McCafe just started appearing in Canada this year IIRC..

Tim Horton's is popular, because the coffee is quite affordable.. just around a couple bucks cdn for an extra large coffee.. To alot of Canadians, its quite good..

Glad to hear Starbucks is a bit different depending on the region.. Gives it a bit of novelty..

I'm from the UK. When I'm travelling within the UK I'll go to Starbucks / Costa / Cafe Nero or Madisons depending on whatever happens to be nearby. Madisons is my favourite but the local branches shut down a few months ago, sadly.

If I'm at home, I don't bother with chain coffee shops too much - I'll usually nip in to JD Wetherspoon (a chain pub) and have a filter coffee there. It's half the price of a similar coffee at a proper coffee shop, and they use the same brand of beans that I do at home, so I know I'll like it :)

When I'm abroad, I'll do a Starbucks on the first day (too tired to try to navigate anything unfamiliar), but for the rest of the time I'll look for independant places that look like they get a lot of local traffic. I've found some nice places by doing that, but had a few bad experiences too.

Surely ... you jest! Peet's isn't anything like Starsucks :rolleyes:

To answer your request for NYC spots, here's just a few:

Abraco http://abraconyc.com/#home

The Roasting Plant (where the beans travel through pneumatic tubes & then are roasted for each cup) http://www.roastingplant.com/

Joe http://www.joetheartofcoffee.com/

Cafe Grumpy http://www.cafegrumpy.com/

Ninth Street Espresso http://www.ninthstreetespresso.com/N...Locations.html

and for those that like other city's favorite shops NYC also has:

Blue Bottle (Brooklyn & http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net/loca...r-in-new-york/)

Stumptown http://www.stumptowncoffee.com/locations/nyc-ace

Aroma https://aroma.us/locations.php


and my fave which is actually in Tucson AZ.... Raging Sage http://www.ragingsage.com/

Are you saying Peet's is more like McDonalds or 7-Eleven coffee?

7-Eleven is against Tim Horton's generally, from a corporate standpoint..

Hard to think that both would compete against one another.. Since 7-Eleven sells Tim Horton donuts..

God, I miss Dunkin Donuts. Born and raised in Boston and Dunkies are few and far between here in XNA. Looks like they're coming in a year or so, but even regionally, they're just no the same.

I miss Dunkin Donuts and Country Style Donuts..

loved Peaberry Coffee in Colorado until they closed their doors. :( They still operate online though.

I see Timothy's Coffee around quite a bit.. and Waves Coffee as well..

How do you guys rank these coffees compared to Starbucks?

In DE, PA, NJ, MD and VA it's Wawa for me.


http://www.wawa.com/WawaWeb/Coffee.aspx


http://blogs.delawareonline.com/seco...10/09/wawa.jpg

For me, it depends on my mood and how much attention I want to spend on enjoying my drink. Dunkin Donuts is my everyday brewed coffee. Their coffee is consistent, predictable, plentyful and they have lots of locations with drive-throughs. The flavor is distinctive and I like it, but it's not distracting. I choose it when I want something hot but want to keep my mind on other things -- driving, attending meetings/phone calls, reading/writing for work, keeping deadlines...

If I have the luxury of time to focus on the coffee, I'll go out of my way to get Starbuck's or better. Something strong and bold which will call my attention at each sip.

Well, Starbucks is crap (other than Pike Place roast) and their espresso drinks are weak, so it doesn't take much to be above them. Having said that, Waves is very inconsistent in terms of product and service, but their espresso beverages are at least a better strength than Starbucks. When their product and service is good, it is very good.

I would rather support them than Starbucks, and take my chances on the food product being hit or miss or out of stock. I put them slightly behind Bean Around the World (which also suffers from inconsistency from store to store) I haven't been in a Timothy's in over a decade I suspect but it was pretty awful when I was forced to drink there or nowhere in past.

Frankly, most North American coffee chains with few exceptions are nothing great, and there is a lot of really awful coffee around too (I put 7-11, Tim Horton's etc in that category)

But then again, this is all subjective and I have read many people hating the coffee drinks served in other parts of the world.

And I still mourn the loss of Sin in Winston Salem.

Sounds like chain coffee doesn't suit your fancy? Is that pretty much your norm..

If you had to pick a chain which is best, which one would you pick?

It is a matter of taste, as many posters have already stated. Many North American chains serve very weak espresso drinks, or even worse to me flavoured coffees, which don't appeal to tastebuds used to something else.

Tchibo had been serving decent coffee and espresso drinks long before it became popular in North America, but I would put Illy well above them for a chain. For UK chains already mentioned are Pret (not the US version however), Costa, and I will add Apostrophe. There are many chains I enjoy, but very few North American ones I like. Hence I tend to see out micro-chains or independents in North America, as they often serve stronger espresso drinks and better quality coffee.

I'm adding Edinburgh's Chocolate Soup to my list as well - somewhat inconsistent in service but when they are good, they are very good. And the location gives them extra points (albeit it by yet another Starbucks)

And edited again to add Julius Meinl which counts as a decent chain.

Thanks! Sadly nothing in the UES wasteland where I live. :(

Sacrilege!

I like Connecticut Muffin http://www.connecticutmuffin.com/location.php for Brooklyn.

Their Montague St location is in Brooklyn Heights, not too far from the courts.

The US is certainly the place for you then, young man, because that's a beverage that you won't find there :D

Blue bottle! :)

Had a double chocolate chip frappe at a Starbucks located in a new but rather surprisingly unsanitary Safeway yesterday..

Do Starbucks filter their water, had a bit of sore throat yesterday for a couple of hours after the afternoon drink?..

Not much of a coffee drinker but I used to like Starbucks mocha frapps before they changed the recipe. I really love the frozen blended mochas from Einstein Bagels the only problem is they don't have any in Hawaii so I have to do a 7200 MR to enjoy them.

Yes, In the US at least, every Starbucks has a reverse-osmosis water purifier. I know this because I've installed a couple and talked to Starbucks reps about it, not because I drink coffee. Never ever touch the stuff.

Good to know.. the reverse osmosis is the best water purifiers imo.. but for every litre that it makes, there is a litre, two or three wasted and down the drain, unless recycled.. so fairly inefficient, but good to know that Starbucks uses RO..^

I would expect that their beverages would be safe to drink - and that's probably the kindest thing that I could say about them!

Definitely "other". I'm not a Starbucks fan.

I do not know for sure but the submitted to landlord for approval mechanical drawings in 2 Toronto locations show an industrial RO triple filter system.

Maybe the smaller Safeway internal location has different water treatment procedure/standard.

It is likely it was the Water, Sugar, Natural Flavours, Salt, Carrageenan (E407), Xanthan Gun (E415), Maltodextrin, Preservative: Potassium Sorbate (E202), Citric Acid (E330), Sucralose (E955), Colour: Caramel (E150d, E150b). Or the whip, or the syrup, or the fact that it was a double (whatever that is).

Or more likely these Starbucks 'employees' are now working in your store in Canada. :D http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/l...shColumbiaHome

Thanks, will need to look at the lease drawings in my file to make sure its safe to drink.. especially after exbayern's listed ingredient disclosure.. ouch..:D

That was listed as the Canadian ingredients; typically for many foods the American product gets some extra 'special' items (see Maggi, Knorr, Nutella as examples) :)

And don't worry, your 'coffee' drink only had 520 calories and 350mg of sodium, 23g of fat. When you are in Manhattan make certain to take note of some of the calorie counts (mandatory that they are listed) as they may surprise you. The rice krispie square is actually one of the lowest calorie menu items, for instance.

I eyed up the rice crispie square last time out.. seems like they iced the top of it pretty good..

Wouldn't surprise me if the rice crispy square calorie count is sky high.:)

There is no icing on it. And that is exactly what I mean - at 210 calories it is virtually the lowest calorie item on the bakery menu, even lower than the things people think are 'healthy'. Most are well over 400 calories. One of those drinks, and one baked item, can easily top 1,000 calories, just like most junk food/fast food meals.

Ok.. whats the stuff that was topping the rice crispy square with squiggly white wave on it?:-:

Most likely marshmallow - the same thing which binds the square together.

The icing on lemon pound cake does vary; in the US it still tends to be the heavier white icing while Canadian locations seem to have a lesser icing now (although I don't know if it is any healther)

This made me chuckle, I'd just read a post from an American in another thread who lived in Australia for two years and couldn't find a decent cup of coffee in that time. I guess those were the crucial ingredients that were missing...

Problem when you pay minimum wage...

I find it a bit odd that no one has mentioned Brazilian coffee as a favorite. Every coffee drinker I know except one, who has tried the small strong cups of coffee in Brazil (cafezinho), has said it's the best they've ever had.

This has been a really great thread. Thanks guys and gals.

Well, we have determined that coffee sure is a personal taste! ;)

With all the talk about Tim Horton's, I spent some time actually sitting in a few of their "Remodeled" locations. Some have fireplaces and "comfy" chairs by the fire - with a large screen LCD television mounted above the fireplace. I'd never seen that before. Must be a new look. To me, their coffee was fine. Actually a bit strong. I ordered "Extra Skim" in mine to tone it down. Did the trick.

When I lived in the Northeast, you couldn't swing an empty coffee cup and not hit a Dunkin Donuts. They had a huge following, and I was one of them.

I do spend a fair amount of time in Canada, so I'm becoming more prone to stopping into a Tim Horton's for lunch. And I grab a coffee there. In the US, they all seem to have a huge issue with customer service. The drive through lines are SO BUSY, you sometimes stand at the counter for 5 minutes before getting service.

When I was in Germany many moons ago, I discovered Jabobs Kronung. I have a box or two at home for weekends. That's great stuff IMO. Again, coffee is so personal. I've got friends that SWEAR by MAXWELL HOUSE and you can't convince them that there is anything better!

Jacobs is 'Germany's most loved coffee'. It is a solid prodoct both for home and commericial use, and in fact the facility in Neukölln (Berlin neighbourhood normally more well known for social issues and poverty) is the largest which Kraft owns. (Yes, yet another product of globalisation) :(

http://www.tagesspiegel.de/wirtschaf...5607522-2.html

Tchibo has become rather variable (or my tastebuds have changed) for home use. Their commercial product is still fine, but they have developed and reformulated some of their product lines for new markets over the years. The yellow package popular in central and eastern Europe for instance I find tastes rather stale, and a recent new product flat and bitter.

Question for you OP about Tim Hortons:

1) Do they also have chinaware for their non 'to go' orders? If as you say they are developing a concept with fireplaces, etc I would think that it would encourage use of non-paper product. Starbucks used to offer this up but I find it more difficult nowadays (in Germany the reverse is true; often getting coffee 'to go' is a novelty)

2) Do they charge less for 'to go' vs 'for here'? In parts of Europe and even in some of the micro-chains I have tried in Canada there is a price reduction for not taking a paper cup. In France as well as some other areas it is the reverse - 'to go' may cost less than taking a seat and staying.

3) What is that smell?! A few posters have mentioned the smell of Tim Hortons, and not in a positive way. This week I actually got out of a car, was hit with an unpleasant smell, and looked up to find myself outside a Tim Hortons. In airports I have to give them a wide berth. The usual smell to me is stale cooking oil combined with cheap roasted coffee, but sometimes it smells like they are disposing of their (overused) oil. I'm genuinely curious, because I notice an unpleasant odour around Kamps, the cheap bakery chain which is taking over much of Germany and destroying the quality of baked goods. Kamps smells very different, but still has an odour I associate with poor quality ingredients and/or lack of cleanliness. The Tim Hortons odour is very different, but I still find it extremely unpleasant.

Timmy has china mugs in standard size, not the surpesized. You can ask for your coffee to be served that way. Same with SB, at least around the GTA area.

If you bring in your own refillable mug then it is $0.10 off. They rinse the mug out before adding new coffee. Someone tried it with a used Timmy paper cup and was told they do not refill used paper cups.

Aroma: I believe that is part of the reworking of the baked goods workflow where instead of making them with shipped in dough inhouse the goods are semi-baked and frozen. Just a reheat from frozen state to serving. I find that any oil that has been frozen in food and reheated in high heat commercial ovens give off that smell.

I agree on Jacobs. I used to favor their company when they were Jacobs Suchard, before the Kraft takeover. Globalization indeed! But I truly do like Jacobs Kronung. Just had a cup a few hours ago. Very smooth, flavorful, and a decent "kick" without wiring me through the roof. I used to enjoy Tobler, Milka, C'ote D'or, and other Jacobs Suchard treats when I visited Europe. Many stores in Canada have C'ote D'or. One of my favorite dark Belgium Chocolates.

Horton's. Hmmm. I really can't recall any china or flatware (silverware). I think it was plastic still, but I may be wrong. I just did not pay attention when I was in their recent "UPSCALE" restaurant.

The smell you describe. To me, it's frying donuts. I don't eat that stuff... well, 99 percent of the time. Once in a blue moon I'll have a donut, but it's a VERY rare treat. I try and stay healthy. In the US there are many Wendy's and Horton's in one building, so you have fryers going big time.

Their coffee, to me, is decent. I like it. It's actually a bit too strong. But perhaps that's the way the T.H. establishments I've been in have brewed it. Although you'd think it would be standardized.

When I'm cruising the QEW in Ontario, I frequently stop at the rest areas and enjoy some Horton's brew.

These weren't Wendy's/Tim Hortons, they were TH standalone ones, so can't blame Wendy for the smell. :D

I avoid doughnuts in North America; never understood the craze for Tim Hortons, Dunkin' Donuts, or Krispy Kreme. I suppose that it is taste and what people are used to.

Re doughnuts, I mentioned Kamps upthread. I blame them (and the other bakery chain Müller) for the rapid decline in Krapfen ('Berliner', the yeast jam filled doughnut found in central Europe). It is almost impossible these days to find a real Krapfen, with that distinctive yeasty taste, texture, and with plum butter inside and granulated sugar on top of a deep brown crust. These days they are flat, light golden, with 'apricot' filling ie some sort of lightish sugary liquid, and topped with powder sugar. Even my old standby in Salzburg has moved away from the original. This change started around 1989 and has spread rapidly with globalisation and the disappearance of independent bakers.

The best 'chain' version I have found is actually the French chain, Paul. They are pretty consistent around the world, with the exception of the US and Chinese locations (and in fact the Chinese ones closed). The UK stores have a very limited selection, too.

Paul has decent coffee, as well, and I don't mind them as an option.