Tim Hortons to bring espresso to the 99 per cent
Tim Hortons, that Canadian bastion of par-baked doughnuts and extreme folksiness, announced yesterday that it will soon be making espresso-based coffees available in 2,500 locations across Canada. The drinks, which include lattes, cappuccinos and espressos, will be selling for significantly less than at their competitors: a 10-ounce latte is priced at just $2, compared to $2.95 for 8-ounces at Starbucks.
While Tim’s has served cappuccinos for some time, they’ve always been made with a powdered substance. Apparently they also experimented with the real deal at a few GTA locations in 2005. The chain is now upgrading to genuine espresso, albeit run through an automatic machine as at Starbucks’s. Customers will also get real steamed or frothed milk, but without choosing from among their competitors’ tens of thousands of possible drink variables like decaffeination, fat and lactose content, foam or temperature.
While luxury coffee seems like an obvious route for expansion (even McDonald’s started selling the stuff), we admit we’re a little wary: Timmies has made its fortune on inexpensive, quick food and drink, and we’re not sure how well a premium product like espresso will do. For a glimpse at the potential harrowing future, consider the “lasagna” the company started offering last month. Ontario gets the $2 latte on November 14, while the rest of the country will have to wait until mid-December.
• Tim Hortons tiptoes into Starbucks territory [National Post]
• Tim Hortons to take on competitors with its own espresso coffees [Ottawa Citizen]
• Tim Hortons ramps up coffee chain wars [CBC News]
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/tim-hortons-espresso/&title=Tim Hortons to bring espresso to the 99 per cent&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/tim-hortons-latte.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_100798" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="See you latte; Tim Hortons executive chairman, president and CEO Paul House (Image: CNW Group/Tim Hortons Inc.)"][/caption]
Tim Hortons, that Canadian bastion of par-baked doughnuts and extreme folksiness, announced yesterday that it will soon be making espresso-based coffees available in 2,500 locations across Canada. The drinks, which include lattes, cappuccinos and espressos, will be selling for significantly less than at their competitors: a 10-ounce latte is priced at just $2, compared to $2.95 for 8-ounces at Starbucks.
While Tim’s has served cappuccinos for some time, they’ve always been made with a powdered substance. Apparently they also experimented with the real deal at a few GTA locations in 2005. The chain is now upgrading to genuine espresso, albeit run through an automatic machine as at Starbucks’s. Customers will also get real steamed or frothed milk, but without choosing from among their competitors' tens of thousands of possible drink variables like decaffeination, fat and lactose content, foam or temperature.
While luxury coffee seems like an obvious route for expansion (even McDonald’s started selling the stuff), we admit we’re a little wary: Timmies has made its fortune on inexpensive, quick food and drink, and we’re not sure how well a premium product like espresso will do. For a glimpse at the potential harrowing future, consider the “lasagna” the company started offering last month. Ontario gets the $2 latte on November 14, while the rest of the country will have to wait until mid-December.
• Tim Hortons tiptoes into Starbucks territory [National Post]
• Tim Hortons to take on competitors with its own espresso coffees [Ottawa Citizen]
• Tim Hortons ramps up coffee chain wars [CBC News]){kind=link}
Tim’s tried this in 2006 with automatic espresso machines in the Toronto Area. Ordering an espresso at the time just got you a blank stare. ( it wasn’t very good either)
What’s with the goofy tie?
I think this is marketed to Small towns who dont want to open starbucks, European construction workers for the early A.M. and to be honest between Satbucks and Timmie’s both their products suck. BTW I will never try a lasagna dish from Timmies unless Chef Ron Joyce is on the side of the cardboard cup it comes in.
The CEO read my mind… Last time I sipped the burned coffee at Timmies, I thought to myself, you know what this place needs – burnt espresso. I hope they will also sell biscotti to make the whole experience authentic…
That “extreme folksiness” link is *hilarious*.
Tim Horton’s is about everything that’s wrong with Canada. Cafeteria food for the “Dollarama”/”Giant Tiger” crowd. Having run out of genuine concepts to drive this tired brand forward, TH has now resorted to pilfering Starbuck’s ideas.
….Just look at the retard running the company. The Canadian “Howard Shultz”…. not.
As an Italian lover of real espresso, not expresso, I NEVER go to Tim’s not even for their brown heroin. Unless of course if I am constipated. Just another way to fool the Canadians into thinking they are drinking coffee! Fun, cool, oh what a relief!!!
seriously – what’s with the tie?
People you don’t have anything better to do than comment on this guy’s tie? So sad.
I’d love for Tim’s to give “Sixbucks” (because everything in there is) a run for their money. Personally, I prefer Second Cups latte but the prices are crazy.
If Tims had soy milk they’d have many new customers. Get fair trade and organic – even more.
I hope the people who commented about the CEO as a retard and his tie have as much brains as he has to make it into such a successful company.
Tim Horton brand delivers absolute rubbish for the 99 per cent. When ripping off real products please refrain from copying the name…Latte