The Tim Hortons Test

I finally tried the coffee I had seen in so many Canada videos. It did not live up to the expectation, but the hot chocolate did.

11 May 2023

Toronto · May 2023

A Tim Hortons coffee cup held in a hand at Terminal 3 of Toronto Pearson Airport — Toronto Pearson Airport, Terminal 3. The coffee I had seen in so many Canada videos, finally in my hands.

I had watched so many videos about Canada before going that Tim Hortons had become part of the picture in my head. People carrying those red cups, drinking coffee as if it were a small ritual of Canadian life.

So when I arrived in Toronto, I went to get one. I took a picture before trying it, which now feels appropriate: the expectation was still intact.

The coffee was not for me. I couldn't finish it. But then I tried the hot chocolate, and that was good. The whole thing became a small lesson in expectation versus reality — and in keeping the hot chocolate.