I'm an American who tried Tim Hortons for the first time. I'm sad to report that I don't understand the hype.
Jordan Parker Erb
- For years I'd heard lore about Tim Hortons, but until recently, never tried it for myself.
- That changed on a recent trip to Montreal, where I visited the beloved Canadian coffee chain.
Tim Hortons, one of Canada's largest coffee chains, has earned itself a reputation as a beloved breakfast destination. To put it simply, Timmies is to Canada what Dunkin' Donuts is to Ben Affleck.
Even as an American, I've heard tales of Tim Hortons' excellence. So on a recent trip to Montreal, I made a point of stopping by one of its nearly 4,000 Canadian locations before hopping on a train back to New York.
To prepare for my visit, I researched the chain's must-order items. These, of course, are subjective, so every list seemed to have a different answer — but a few products popped up time and time again: the iced coffee and the Timbits.
From what I understood, these are some of the brand's most popular items, and would serve as a good starting point to try to understand all the fervor around Tim Hortons.
But as I sat down with my order and took my first bite and sip of each, I only had one thought: … that's it?
The location I visited had a dreary vibe and was low on stock, even on a weekday morning.
Located in the basement of a shopping center, this branch didn't have the most welcoming environment. Because I was just there for the food, not the atmosphere, I didn't mind — but I did notice that many menu items were out of stock.
They were out of more than half of their baked goods, and only had one kind of Timbits left. Because I got there around 9:45 a.m., I imagine that people had snapped up most of the goodies before I arrived.
The iced coffee was an explosion of sweetness — and too sugary for my taste.
When I ordered an iced coffee, I expected it would come as a plain black coffee over ice.
The iced coffee I received was filled with milk and sweetener, making it far more decadent than I had imagined. I typically take my coffee with a splash of milk — and sometimes with a bit of honey — so the sweet cuppa was a shock.
That's not to say it tasted bad; It's just not what I had expected and was too rich to finish. If I ordered it even with half the sweetness, I think it'd be a great treat every now and again.
I thought the Timbits were too dry and bordered on being stale.
Timbits are the brand's version of doughnut holes — think Dunkin' Donuts' "Munchkins," but Canadian.
I ordered a box of 10 glazed Timbits, the only flavor left, when I arrived. Other Timbit flavors include chocolate glaze, white birthday cake, and apple fritter, according to the company's website.
I'm a fan of sweets and rarely meet a doughnut I don't like. But the Timbits were a letdown: they were dry, cold, and bordered on being stale. I also thought the inside tasted more like a ball of white bread than a doughnut — it was flavorless and lacked that signature cakey texture that makes doughnuts special.
Overall, I wasn't impressed with either of my items.
After hearing about Tim Hortons for years, I had high hopes for my first experience. Surely, I thought, there must be something special about it, but I found a chain like any other.
In my opinion, it felt like a glorified Dunkin' Donuts: low prices and mediocre food, the kind of thing I'd only seek out if I were desperate.
Even though there are locations in the US, I don't see myself scrambling to return any time soon.
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