Our signature espresso, The Bolts, has been awarded a prestigious Great Taste Award.
If you've ever spent a morning wandering around Robin Hood's Bay, you'll probably have found yourself in The Bolts.
They're the narrow passageways that weave between cottages, linking one hidden corner of the village to another. Some lead you towards the sea, others open onto tiny yards and old front doors, and a few leave you wondering where you'll end up next. They're full of character, just like the village itself.
When it came to naming our signature espresso, The Bolts always felt like the right choice.
This week, it gave us another reason to smile after being awarded a 1-Star Great Taste Award.
For our small team roasting coffee just up the coast in Whitby, safe to say, we're pretty chuffed.
A Coffee Made to Be Enjoyed Every Day
When Baytown first began, Nick Hartley, our Director and Owner, wasn't trying to create a coffee that people would only reach for on special occasions.
The idea was much simpler than that.
He wanted an espresso that people would genuinely enjoy drinking every day. The sort of coffee that works just as well as a flat white before work as it does as an espresso after dinner. Rich enough to satisfy people who love espresso, but balanced enough to become the coffee you naturally reach for every morning.
Over the years, that's exactly what The Bolts has become.
It's brewed in independent cafés, packed into campervans before weekends away, poured into travel mugs for the morning commute and waiting in kitchen cupboards ready for the first brew of the day.
There's something rather nice about knowing a coffee has quietly become part of so many people's routines.
Why This Award Means So Much
The Great Taste Awards are judged completely blind.
The judges don't know who roasted the coffee, where it's from or what the packaging looks like. They simply taste what's in the cup, judging every product on flavour alone.
That's one of the reasons these awards are so highly regarded within the food and drink industry, and why receiving a Great Taste star means such a lot to everyone here.
It's recognition for years of refining, roasting, tasting and making sure every bag of The Bolts tastes exactly as it should.
What the Judges Had to Say
They described an inviting roasted hazelnut aroma, rich cacao notes, gentle molasses sweetness and a smooth, balanced finish, highlighting the coffee's rounded body and how well it works with milk.
We couldn't have summed it up much better ourselves.
Those are exactly the qualities Nick set out to create all those years ago, and they're the reason The Bolts has become our signature espresso.
Inspired by Robin Hood's Bay
If you've followed Baytown for a while, you'll know our coffees are all named after places along the Yorkshire coast.
We love the idea that every bag carries a little reminder of somewhere worth visiting, whether it's a quiet beach, a harbour, a winding street or, in this case, one of Robin Hood's Bay's best-known passageways.
The Bolts is one of those places that rewards curiosity. You wander through without quite knowing where you'll come out, and somehow always end up discovering something new.
It felt like a fitting name for a coffee that has become such an important part of Baytown.
Fancy Trying The Bolts?
If you've never tried The Bolts before, we'd love this to be your excuse.
It's our signature espresso blend, roasted in Whitby and inspired by one of the most characterful corners of Robin Hood's Bay.
Whether you enjoy espresso, flat whites, cappuccinos or simply brew a cafetière at home, it's a coffee that's been created to be enjoyed every day.
And if you're already a regular The Bolts drinker, thank you.
You've believed in this coffee long before it had a Great Taste star on the bag.
FAQ's
What is The Bolts?
The Bolts is Baytown Coffee Company's signature espresso blend. It's roasted in Whitby and named after the historic passageways that wind through Robin Hood's Bay.
What does The Bolts taste like?
The Great Taste judges described notes of roasted hazelnut, rich cacao and gentle molasses sweetness, alongside a smooth, balanced finish. The result is a coffee that's equally enjoyable as espresso or with milk.
What is a Great Taste Award?
The Great Taste Awards are among the UK's most respected food and drink awards. Products are judged blind by independent experts, meaning the focus is entirely on flavour.
Where is The Bolts roasted?
Every batch of The Bolts is roasted by Baytown Coffee Company at our Whitby roastery on the North Yorkshire coast.
Why is it called The Bolts?
Like every coffee in the Baytown range, it's named after a real place on the Yorkshire coast. The Bolts are the narrow passageways that weave through the centre of Robin Hood's Bay and have become one of the village's best-known landmarks.