Coffee Wars

[zill]

After years of being a diehard Tim Horton's fan during my east coast university days, my relocation to the west coast precipitated a rapid transition to Starbucks. Recently, though, the new McDonalds premium roast coffee has won me over, leaving me asking "What is the best cup of coffee in Vancouver?"

To be fair, I think you have to compare apples to apples, so my thoughts that follow are only focused on straight forward drip/filter coffee...no foo foo drinks loaded with caramel or chocolate. We're talking manly man's coffee here, the stufff that'll put hair on your chest.



Starbucks

Coffee Mecca or purveyor of overpriced sludge? In my younger days, it was pretty easy to become addicted to the intense caffeine goodness of Starbucks, especially when you’re trying to pick your ass up after a long night of rioting. Er, partying.

The most annoying thing about Starbucks is the proliferation of fancy, expensive foo foo drinks, which also slow down the espresso machine service. Why don't you try an americano...watch out, you might actually taste the coffee in your coffee!!!

A drip coffee at Starbucks will run you $2.05 including tax. It will be consistent from location to location, hot, served with a sleeve and strong enough to strip the paint off your car. The caffeine content has got to be at the upper end of the legal limits. One Starbucks and my hands start to shake. It’s like drinking liquid cocaine. The coffee is usually so bitter it invokes a frown and a quick shake of the head, but after a few sips when you start to feel the infusion of caffeine your body is craving, you stop noticing the taste.

Starbucks does a lot right and for caffeine content alone, I'll give it 3.5 beans out of 5. I would have scored it higher in my younger days, but lately it just leaves me a bit too jittery and the flavour is a bit much. And did I mention the super laxative effect!

More to follow.

[wherewereuin82]

But, when MacDonald's coffee is no longer $1 after August, do you go back to Timmy's?

I still like my cup o'crack a la Tim's. Iced coffee is another thing. MacDonald's wins hands down.

[coop41]

As bizarre as this may be, I tried coffee one time in my life. This, combined with no longer playing golf or having a Facebook page apparently makes me some sort of social misfit.

[tiger_mn]

[quote][i]Originally posted by coop41[/i]
<br>As bizarre as this may be, I tried coffee one time in my life. This, combined with no longer playing golf or having a Facebook page apparently makes me some sort of social misfit.
[/quote]

I've had one sip, so you've probably had more than me. But having a FB page, I'm not the Boo Radley you are.

[zill]

McDonald’s

McDonalds is extremely convenient for me, being just around the block from my house, with plenty of free parking (that's a big deal in Vancouver). At $1.87 including tax, it scores high on value. The cups are freakin' amazing...the insulation keeps my beverage hot long after my commute is over. The new McDonalds coffee tastes like how I imagine coffee should taste - strong but not in a tongue-curling bitter way. On the caffeine front, it definitely perks me up but not so much that I'm jittery. And it has a moderately pleasing laxative factor.

The downside is that living in a city of coffee snobs, it isn't cool to drink McDonalds. Just try it, people!

I'll give it 4 beans out of 5, for value, taste and those great cups.

[zill]

Tim Horton’s

Tim’s is as much a part of Canadian culture as hockey. There’s nothing like a steaming hot coffee to warm you up from those frigid Canadian winters, a delicious maple dip doughnut (donut for Americans), a bowl of soup...and in eastern Canada you can't walk two blocks without running into one. My hometown of 10,000 people has at least seven Tim Horton's stores.

Tim’s is a fairly new entrant to the Vancouver coffee market, and suddenly they’re everywhere. Could their coffee still be as good as I remember? I've tried to push the nostalgia aside and just focus on the coffee. Hmm, it's not easy to get to Tim's because they don't seem to have any locations in my part of town that have parking. That's inconvenient, and at $1.95, I can’t even afford the quarter for the parking meter!

I remember back in the day Tim’s only sold coffee and doughnuts, and only took cash. Now there’s a wide assortment of soups and sandwiches and everyone pays by chip card and OMFG it is painstakingly S-L-O-W. When I finally get my coffee, I burn my fingers on the paper thin cup. Not so good when you have to carry your coffee two blocks back to your illegally parked car.

When I finally taste my coffee, it’s a major disappointment. In fact, I would say that Tim's coffee sort of tastes like dirty water. I think there's a little bit of coffee in there somewhere but it’s weak. It provided a mild level of stimulation, but the caffeine content seems low. Fortunately I have a freezer filled with red bull at the office.

I'll give it 2.5 beans out of 5, based on nostalgia.

Americans - think Dunkin' Donuts

[zill]

Blenz

Blenz is another Canadian chain, but try as they might they will never match Tim’s full integration into Canadian culture. It’s probably due to a lack of doughnuts…and the menu of effeminate tea drinks and smoothies. Wait a second, Blenz is a Vancouver/west coast phenomenon! No wonder there are so many pink and pastel green drinks on offer!

Blenz is a coffee shop for people who don't want to taste their coffee but disguise it as much as possible.

I don’t know why you’d go to Blenz. It has no distinctive feel. It has no hipster quality or comfy lounge chairs. It feels sterile and cold and the servers are eastern European language school students, not indie bohemians from Commercial Drive.

By all measures, it is a weak imitation of Tim’s. 1 bean out of 5.

[gpow]

Lee's Sandwich is another nice chain if you stop near any vietnamese community

[SwampThing]

Spent five days in Vancouver/Whistler last week. Went to several Tim Hortons and the customer service was the worst. I ordered hot cocoa for my kids, the lady told me they didn't have that. I changed my order to Hot Chocolate and she was able to ring that up. I then ordered a 20-pack of Donut holes, they didn't have those either. I changed my order to a 20-pack of "Timbits", and she was able to ring that up. I then ordered a drink they were promoting on a big display next to where the line forms. She wasn't unable to ring that up without the help of another employee. The line was out the door. This person would never be allowed to work at a Starbucks. She wasn't friendly or fast. No thanks or have a nice day, just dumbfounded looks.

This is why Starbucks kick ass, they value your time, their goal is to get you your coffee as quickly as possible.

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