Tristan Wheeler with the coffee. Right: Coffees from McDonald's, Starbucks and Tim Hortons.
This Opinion article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Coffee is something that people take very seriously — but not all cups of joe are created equal.
As a java lover, I decided to find out which fast food chain in Canada made the best coffee... and the answer actually took me by surprise.
To get an idea of the best coffee in Canada, I tried the brew from three of the most popular coffee chains in the country.
I kept it simple by sampling a small black coffee from Starbucks, Tim Hortons and McDonald's to find out which one reigns supreme.
Here's how they fared.
Starbucks
A Starbucks coffee.
Price: $2.78
This was definitely the strongest, to me.
The first sips were somewhat bitter and very rich.
It neared on actually being a little bit astringent in flavour and, if I took too deep of a sip, I actually found myself grimacing a bit.
I also found that it got worse as it cooled. Walking home in the cold chilled the hot drink and made the flavour a little less vibrant and more confusing.
Plus, with it being the most expensive one, it didn't really live up to the hype for me.
Score: 2/5
Tim Hortons
A Tim Hortons coffee.
Price: $1.67
This was actually the opposite of the Starbucks coffee!
My cup of joe from Tim Hortons was the most palatable and least intense of the ones I sampled. It felt light, really drinkable. However, in comparison, I felt it was maybe lacking in flavour.
And as someone who grew up in a small town, I do have really positive memories attached to the taste of Timmies coffee. Still, I think the blandness and overall lack of depth of flavour was noticeable this time around.
While better than I thought, it didn't blow my mind.
Score: 3/5
McDonald's
A McDonald's coffee.
Price: $1.67
The McDonald's coffee was a perfect combination of the two that I sampled previously.
It was just flavourful enough that you really felt like you were drinking coffee, but there was a nice lightness that made it very drinkable, even without any milk or sugar in it.
And, with it costing over a dollar less than the coffee from the more "premium" chain of Starbucks, it really goes to show that sometimes money isn't a good quantifier of quality.
There was a nice delicate richness to the McDonald's coffee that I really didn't see in the other two I sampled, so I'd personally say it's the fast food chain with the best coffee in Canada!
Score: 5/5
That being said, of course, each place has its own pros and cons.
When comes to seasonal holiday drinks, Starbucks takes home the gold.
And, of course, McDonald's excels in the world of seasonal snacks while Tims has been known to make some great donuts.
Agree or disagree with the overall verdict? Let me know what you think!
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