Eat & Drink
Timothy's Latte Bene
When the cold weather rolls in (and I know it's balmy for late December, but it's not exactly warm), I become increasingly tempted by the promise of various hot, steamy, coffee and chocolate beverages offered by the chains.
Yesterday, I found myself walking along University en route to work, when I passed a Timothy's and found I could not resist the promise of a delicious sounding Dark Chocolate Caramel Latte Bene.
It sounded like the perfect thing for a cool, blustry and gray day.
I should have known better. There was no rich smooth chocolate flavour, nor the creamy caramel I was hoping for. Just the bitterness of the espresso and the blandness of underheated 2% milk.
It didn't even have the chocolate sprinkles on top as the poster suggests. And frankly, under chocolate sprinkles, and maybe some whipped cream, I probably wouldn't have noticed.
I got a small. Total waste of 4$.
The sad thing is, a couple weeks ago I had a Gingerbread Latte at Starbucks and was also struck by the blandness of the beverage.
Is there no hope for winter? I haven't dared Tim's hot smoothees yet, they kind of scare me.
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While it's hardly as convenient as any of those, Katherine do try the hot choc or latte at b Espresso... consider it a special treat for enduring the crap latte.
Otherwise, I dunno what to tell you... heh. I used to get the peppermint hot chocolate at Timothy's and it was nice. For me, the test is asking for a specific kind of milk. If they can't do it, it's 'cause you're getting Carnation powdered mix, heh, in which case, just pick up a jar on the way home instead.
While the drip coffee at Starbucks et al. is passable, I would never have an espresso drink from any of them. Most of the time the kids there just don't know how to work/calibrate the machines, which gives you bitter espresso as you have noted.
I know this because I used to work at a Second Cup in my heyday. And boy did we make crappy drinks for people. I worked there for a half a year between school and my real job and got serious about the espresso machine, but most people could care less.
If you're into the sweet coffee thing (i'm not) go to 7/11 (i'm not kidding) and try the scarily good sweetened coffee "cappuccino" things. They also have flavoured milks that make it even sweeter.
"Bitterness of the espresso"?! Sounds like they don't know how to make a proper espresso.
That's your problem right there. Most chains have never tasted a proper espresso -- I'd look elsewhere to someone who gives a damn.
I was just about to suggest you try the Tim's Hot Smoothee when you got all afraid of it. It's AWESOME. I'm such a sucker for the french vanilla. Have yet to try the hazelnut, but the french vanilla is fantastic, and at under 2$, it's well worth a try to see if it's to your liking.
Sounds like they burnt the esspresso. I'm telling you, it is all about the peppermint mochas at Starbucks. Yeah, I know they're evil blah blah. But that drink is Christmas in a cup.
When heading up University and looking for a great latte, don't stop at the Timothy's at University/Dundas, instead, go up a little more, cross over to the west side, walk a few steps north of Dundas, and look for Avenue Cafe. I go there daily and haven't had a better latte in the city. I highly recommend getting an iced latte with two raw sugars, as that's what I get every single day. It's a beautiful cafe there, and since I discovered it I haven't returned to Starbucks, Second Cup, or Timothy's since. Just make sure to schedule accordingly, there's a line out the back door at lunch, it's just that good.
www.avenuecafe.ca
Honestly, I don't work there, I'm just an addict.