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've probably 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 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
Every coffee has a story behind it, and for The Bolts, it begins long before Baytown Coffee Company was created.
For more than 30 years, our Director and Owner, Nick Hartley, has started each morning in much the same way. Before emails, meetings or heading into the roastery, he reaches for the same Alessi moka pot he's owned for decades, grinds fresh coffee and brews the first cup of the day.
Baytown has always been a family business, and The Bolts has been part of that story from the very beginning. Long before it won a Great Taste Award, it was the coffee brewed at home, shared around the kitchen table and poured for friends and family who dropped by. Nick wanted to create a coffee that reflected how he and his family enjoyed coffee themselves, something you looked forward to every morning, whether it was enjoyed black, with milk or shared over a catch-up.
"I wanted to create a coffee that would satisfy both my wife's taste, she drinks her with milk, and mine which I enjoy black. It had to work perfectly through a moka pot to deliver our essential morning coffee hit, while also performing just as well as an espresso in a commercial setting. To recieve a Great Taste award for those coffee beans is absolutely amazing. We're chuffed to bits!"
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.
As Martin Burke, our Managing Director, often says, he was buying The Bolts long before he joined Baytown. It's the coffee that introduced him to the brand, and today it's still the blend he reaches for at home.
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.
It's lovely to see something that started around a family kitchen table now being recognised on a national stage. The Bolts may have picked up a Great Taste Award, but at heart it's still the same coffee Nick set out to create all those years ago, one to be brewed, shared and enjoyed every day.
The Bolts, According to the Team
Ask around the roastery what people like about The Bolts and you'll soon discover everyone has their own reason for reaching for it.
Ted
"It's beautifully balanced with plenty of sweetness and body. It makes a fantastic espresso, but it's just as enjoyable with milk too."
Chloe
"I love how versatile it is. Whether you're making an espresso, a flat white or brewing a cafetière at home, The Bolts always seems to suit the occasion."
Adam
"I actually like it over ice. It's smooth, not too strong and makes a brilliant iced coffee in the summer."
Emily
"One of my favourite things is roasting The Bolts. I love watching each batch come together before it heads off to customers."
Jemma
"One of my favourite parts of the job is serving The Bolts at events. I love watching people try it for the first time, then seeing them come back a few minutes later to buy a bag to take home. I don't think there's a better compliment than that."
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.