Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Just a thought really as Costa Coffee is available in shell petrol stations across Canada..i assume eventually they will open outlets to test the market fully in Canada.

As a consumer would you switch from Starbucks, Second Cup or Tim Hortons and go to Costa Coffee instead? Obviously this is only applicable if you drink coffee from any of the above.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Starbucks
Costa
Timmies
Second Cup

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Second Cup is massively in debt. I doubt it will be around much longer.

I try and go to independent coffee shops but most of the time they cost more and their coffee tastes like crap.

We have a few smaller chains in Toronto that are ok like Jimmy's, Balzacs and Aroma (from Israel).

I do tend to drink more Starbucks though because it is consistent and in Toronto they are just about on every corner now.

MosMos my favourite coffee in Toronto just opened a second location. Hopefully they expand more as their location is out of my way now.

Costa in the UK was decent but I've not had it here and certainly wouldn't go out of my way for it anymore than I would to a Tim Horton's if I was in the UK.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Absolutely not! I think Costa is the worst of the worst.

We don't get second cup in Vancouver it's Blenz or Waves. Blenz is better for hot chocolate but it's expensive. I've never really been to Waves.

My preference is Starbucks or Tim Hortons

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

i prefer Costa to all of the above..i have found Starbucks has gone down hill in recent years both in the UK and here in Canada..they seem to very good at burning the coffee beans which gives a harsh bitter taste.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Darn.

I typed a long response and then BE crashed!

Anyway the reason I like Starbucks is they refill free of charge. This winter has been brutal for me as I've had a sciatic nerve injury so haven't been able to gym or snowboard. Spending an hour in Starbucks on Saturday/ Sunday am is a way to get out of the cabin fever I get being stuck in the condo for relatively cheap.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

None of the above!


I always opt for an independent or small chain coffee shop .......... Blenz and Bean Around the World are franchises here, some are good but others are not. I've gradually discovered the good ones to go to when an independent is not in the vicinity. Unfortunately franchises can also change hands, and one can be disappointed!


The only good thing about Starbucks is that almost all of them will have soy milk or other non-dairy alternatives (Express Starbucks excepted), so I can get a latte there ............... and kill what I find to be the over-roasted taste of the coffee with an ample sprinkling of cinnamon.

Only had Costa coffee once in England, never again!

I have never understood the Canadian love for Timmy's coffee ...... though they make super doughnuts, etc etc

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

I'm still puzzled by the "need" for it all to be honest.

I love coffee so I'm not dissing it, I just don't understand why it's a thing to buy it in the way people do.

I see people arriving home with it. Why? Can't they make coffee when they get in?

Why buy it just before you get into work, can't you make it at work?

I live a five minute walk from the hospital and there's a Tim Hortons in the lobby. I can understand cab drivers and the like stopping off there and getting one, but people in the neighbourhood go there, buy one and take it home. :confused:

My optician and the clinic where my wife went for her medical infusions both have Keurig machines with a selection of coffees.

Can't other work places have these? It's just a simple H&S inspection isn't it?

Big drip machines, small drip machines. Cafetieres of different sizes. There's an endless choice available for folk to make what suits.

If you're meeting someone for coffee, isn't the meeting the thing and not the coffee? Do you pick a meeting place by coffee rather than a mutually convenient meeting point?

I'll never understand it. :(

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

During my recent hospital wanderings, I was fasted for 18 hours then my surgery was cancelled-they had a Costa Coffee in the hospital and maybe I would have drunk blood from a scabby horse given the circumstances but a medium Latte tasted like nectar of the gods- sometime after the surgery i had another and it was still delish -was it the drugs doing things to my head? or ...is it IMO nice coffee- I will give it a go this week
I hasten to add that the CC is the UK version and not the Canadian one which I havent tried

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Thermos is my favourite and way better value.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

It just makes you sound like a cheapskate!

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

A connoisseur of value!

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

And a new low in prententiousness...

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

One tries.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Costa is yucky coffee.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Costa coffee is ok. I like Starbucks :) Tim Hortons, is yuk, even the worse coffee in the UK or Europe taste better than Tim Hortons :(

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

I like Costa, it's nice and strong. I can't stand Tim Horton's or Starbucks, both are so weak they taste like......well, something unpleasant. Even an extra shot in a Starbucks makes it only just drinkable IMO, although it does turn it from something resembling water to something vaguely resembling coffee at least.

Give me an Italian coffee in a shaded piazza anyday. :thumbsup:

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

McDonalds was my Go-to in Canada for coffee, much better than SB or TH

But it's crap in the UK (haven't found a preferred chain) and the USA (Dunkin' Donuts)

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

They do a Dark Roast now that is actually quite good.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

https://media.giphy.com/media/qR6UR8K1Ia2BO/giphy.gif

Haha

Oh and I love Costa so I hope they do go to Canada and it tastes the same.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Do you not get good coffee in Canada then? :sneaky:

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Apparently not much like tea as its all that Orange Pekoe crap and it tastes funny compared to UK tea.
We also don't have squash type soft drinks which is a game changer as several posters have decided not to move to Canada because of this. Biscuits are also sub standard along with banking plus cell phone deals. I have no idea why some people want to move to Canada unless its being done for the children.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

No squash!
Forget it then.
Canada is clearly an uncivilised back water. Terrorists don't drink squash and in the age of jumping to conclusions without any basis I'll rest my case there and provide no further comment.
Good day to you Canada.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

:lol: We don't get those in the Aus boards any more, or if we do they don't shout about it. As for coffee, I know nothing about Tim Hortons or Second Cup but if the Australian/UK versions of Starbucks and Costas are anything to go by, I'd probably have to give up coffee. Starbucks is beyond shite, they've had to close a lot of their shops here because no one wants burnt bland bleugh :lol: I was pleasantly surprised by Maccas coffee.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

I am a trucker and I take a flask with me everyday to work. Costco does a 1.1kg tin for $14. Lasts for ages and isn't bad for day to day stuff. Plenty of other drivers will stop 3+ times a day to buy coffee. Not just the cost but wasted time.

I have a proper espresso machine that is my pride and joy that I buy beans for from a local roaster. IMHO you cant beat freshly roasted and ground coffee.

I think that when it comes to Tims people don't see it as a large expense on a day to day basis and just don't think about the bigger picture.

I used to stop at Walmart etc in the US to pick up supplies when I worked as a long haul driver. I forgot to buy a tin of coffee once so ended up buying one at the truck stop at the end of the day. It was $6.50ish vs $4.50 ish in Walmart. The girl behind the counter remarked about how expensive it was. I asked her how many people came in and paid $1.50 for one cup when this will last me a month. Her reply was that she just never thought of it that way.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Never mind the coffee, do you have a good supply of Yorkie bars? :lol:

Run over any hedgehogs lately?

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

There's a Second Cup in the Bentall Centre and also one in Park Royal. It's actually not bad as chains go.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

I usually go to small, independent coffee shops. In Vancouver, I like Revolver, Matchstick, Propaganda and assorted others. In a pinch I will go to Starbucks which I still prefer over Blenz/Waves. Bean Around The World is another good local chain.

But I can see where Tims fits in. Their new dark roast is actually not bad and it's good value. I drank a lot of petrol station coffee on a trip to Calgary last year and definitely appreciated when the cup was good.

This is a good article about coffee.

The Case for Bad Coffee | Serious Eats

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

i tried Waves yesterday..that was no good :thumbdown:

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

I don't really go in the Bentall Centre and have only ever been to Park Royal once.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Costa is owned by whitbred back in blighty. With the market awash with coffee houses, both here and uk, very surprised that Tim Hortons is going to uk and Costa has come here, goes to show that they both think their product is superior, I personally like neither. In Canada I actually like a&w brew, in uk, I drink tea, but never from a coffee house as the water is never hot enough. Steeped tea here from TH is vile.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Whitbread Trophy Bitter. The pint that thinks it's a quart. :rofl:

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Just a normal day at the office :rofl::rofl::rofl:

After seeing this I spent ages on Youtube watching NTNOCN. Still brilliant after all these years.

Yorkies have always been my favorite chocy bar :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Whitbread Best - on of those Beers that you can sit there and sup all night long, get absolutely chuffing muntered on without realising it!!!:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

I've no real objection to people blowing their hard owned on coffee shops, but for God's saks stop walking round with that cup in your hand.

Have coffee at home.

Get the subway to work.

Have coffee at work.

It's not *#@ing hard, is it. FFS.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Coffee shops in Mississauga are dire to put it kindly, but saving me a small fortune though due to lack of consumption. Costa should do well here based on the coffee shops I have tried.

Tried Timmies dark roast, as all over the radio as Canadians love it, had to dump it in the nearest bin.

My office has a drip feed coffee machine, tried that on my first day and that ended up in the bin. But it is always ready to go and my colleagues live on it.

Tried Second cup, thinking it may be better, but alas could not finish it. Just watching the girl making it, heating/frothing the milk was meh, what killed it was the pouring of the milk. No love, just dump it in the coffee.

I have found Macca's to be a little more consistent but still not anything special. Still found the Australian Macca's to be better than what is served in Mississauga.

Not tried Starbucks in Canada, but they failed miserably in Australia, and was not a fan of them in the UK anyway.

Independent coffee shops are what Australians prefer. Mississauga I would like you to take note, but after living here for a few months, the foot traffic would be non existent.

I did like Cafe Nero and Pret in London, but after spending a number of years in Australia, who take coffee very seriously and take it to a new level. To become a barista you need to take a course. I have become what they now call a coffee snob!

Damn you Australia!

Returning to the UK for holiday's, I pass up my visit's to these coffee shops.

And then do not get me started on the tea, so far agree with @beckiwoo on this subject, then again it may also be the water quality as my cups seem to stain very quickly, but the taste is not the same.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Uh huh.

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

I thought the Aussie's just drank dingo piss?

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

Haha for some reason or another they are pretty cultured, well at least around coffee. Other beverages not so!

Re: Costa Coffee in Canada
 

I found out the other day that years after closing down many of their branches in Aus because we know they're shit, Starbucks have just opened a branch near us. They've taken over another coffee house that wasn't ghastly but was better (it's not hard) than Starbucks. Be very interesting to see how they get on.