Tim Hortons vs Dunkin Donuts

[Less Irritated]

I bet that even the most snobbish among us still buys a cup on the road from time to time. A Tim Hortons was built in my town recently and I decided to find out what these Canadians have been on about. Here is what I learned.

1) The coffee is bleh. Weak, insipid, flavorless. Not nearly as good as Dunkin's. (I am not afraid to admit that I enjoy Dunkin Donuts coffee.)
2) I could not hold on to the cup it was so damn hot and they did not have cardboard slide ups or offer to double cup (at the drive-through).
3) It was way harder to drink on the road than dunkin's because the mouth opening on the cap is gaping wide.

Overall assessment - crap. And yes I know that "of course it is crap, it was not hand picked in Guatemala, slow roasted in my kitchen, run through my Zassenhaus, and pressed through my platinum filter into a warmed mug," but it is what it is and, that being understood, it is still crappy.

[Robxcarlson]

Just my opinion, but I had Tim Hortons for the first time in June on a trip to Buffalo/Niagara. I thought their coffee was better than Starbucks and I thought they had really nice pastries, too. No real opinion on Dunkin Donuts Coffee, however. I can't remember when I last had some.

[_JP_]

WE have had Tom Horton's in my area since they moved into the U.S. (Wendy's headquarters is real close to me) so I'm familiar with their coffee. It's OK. Dunkin Donuts is just now moving into this area as well. Looks like I'll need to go compare. I have bought the Dunkin Donuts whole beans when they hit the market, that's good stuff.

[crankymoose]

When I was traveling I used to stop at both quite often but generally found Tim Hortons products (donuts pastries) fresher and the coffee usually as good if not better but usually always consistent where as even now where I live there are several Dunkin Donuts nearby and some are very good while others are quite often just ok at best, like some other stores I imagine they are all independently owned and operated so of course some owners take more pride then others.

[Confuzius]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you can't really compare south of the border Timmy Ho's to the authentic stuff we have up north.

It has something to do with the magical infusion of national pride in each cup.

Although for the most part, it's not a very strong coffee, but it's smooth and as good as you'll find at that price bracket.

If you want a truely Canadian experience buy a "Double Double" two creams, two sugars. It's more dessert than coffee as far as I'm concerned, but many people live off of them.

Be forewarned; Tim Hortons uses 18% cream.

[Gruder]

Coffee: Dunkin' wins.

But, next time you're in the mood for hot chocolate, give Timmy the nod. Trust me. :smile:

[Sue]

Just gimme the donuts please ! :redface: I'll balance them with a diet Coke.
Sue

[ouch]

I bet that even the most snobbish among us still buys a cup on the road from time to time. A Tim Hortons was built in my town recently and I decided to find out what these Canadians have been on about. Here is what I learned.

1) The coffee is bleh. Weak, insipid, flavorless. Not nearly as good as Dunkin's. (I am not afraid to admit that I enjoy Dunkin Donuts coffee.)

Overall assessment - crap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eo0OY8GOuc

[detroityianni]

i dont drink coffee but get a BLT next time... they are great

[MAK]

We don’t have a Horton’s locally but my recollections from road trips were that they were pretty good. DDs are good when they are fresh, but more and more sites have their donuts trucked in and they take on the quality of the stuff that you can get at the local market. With that said, they have great coffee.

A few years back Krispy Kreams came to town and they had wonderful glazed donuts (when hot and freshly glazed). Unfortunately, they got greedy and you could find their stale products everywhere from grocery stores to gas stations. Their stale products were hard, greasy and tasteless. The two KK’s that were local have since closed (I’m sure their franchise owners lost a bundle in the process).

I have to wonder why donut shops go the route of mass production. The thing that drives me to those places is a high quality (or at least very tasty) product. When they try to cut corners by centralizing their operations or broaden their sales by pushing their donuts into venues where they have no control (like gas stations) they lose their edge and my desire to go back diminishes.

The other day I had to pick up 2 dozen DD for an event. The bill (including a coffee for myself) was close to $20. Not hugely expensive, but expensive non-the-less. With that said, the donuts were only so so. Not stale but certainly not fresh.

[Slick50]

It has something to do with the magical infusion of national pride in each cup.


I think what they infuse it with is crack because it's so addictive!

But in all seriousness some of my co-workers who have had Timmies south of the border and they say it doesn't compare to the stuff up here.

Timmies is pretty consistent across Canada and I believe it has something to do with how they filter the water.

[Suzuki]

I bet that even the most snobbish among us still buys a cup on the road from time to time. A Tim Hortons was built in my town recently and I decided to find out what these Canadians have been on about. Here is what I learned.

1) The coffee is bleh. Weak, insipid, flavorless. Not nearly as good as Dunkin's. (I am not afraid to admit that I enjoy Dunkin Donuts coffee.)
2) I could not hold on to the cup it was so damn hot and they did not have cardboard slide ups or offer to double cup (at the drive-through).
3) It was way harder to drink on the road than dunkin's because the mouth opening on the cap is gaping wide.

Overall assessment - crap. And yes I know that "of course it is crap, it was not hand picked in Guatemala, slow roasted in my kitchen, run through my Zassenhaus, and pressed through my platinum filter into a warmed mug," but it is what it is and, that being understood, it is still crappy.

Them's fightin' words!

Seriously though, Timmy's coffee is very average - but its consistently average and that's the key to its success. Unlike other dog-nut chains in Canada, where you can get decent coffee in one outlet and horse urine in another, Timmy's is always Timmys. Its the only coffee I drink with anything else in it and is a road trip staple if you're driving in Canada.

Oh, if you're getting some coffee from Timmy's, make sure you get some Timbits as well (doughnut holes) - the sour cream ones are great!

[_JP_]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you can't really compare south of the border Timmy Ho's to the authentic stuff we have up north.


I tried it north of the border (just a few weeks ago, in fact) and I didn't notice any difference.

If there is one Tim Horton's in the U.S. that would be spot on, it would be the one right next to the Wendy's corporate headquarters, which is not far from me. That's the one that I use as comparison.

[Doc4]

Timmy's is a good standard working man's brew. Ain't nuthin' special, and that's just fine, eh.

For a true slice of Canadiana, you have to rrrrrrrrrrrroll up the rrrrrrrrrrrim and win.

Timmy's does a very good job of providing a decent, standardised product from coast to coast at reasonable prices. Unlike Starbucks, Timmy's is where you go for an ordinary cup of coffee when you don't have self-delusional notions of hip-itude ... and don't have a couple extra bucks to waste.

(Of course, for me, when I need coffee when driving, I'll go to A&W because they have larger serving sizes, and their 'to go' lid is better designed.)

[homebrewer]

FWIW, I have heard that the espresso based coffee drinks at Sheetz (yes, the gas station) is actually pretty fantastic. I haven't tried it myself yet, but from what I hear it is actually worth stopping to pick some up.

Granted, it isn't a donut joint, but I would expect better from either Dunkin' or Kripsy than I would from a gas station...

[Brewster]

now look what you started.............
tim's coffee is ok, but i like my coffee hot and black. my **tch is the 20 minute line to actually get to the counter to buy the coffee.
i travel for work and it doesn't seem to matter what city i'm in the lineups are the same. or is it just me? :bored:
i'm going on out on a limb here and say rotten ronnies coffee is on par with tim's, :w00t: and shorter lines to boot!

[Brewster]

the absolute best road coffee i've come across is the serving at the Pilot chain of fuel stops. dark roast columbian....mmmmmmmmmmm.

[Doc4]

. my **tch is the 20 minute line to actually get to the counter to buy the coffee.
i travel for work and it doesn't seem to matter what city i'm in the lineups are the same. or is it just me? :bored:
!

Too friggin' true!

... yet another reason I prefer to grab a Joe-2-go at A&W. (Plus, the Homestyle Sausage & egger kicks @$$.)

[Spacegeezer]

Timmies obsession is insane. Once upon a time, their donuts were okay. They're strictly grocery-store quality now. The coffee is more like hot brown water, but you add a lot of sugar and cream and you don't notice I guess. Not my scene, though.

Anyway, one thing I had to defend them for: they don't have insulator sleeves because Canadian winter mornings are cold, eh? Even on the balmy (not to be confused with barmy) West coast, cradling a hot coffee or hot chocolate is necessary for survival in the middle of January.