This Review 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.
If you're looking for a reliable refreshing drink that won't cost a fortune, I put four Tim Hortons drinks to the test to determine which was the best thirst quencher for summer.
Amid some serious heat being felt all across the country, when would be a better time to rank ice-cold summer drinks than now?
Tim Hortons' summer offerings include four new drinks among their classic cold beverages, the new Hershey's S'mores Iced Capp, the Hershey's S'mores Creamy Chill, and the recently introduced Passionfruit Tea Lemonade and Brewed Iced Tea Quencher.
Tim Hortons says the drinks are "guaranteed to keep you cool and refreshed." With temperatures reaching 33 degrees in parts of the GTA, where I live, I thought I'd see if the drinks really live up to that promise.
I ranked the drinks according to their taste and thirst-quenching abilities, giving each a rating out of five donuts (because, y'know, Tim Hortons).
4. Brewed Iced Tea Quencher
Tim Hortons' Brewed Iced Tea Quencher.
Unfortunately, the Brewed Iced Tea Quencher was the worst out of the bunch for me.
The drink comes in a sweetened and unsweetened version. To give this drink a real chance, I opted for the sweetened version, which is normally how I'd take iced tea.
I was expecting something similar to the cold tea-based drinks offered at Starbucks, but I was surprised when I took a sip and was met with almost no flavour. The drink had tons of ice left in it, so I don't think the ice watered it down, but it tasted very watery.
According to Tims, the drink is supposed to be "the perfect blend of green tea with delicious accents of tropical fruits, like pineapple and passionfruit with a hint of blackcurrant."
I did get a hint of passionfruit, but I was expecting a lot more. I'd say the drink essentially tasted like water with a hint of flavour.
Rating: 🍩
3. Hershey's S'mores Iced Capp
Tim Hortons' Hershey's S'mores Iced Capp.
Right off the bat, the drink was quite melted and runny when I got it. The lid also didn't seem to be able to contain the drink at all, so it was spilling down my hand whenever I tried to take a sip.
The drink is made with Hershey's chocolate syrup, marshmallow-flavoured topping and graham crackers.
Flavour-wise, I was surprised when I tried this. When you take a sip, you're met with the classic Iced Capp coffee flavour, plus chocolate and a bit of a toasted taste.
The drink itself (minus the toppings) tasted like a Coffee Crisp chocolate bar to me, although the coffee flavour was a bit strong.
I have to say the marshmallow topping was quite good (I would eat it on its own, honestly). I expected it to taste really artificial, but it tastes like someone roasted a marshmallow and plopped it into your drink.
I wasn't a huge fan of the graham cracker, which tasted a bit cardboard-y, but there's very little of it on the Iced Capp.
Overall, this drink was pretty good, but the coffee was slightly overpowering. If you like strong coffee, that probably won't be an issue for you.
Rating: 🍩🍩
2. Hershey's S'mores Creamy Chill
Tim Hortons' Hershey's S'mores Creamy Chill.
The Hershey's S'mores Creamy Chill is perfect if you're not big on coffee. More like a milkshake, the Creamy Chill also comes topped with marshmallow and graham cracker crumble.
The drink itself basically tastes like a chocolate milkshake. Again, the marshmallow topping was really good, and I liked the drink even more once I mixed it together.
I could do without the graham cracker crumble. If I got this again, I would probably ask them not to add it. I don't think it really adds anything to the drink, and it's honestly a bit disconcerting when you're drinking through a straw and suddenly get a large chunk of graham cracker.
Like the lid on the Iced Capp, I couldn't pick this drink up without it spilling down my hand, so points were taken off for that.
Rating: 🍩🍩🍩
1. Passionfruit Tea Lemonade Quencher
Tim Hortons' Passionfruit Tea Lemonade Quencher.
This was definitely the best of the bunch and is more like what I was expecting when I took a sip of the Brewed Iced Tea Quencher.
This tastes almost exactly like the Starbucks Iced Green Tea Lemonade (a favourite of mine), except that this is $2.29 versus Starbucks' $3.75.
I will say the drink wasn't very cold when I got it, but despite that, the taste was still really good.
According to Tim Hortons, the drink is made with their "freshly brewed iced tea and mixed with [their] refreshing lemonade for a new and deliciously tangy twist." I'd say it definitely meets that description.
The drink would be super refreshing on a hot day (it was, in fact). The only thing I really didn't like was the lid, which is the new flat-style lid Tim Hortons introduced earlier this year. I've always hated the new lids, but in this case, it didn't even work! When I tried to take a sip, the drink spilled out the bottom of the lid.
Despite that, I still quite liked this drink. I'd say it's the restaurant's best new drink for summer and will definitely quench your thirst on a hot day.
Rating: 🍩🍩🍩🍩