Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have to say..The only Starbuck Coffee I have ever tasted was a "Company Sponsored Seminar's....Each time..I took one sip...set down cup/mug on table and opted for juice or water Hated it..tasted like a watered down Cappuccino or sump'ting YUK!! Even Tim Horton's coffee tastes/flavours varied from location to locations..some outlets taste like burnt coffee ..Course I'm a black, no sugar and no milk/creme kind of gal..so I tend to stick with my own home brewed coffee...
I guess it comes down to different strokes for different folks, eh?
Certainly different strokes sort of deal.. One thing I will say about Starbucks over Tim's is I find their coffee more consistent.. Now I don't like it so consistently I can't stand Starbucks lol.. Tim's is very much hit and miss - sometimes its horrendous but other times when done right its actually quite good.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,553 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57723
We prefer Tim Horton's over Starbucks, and go there whenever we are in Canada, but neither compares to Dutch Brothers. Unfortunately, they are only in Oregon, the southern end of WA, and northern end of CA. We go there several times when in Oregon or driving through. In Seattle we have many better options than Starbucks.
In Vancouver it's different than the rest of Canada, as this article points out.
Starbucks as everyone knows started in Seattle. Before they were big, they guys that started it used to come up to Vancouver and buy their beans through Murchies, a local Tea and Coffee Merchant.
The reason I read, is that it was easier than ordering in Seattle at the time, and there was no comparable place to buy directly from in Seattle back then.
The first Starbucks opened outside of the US was also in Vancouver. It's still there at the old CPR station which is now the station for the West Coast Express, Seabus and Skytrain.
Tim Hortons came much later on to Vancouver. I grew up not even knowing what it was. I've never seen the attraction of Tim's
( sorry Fusion2 ). I find the coffee bland.
This bit I find very true.
"Quality, however, is only half the battle. In B.C., there “is an absence of cultural attachment” to Tim Hortons, says Bruce Philp, a Toronto-based brand consultant and author of Consumer Republic. Many of its most famous commercials—like Sidney Crosby playing hockey with kids on a frozen pond—look like scenes out of Ontario, not B.C."
If given a choice between Starbucks and Tim's, I'd go with Starbucks. However in reality, there are so many more much, much better coffee places in Vancouver, I rarely go to Starbuck's at all.
Hell, Vancouver didn't even have a Tim Horton's until 1994. Starbucks was already there in 1987.
Because Tim Hortons is way better. It's funny at my University every single day the lineup at Tim Hortons goes all the way to the back of the store and takes forever to order coffee. Two doors down the Starbucks is always dead with maybe one or two people buying coffee there.
Starbucks and Tim Hortons simply serve different clientele. It is not about the coffee.
Imagine this: if you are meeting your potential girlfriend for the first time, or have a casual meeting about a business opportunity, will you go to Starbucks or Tim Hortons?
TH is more popular because 1) it is Canadian 2) more importantly it is cheap. It is that simple. Of course Starbucks is overpriced with mediocre products but as I said, it is seldom about the coffee.
Starbucks and Tim Hortons simply serve different clientele. It is not about the coffee.
Imagine this: if you are meeting your potential girlfriend for the first time, or have a casual meeting about a business opportunity, will you go to Starbucks or Tim Hortons?
TH is more popular because 1) it is Canadian 2) more importantly it is cheap. It is that simple. Of course Starbucks is overpriced with mediocre products but as I said, it is seldom about the coffee.
Neither are ideal places for dates... But yes, SBUX does offer better ambiance and a slightly more professional/white collar space.
The Canadian chain Second Cup also offers a decent ambiance with couches, fireplaces, upholstered chairs at many locations. They, and not Tim Hortons, would be Starbuck's main competition in Canada.
The Canadian chain Second Cup also offers a decent ambiance with couches, fireplaces, upholstered chairs at many locations. They, and not Tim Hortons, would be Starbuck's main competition in Canada.
Second Cup has not done well in Vancouver and is no where near being competitive against Starbuck's here.
In fact there is only one Second Cup downtown, and one other store in Vancouver, making that two stores compared to Starbucks having nearly 100 locations in Vancouver.
Second Cup has not done well in Vancouver and is no where near being competitive against Starbuck's here.
In fact there is only one Second Cup downtown, and one other store in Vancouver, making that two stores compared to Starbucks having nearly 100 locations in Vancouver.
My bad. Should have specified a region...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hated it..tasted like a watered down Cappuccino or sump'ting YUK!! Even Tim Horton's coffee tastes/flavours varied from location to locations..some outlets taste like burnt coffee 
..Course I'm a black, no sugar and no milk/creme kind of gal..so I tend to stick with my own home brewed coffee...
