Newspaper -- Coffee Comparison

Welcome to Canada, land of maple syrup, hockey, back bacon, and Tim Hortons. Here coffee is consumed 7 percent more than tap water and 35 percent more than juice1, so if you have ever been anywhere, you’ve probably noticed the coffee shops. There are your little mom-and-pop shops, the medium sized corporations, and the giants. Two coffee giants are Timmies and Starbucks, and (surprisingly) McDonalds. There has been a lot of debate over which of these three is best.

Unlike Tim Hortons, Starbucks and McDonalds are not Canadian. There is a “Starbucks Canada,” but the company itself actually originated in Seattle, in the United States. Technically, McDonalds is the oldest of the three, as it was around in California by 19542. However, it took another thirteen years to come to Canada, by which point Tim Hortons had already been around for three years3. Starbucks was created four years later, in 1971, and came to Canada in 19874.

There are several different types of coffee beans that can be used to make coffee. The two most common kinds are Arabica and Robusta. Robusta beans are easier to cultivate and therefore often around 40%-50% cheaper5, as well as being higher in caffeine than Arabica beans. Arabica beans are better quality and have a nicer taste, and are used for some of the world’s best coffees. Both McDonalds and Tim Hortons use 100% Arabica beans for their coffee, but Starbucks does not. Though they market in such a way that they imply that they use Arabica beans, they are actually the world’s largest purchaser of Robusta coffees, which also means that they have a higher caffeine content than other coffees6.

All three of these companies have humanitarian projects. McDonalds has its famous Ronald McDonald House Charities, which currently has 325 Houses worldwide7. The Tim Hortons Coffee Partnership was launched “to improve the businesses and lives of coffee farmers in the regions where [they] source [their] coffee.”8 Conservation International and Starbucks teamed up to develop buying guidelines that address their principles for ethical sourcing, called Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices. Starbucks has purchased certified fair trade coffee since 20009, but as of 2014 only 8.5 percent of their coffee was Fair Trade certified.

People have many reasons for their coffee company preferences, such as price, quality, or loyalty to a certain company. Ms. Ohlke, for example, prefers Tim Hortons coffee because of “price point and flavour.” I haven’t actually tried the McDonalds coffee, though I hear it’s really good, but I have tried both Timmies and Starbucks, and vastly prefer Tim Hortons coffee, because I find Starbucks coffee too expensive and kind of burned tasting. Natalie Reynolds seems to share this opinion, as she said that the coffee she bought at Starbucks “was terrible.” She went there because she was curious after hearing all the online hype.

When planning which of these coffee giants to support, please take this information into consideration. If you want to support the Canadian guy, go for Tim Hortons. If you want to help support a worthy charity, choose McDonalds. And if you want coffee that has a higher caffeine content, Starbucks is the one for you.

Sources:

1. “Canadian Coffee Drinking Study 2015 Highlights – INFOGRAPHIC.” Coffee Association of Canada. Web.

2. “Our Story.” McDonalds.ca. Web.

3. “Our Story.” Tim Hortons. Web.

4. “Our Heritage.” Starbucks Coffee Company. Web.

5. “10 Differences Between Robusta & Arabica Coffee.” The Roasters Pack. Web.

6. “Arabica vs. Robusta – Barking Dog Roasters.” Barking Dog Roasters. Web.

7. “Ronald McDonald House Charities.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 May 2016. Web.

8. “Tim Hortons Coffee Partnership.” Tim Hortons. Web.

9. “Responsibly Grown and Fair Trade Coffee.” Starbucks Coffee Company. Web.

10. Photo: St. Pierre, Brian. “Coffee… upgraded?” Precision Nutrition. Web.

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