Bolt Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Bolt Coffee
Location Visited: Dean Hotel, Providence, RI
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Waking up before the sun comes easy to few people. There's something about starting your day in the dark that makes getting out of bed that much harder. Fortunately, not all early risings are laborious, and sometimes getting up at 3 a.m. means the start of a multi-state road trip, full of good coffee stops.

My most recent trip requiring a few alarm clocks was an excursion to Rhode Island. After the first clock chime, I rolled excitedly out of bed and hit the highways well-before New York City and Connecticut traffic start amassing. Throughout it all I remained motivated with my first planned coffee stop: the Dean Hotel home of Bolt Coffee.

The interior of the hotel is beautiful, with a modern and vibrant feel that spills right into the coffee bar of Bolt. As for coffee that morning I settled upon a single origin Peru for both espresso and drip coffee. The espresso, pulled medium with light brown crema, issued forth lemon chocolate, pound cake, pretzel, cream and a little spinach, proving overall sweet and bright. The filtered infusion also received high marks, with candied notes of caramel, apple, honey, whipped cream, raisin, root beer and a bit of walnut in a light/medium body.

While I was tempted to linger, the open road beckoned loudly and after polishing off my drinks, I was back in the car. Nonetheless, I shall definitely return to Bolt the next time I am in town. Whether you're in the city limits or passing through, definitely give one of their three locations a whirl.

These wonderful folks made this visit possible in part. Make sure to check them out!