Tim Hortons Coffee

[PlayfulAlex]

I use to really like Tim Hortons coffee but the past 6 to 8 months, it doesn't taste the same. It tastes watered down at any location. Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the quality of their coffee gone downhill? I know the cost of coffee beans has gone up in price and they want to keep costs down. Could this be part of the reason?

This is a funny thread...all this arguing about which coffee is best! I didn't even know people went to Timmy Ho's for the coffee...I thought they went there for the donuts!

 

[sevenofnine]

I agree with the comment coffee is coffee.
I used to work the night shift along time ago the coffee sat all fucking day long, with enough cream and sugar it was drinkable.
I can and do drink anything that remotely looks anything like coffee. With enough cream and sugar that is.

I go for that atmosphere, I have a long break and usually find a starbucks with a cute girl to smile at me, or some unversity girls sitting with there books open, something to look at.
I could actually retire and not work any more, but my pooning would be limited and I work downtown I like to see the people watch the girls.
You hear the wierdest conversations at some starbucks, there was a sex therapist there talking to a client, a homicide detective talking about a wild weekend in Calgary.
You go to Tim;s and its well a handicapped person and there care giver nothing wrong with that, but not quite the same as a cute blonde with a book open studying.

 

[vancity_cowboy]

I don't like coffee, but when gift time rolls around for my coffee snob friends I drive down across the border to a place where the guy roasts his own beans. No complaints so far

why drive across the line? most of the high end places mentioned in this thread roast their own beans fresh

 

[storm rider]

I dont drink coffee so I have no opinion....I do like timbits and the best brekky sandwhich made is the Tim's
brekky sandwhich...I remember when it was intoduced and I was waiting in line and a guy ahead of me asked his friend what it was like and the response was "well it's like a McDonalds egg mcmuffin except that it does not suck"

SR

 

[badbadboy]

Shocking lack of true coffee appreciators on this board As a serious coffee addict I definitely dig the quality bean. I defy anyone to tell me a Hortons coffee tastes just as good as a medium roast pour over from Milanos. It just ain't so. And life truly is too short for lame bean.

I couldn't agree more.

All of the good roasters in town have been mentioned already and I defy any so called coffee lover to take a Tim's brown water over any medium roast from the independent roasters. I go for double espresso so I can fully taste the truly good coffee.

 

[blazejowski]

No matter how fussy you are about your brew, there comes a cup in every coffee lover's java career that's so horrendous, so weak, so sour to make you exclaim, "This coffee tastes like crap!"

Thanks to the marvel of engineering, a Canadian entrepreneur is hoping to flip the script on crap and turn it into the world's most prized cuppa joe.

Black Ivory Coffee, the brainchild of businessman Blake Dinkin, sells artisanal coffee made from beans that have been digested and excreted by Thai elephants.

This is an accurate description of their harvesting process.

A herd of 20 elephants in the Golden Triangle region of Thailand spends its days chewing on handpicked Thai Arabica coffee beans (among other fun, elephant-y activities). Their digestive systems behave as a sort of "slow cooker," taking 15-30 hours to break down the beans in a gastric stew comprised of sugar cane, bananas and other key elements of the pachyderms' vegetarian diet.

Then they poop.

Afterward, a team of what we can only hope are well-compensated employees proceeds to sort through the excrement and gather the beans.

The coffee cherries are processed to extract the beans, which are finally sent to a gourmet roaster in Bangkok.

It's this process that gives the coffee its smooth, "earthy" flavour.

"When an elephant eats coffee, its stomach acid breaks down the protein found in coffee, which is a key factor in bitterness," Dinkin told the Associated Press. "You end up with a cup that's very smooth without the bitterness of regular coffee."

Dinkin, who says he's invested $300,000 in the coffee's development, hopes the unusual brew becomes a hit with specialty coffee fans and folks who are willing to shill out for quality product.

And he will likely have to depend on this market, as the price tag makes your average $5 Starbucks latte look like a steal: Each kilogram of Black Ivory Coffee will run you $1,100, working out to approximately $50 per cup.

The expense comes from the extremely high production cost. Elephant upkeep sets Dinkin back $1,000 a month per pachyderm and because of the system's inefficiencies, it takes 33 kg of raw coffee cherries to end up with 1 kg of the finished product.

But despite the litany of bad jokes this scenario inspires, the AP reports that the company is committed to sustainability and the health of its herd.

Dinkin initially worked with a Canadian veterinarian to ensure the elephants wouldn't be at risk of absorbing any caffeine from the raw coffee cherries.

"As far as we can tell there is definitely no harm to the elephants," John Roberts, director of elephants at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, told the news network.

Eight per cent of the coffee's sales go straight back into the foundation, a "refuge for rescued elephants."

Black Ivory Coffee has also provided a boost to the local economy, including fair wage employment for elephant mahouts and their wives.
Though it's only available in a smattering of luxury resorts, Dinkin's bid has so far proved successful. His test batch of 70 kg has sold out and he hopes to increase that output by six-fold in the coming year.

So if you're now curious to sample your own "crap-accino" you may have to hold your curiosity in a little longer.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/elephant-poop-coffee-maybe-ll-just-cup-tea-213517132.html

It's no Kopi Luwak...

 

[sbill]

No matter how fussy you are about your brew...

Black Ivory Coffee, the brainchild of businessman Blake Dinkin, sells artisanal coffee made from beans that have been digested and excreted by Thai elephants.

Talk about the elephant in the room!

 

[mcdude]

Badger, for dark roast or exotic blends, then you might want to try JJ Bean. They roast their own, usually onsite and have a very good cup o joe or any other froo froo hot, non-fat, soya, skinny, latte you like.

 

[blazejowski]

I always find it funny when people argue about what is "the best". Everyone has different taste, so why not stick to what you enjoy and not worry about what others like or dislike? Just one mans opinion

Hunka, I absolutely LOVE this statement. I know what I like, and I couldn't give a shit what other people think of my choices. They are mine to make...

 

[rexxx]

It could be worse at least its not a beer thread

 

[CutieAngie]

Beer? Sleemans Honey Brown, Rickards Red, Olands (Nova Scotia) Carlsberg (German)...yum.

Coffee I like Saltspring Island had it a few times but do not know where to buy it.
Oh and yes I am a Timmys drinker too.

Don't get me started on beer options

 

[mcdude]

Beer? Sleemans Honey Brown, Rickards Red, Olands (Nova Scotia) Carlsberg (German)...yum.

Coffee I like Saltspring Island had it a few times but do not know where to buy it.
Oh and yes I am a Timmys drinker too.

You can find fresh beans roasted by Salt Spring Island at your local Overwaitee, Save-on foods. nice coffee too, if a little over roasted at times.

 

[badbadboy]

Salt Spring Island Coffee is roasted in Richmond. The almighty Island Trust would not let them expand on SSI so they moved the business to Richmond. Put people out of work because some people didn't like the smell of roasting beans. Look it up.

 

[sbill]

Used to love driving by the Melrose roasting plant in South Winnipeg years ago. Though I suppose it could get old if you lived/worked beside it all the time. Better than the Stockyard/packing plant (then in St Boniface) though!

On coffee, though, there's definitely good/bad restaurant coffee (how do they stay in business if they don't serve decent coffee!) In Saskatoon, Venice House(Central) or Humpty's is good joe for the average joe. Flying J/Coop/Husky/McDonalds/7-Eleven not so much. Timmies OK by me.

 

[CutieAngie]

Oh Thank You so much, I am going to Save-on-Foods today to buy some. Funny, I shop there all the time never thought to see if they sell it there. Have a great day.

You can find fresh beans roasted by Salt Spring Island at your local Overwaitee, Save-on foods. nice coffee too, if a little over roasted at times.

 

[vancity_cowboy]

I made my own coffee today.

I've been doing it more since I realized I was spending a lot in cafés.

I bought some good bean and have a Bodum french press, but I am using an electric grinder and it doesn't give a very consistent grind - big chunks and powder.

Any grinding technique or technologies recommendable by perb nerds on coffee?

i'm told a serious coffee drinker only grinds their beans in a 'burr grinder'

i bought mine for cheap at cambodian tire but it definitely solves the problem of uneven grind

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/8/KitchenBath/2/Appliances/CoffeeGrinders/PRDOVR~0430435P/Cuisinart+Supreme+Grind+Auto+Burr+Mill.jsp?locale=en

 

[vancity_cowboy]

You can find fresh beans roasted by Salt Spring Island at your local Overwaitee, Save-on foods. nice coffee too, if a little over roasted at times.

Oh Thank You so much, I am going to Save-on-Foods today to buy some. Funny, I shop there all the time never thought to see if they sell it there. Have a great day.

saltspring does a good job roasting their coffee, and no doubt it's a lot fresher in the store than say, folgers. also check out kicking horse coffee, roasted recently in the kootenays. on the rare occasion i make drip coffee, that's what i use

but by fresh roasted i think the earlier posters are referring to the roaster is sitting on the other side of the counter from you and your coffee is made from beans that are still warm from the roaster

there are places in van that offer it that fresh, and yes it does make a difference to the taste

 

[vancity_cowboy]

Thanks for the tip.
JJ bean sells some grinders but they seem a little pricey.

you won't be getting anything very high end at cambodian tire, mine has a serious case of static cling where some of the grinds stick to the plastic and end up on the counter, but it was cheap as dirt and does a very nice job of grinding the beans. and the evenly ground beans definitely have a cleaner taste than the powder/coarse grinds mix of an electric grinder

 

[COLONEL ANGUS]

Ahh..the splendid ethnic diversity of this great country of ours....
On the west coast you have "Cambodian tire"..here in Saskatchewan we
have "Ukrainian Tire"

you won't be getting anything very high end at cambodian tire

 

[CutieAngie]

I don't venture down town often it scares me...lol. Too big for me I am not a city gal. But think I can convince someone to take one day and try "fresh" cup of coffee. Anything in Fraser Valley please let me know.

saltspring does a good job roasting their coffee, and no doubt it's a lot fresher in the store than say, folgers. also check out kicking horse coffee, roasted recently in the kootenays. on the rare occasion i make drip coffee, that's what i use

but by fresh roasted i think the earlier posters are referring to the roaster is sitting on the other side of the counter from you and your coffee is made from beans that are still warm from the roaster

there are places in van that offer it that fresh, and yes it does make a difference to the taste