get me wrong, pour overs can be exquisite if done correctly. But some some odd reason, both visits to Flying Monkey have let me extremely disappointed with the product at hand. You have some of the best beans in the United States of America! For Christ sake, make your Barista's heat the damn water up or revert back to the drip method. I BEG YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  The Barista's are extremely hip and cool beyond belief. No complaints with their customer service skills at all. They play some of the best music in all the coffee shop in the State of Kansas. High energy employees that love their jobs. Also, the use of an IPad as your cash register is cool as sh!t. But the coffee experience was subpar at best. Also, please get some bakery items. They were sold out both times I was there.
  
  Now, the layout and design of Flying Monkeys is the best I've seen in years. Quay in Kansas City Missouri is pretty cool. But Flying Monkey put some cash into this cafe. Coolest and cleanest bathroom around. Yes, that matters. Just visit the coffee shops in Lawrence and you will appreciate a clean bathroom more than you ever thought. Now here comes two minor complaints......
  
  All the windows in Flying Monkey almost forced me to pull out my Costa Sunglasses. My God, the sun beams into this place to the point you can't see your laptop screen or if you face the windows, you better put on a pair of shades. Lastly, I'm starting to think some coffee shops intentionally put metal chairs in their shops with zero cushioning to prevent patrons from hanging more than a hour if their backs can even stand it that long. I'm fairly young and my back was screaming from the uncomfortable chairs. Bring a seat cushion folks. I'm serious. Again, kinda petty and I will be back.
  
  One of my visits found the owner of PT's Jeff sitting at the counter having lunch. Great guy indeed, besides the reputation that he has garnered for being a hard ass on his employees. Who cares really. The guy loves the coffee business and expects his employees to bring the same passion.
  
  If I'm in the area, I will definitely stop back in or head up the road to their original location. Just up the temps on the Flying Monkey drinks. Peace.

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  Posted on 12.14.12 Jason Y.

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  This is an impressive venue with some good brew on tap and some excellent coffee.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to enjoy it that much because the staff was really rude.  It was my first visit, so I asked the barista if I could sit at the bar.  She scoffed at me like I was an idiot for asking and said 'Um, yah, but the menu is over here and you order in the middle.'  No big deal, I hopped up and asked about their beer on tap.  They were out of a few which wasn't a problem.  I work at a bistro myself and understand how product moves.  Ordered a beer and coffee to-go.  The barista kept loudly complaining to the other staff about how she was ultra grumpy and didn't want to do anything all while she made my coffee.  When she was done, she set it in front of me.  Already feeling like a nuisance, I reluctantly explained I ordered to-go.  She all but rolled her eyes at me, slopped it into a paper cup and huffed off.  I gulped down the rest of my beer and meekly asked the other barrista for some cream.  Probably not coming back.  Would rather drive across town to the Blackbird for some friendlier service and a similar menu.  And what a shame, too.  This was some of the best coffee I'd ever had.

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  Posted on 11.18.12 Kelly S.

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  Word class espresso and coffee. I've been to dozens of coffee houses in my life and have never been anywhere better than this. Do it.

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  Posted on 11.06.12 Joshua M.

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  I AM a fan of the Flying Monkey.  I needed a place central location and just wanted some private time to get some work done,  Connection to the wi-fi was easy and the salad I had was really good.

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  Posted on 10.16.12 Becky B.

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  Went late on a Friday night with out of town company. Ordered the tabbouleh. It was not good. I mean - the ingredients were all right but there was literally no flavor to it! It was cooked cracked wheat on top of dry lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes, with no lemon juice or vinegar or oil or anything to flavor it - besides a couple of olives. Presentation was fantastic and it looked delicious... just didn't taste like anything. Very disappointing. Thankfully, the latte was great, as always.

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  Posted on 09.13.12 Carol G.

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  Coming into the Flying monkey I'm always a little confused as to the choices of coffee.  I guess I'm just a Folgers kind of girl.  The staff are always helpful and very knowledgeable when it comes to explaining the different types of coffee they serve and where it comes from.  I have yet to have a bad cup of joe there.  On this date I had the egg salad sandwich and let me tell you it was perfect!!! Move over Mom my new favorite place to have an egg salad sandwich is the Flying Monkey (aka PT's coffee), just the right amount of egg and salad dressing.  And a first for me was a little hint of spice as you savored each bite that was taken.  Over all I will rate this experience with 4 stars cause I don't think it gets much better than this....

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  Posted on 08.27.12 Anje M.

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  We had hummus, chai and a macchiato!  The atmosphere was great. Accessible parking and the staff were very accommodating.  We were allowed to sample the soup they served earlier and it was absolutely delicious!  We are going back for sure!

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  Posted on 04.08.12 George H.

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  I REALLY wanted to like this place. Unfortunately, good looks and a contemporary atmosphere with state of the art equipment does not instantly make the product better. I am a kind of person who is willing to try anything once, but really, some of the things that have been thrown together in say, the muffins, are ridiculous and not appealing. So I went for a cookie that resembled a peanut butter cookie that my grandma would have cooked for me in my childhood. I also purchased a vanilla hazelnut latte, one of my favorites. Now, here is where the real disappointment settles in. My peanut butter cookie hardly had a hint of peanut butter taste and it was clear to me that someone forgot what brown sugar is, and the importance of it in good peanut butter cookies... Also, my latte left me unsatisfied. Somehow it tasted fruity, that's the best way I can describe it and since I am not a barista (but I have a great friend who is an AWESOME barista, she spoils me), so I cannot be specific on how that could of gone wrong. All in all, I was sad with the experience. I will go back again one more time to see if maybe I hit a bad batch, a new barista.. Who knows. :-/

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  Posted on 02.08.12 Katie L.

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  While Dorothy ran away from the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz I suggest you pedal faster and faster  towards this new artisan coffee shop that serves great sandwiches along with local microbrews on tap.  
  
  If you are expecting to order a grandé drip coffee, turn around on that yellow brick road and go ask the lollipop guild for something in a green and white cup.  Here, each cup of coffee is made when you order and served generally via three methods:  pour over, chemex or trifecta.  You choose the type of bean, choose the method and your barista professionally combines the hot water and ground coffee to coax the nuances of the bean's flavor components.  Even the mug it was served in was designed to accent the coffee properly.  While a traditional mug is completely flat, these mugs were scalloped on one side.  When you brought the coffee to your mouth, instead of the aroma escaping from the top, the mug channeled all the flavor right back at you.  We taste with not just our mouth but our nose as well.  These guys thought of everything.
  
  For those who want something a bit more pedestrian, the baristas can mix your espresso order with a variety of local Iwig milks into latte, cappuccinos and mochas.  Don't expect a litany of syrups and flavorings here.  The point here is to capture what is unique about the coffee and not drown it out with a bunch of other flavors.
  
  This place is way way more than coffee as they serve a limited menu of tasty bites that I was told will continue to be expanded.  A satisfying lunch or a light dinner is the focus here with soup, quiche and salads along with some sandwiches.  I got the maytag blue cheese and spinach soup.  Sweet, sour, salty bitter and umami all in one cup.  For my main dish I got the Silk Road Trio which was a bed of greek salad served with hummus and a quinoa tabbouleh.  The hummus was great but the real star was the quinoa tabbouleh. Tabbouleh is traditionally made with bulgar wheat but doing it with quinoa was the step out of the ordinary which is the signature of this place.  My dining companion got the grilled cheese with apples.  The presentation of both dishes was extraordinary with the sculpted cucumbers and tomatoes on the side served on a cutting board.  I was seriously tempted to steal that cutting board, but did fear those flying monkeys suddenly chasing my Prius back to Douglas County.
  
  Since man (and woman) cannot live off coffee alone (bite your tongue), they also have on tap a variety of regional microbrews as well as bottled beer.  A nice java porter from Blind Tiger was a great way to finish off my meal.  Multiple members of the staff suggested the "famous" Ron Zacapa rum but this was a noontime visit and after that hearty beer I feared seeing neon green horses and a scarecrow that talked.  Maybe some evening when I feel like seeing the Wizard I'll try a few shots of that.
  
  The atmosphere is very industrial.  Frosted glass on the doors along with big open pane windows lets you view the world going by.  According to the staff the wood tables and chairs are made from reclaimed wood and the metal was often steel pipes. The seating varies from comfy chairs, booths and a long table with stools.  Small and large groups will enjoy having an offsite at this place with the free and fast wifi .
  
  For dessert besides maybe a shot of baileys was a limited selection of cookies and muffins.  I hope they expand this because after a deep rich coffee I do like my sweets.  I had a carrot and coconut muffin and it was just enough to finish my delicious meal.  Staff suggested the single origin Askinosie chocolates.  These chocolates actually list exactly where they are from:  Honduras, Ecuador, Philippines  etc.  Next time I think I'm going to ask them to put one in a cup and then pour coffee over it.  The mocha I had there wasn't chocolaty enough for me, but I'm a chocoholic.  My companion thought the mocha was awesome, so your mileage may vary.
  
  There's no place like flying monkey, there's no place like flying monkey, there's no place like flying monkey.  I clicked my cowboy boots three times and I'm still in Lawrence.  Darn, because right now I wish I was in the College Hill area of Topeka because I think I found my new home.

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  Posted on 12.18.11 David G.

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