The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Canadians have revealed what Canada's best fast food coffee is, so I tried the top five brews to see which ones are better.
You might not agree with my ranking if you love or hate coffee from classic Canadian spots.
There are a lot of fast food and quick service places in Canada that have coffee on the menu.
Narcity recently asked Canadians where the best fast food coffee is in Canada, and there were a lot of responses.
These are the best fast food coffees in Canada, according to Canadians:
- McDonald's
- Tim Hortons
- Second Cup
- A&W
- Starbucks
So, I decided to try coffee from all of these fast food and quick service spots to see if I agree with Canadians.
I ordered a medium of each brew with one milk and one sugar because, without that, I would rate them all zero out of five.
Here's what I think of McDonald's, Tim Hortons, Second Cup, A&W and Starbucks coffee, along with my own ranking.
McDonald's
McDonald's coffee.
McDonald's coffee is so smooth. It doesn't have much of a strong or bitter flavour but isn't too sweet even with milk and sugar.
It still gives that classic coffee taste, and I could've kept sipping on it until the last drop if I weren't also drinking four other coffees.
This brew from McCafe is also the cheapest, which kind of makes it taste better!
Price: $1.31, including tax
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons coffee.
Tim Hortons coffee is a tad bitter, even though I ordered it with milk and sugar.
It has a strong and smooth flavour but isn't very memorable.
Price: $1.92, including tax
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Second Cup
Second Cup coffee.
Second Cup coffee is quite strong in my opinion.
There's an interesting nutty flavour to this coffee that is pretty good.
This is the most expensive cup of coffee on the list.
Price: $3.19, including tax
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
A&W
A&W's Pret coffee.
A&W uses Pret coffee at locations in Canada.
It's a bit strong but still smooth and not too sweet with the sugar.
If I weren't also drinking four other brews, I would've continued to drink it.
Price: $2.19, including tax
Rating: 4 out of 5
Starbucks
starbucks coffee
Starbucks coffee isn't too strong, but it still gives that coffee flavour. Even with the milk and sugar, that classic coffee taste isn't masked.
It's smooth and enjoyable, but really nothing special.
Surprisingly, it's not the most expensive coffee on this list, which is a plus!
Price: $2.57, including tax
Rating: 3 out of 5
RANKING
McDonald's, Second Cup, Tim Hortons, Starbucks and A&W coffee.
After tasting all five of Canada's best fast food coffees according to Canadians, here's my ranking:
- McDonald's
- A&W
- Tim Hortons
- Second Cup
- Starbucks
So, I agree with Canadians on the number one and number five spots, but I don't agree with the rest of the ranking.
It's surprising that so many people said Tim Hortons is the best fast food coffee in this country, given that Canadians seem to love to hate it.
I think A&W's coffee is much better than Tims.
If you're someone who doesn't like Tim Hortons coffee, you might not agree with me putting it in third place or even in the top five.
Also, it's unfortunate that two American chains beat out Canadian classics like Tim Hortons and Second Cup. Sorry, Canada!
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.