- Tim Hortons is like Canada's answer to Dunkin', though the doughnut chain also has locations in the US.
- On a recent trip to Quebec City, I tried every single doughnut sold at Tim Horton's (besides a range of fancy "dream" doughnuts).
- The maple-glazed doughnut was delicious, but the honey-glazed flavor took the crown — which was a surprise to me because I don't usually like honey.
- I personally didn't like the blueberry doughnut, which was way too sweet for me.
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Tim Hortons — aka Timmy's — is a staple of Canadian culture. With almost 5,000 locations, it's Canada's largest restaurant chain.
Much like Dunkin', Tim Hortons is a casual, counter-service spot for coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and pastries that can be found on almost every corner in Canada. There are also many Tim Hortons locations in the US, though it's more popular in Canada.
On a recent trip to Quebec City, I tried all the doughnuts that I could from Tim Hortons to see what makes it such a celebrated Canadian institution.
I asked the teenager behind the counter for one of each regular doughnut (Tim Hortons also has a variety of fancy cream-filled doughnuts, called beignes de rêve, or dream doughnuts), and while he initially looked shell-shocked (maybe my broken French), he acquiesced.
He also threw in an apple fritter, which was delicious but maybe not strictly a doughnut, although it was called a beigne aux pommes in French, which means apple doughnut.
The 12 pastries cost around $7.50 ($9.99 CAD), and ranged in price from roughly $0.75 ($0.99 CAD) to $1.12 ($1.49 CAD).
I scientifically cut two slivers off each to taste-test them not once, but twice, along with a friend who gave his input, before making my final reviews.
Here's how they stacked up:
- Bleuets (blueberry) — I didn't like this one at all. I found it brick hard, super dense, and cringingly sweet.
- Creme Boston (Boston cream)— The custard inside this doughnut was much too sweet for me, though I can see others liking its airy, fluffy consistency.
- Rousette au miel (honey cruller)— This honey-glazed cruller was almost too moist and sugary for me, but at the same time, I found that it didn't taste like much at all. I didn't get the slightest hint of honey.
- Glacé à la vanille (vanilla frosted with sprinkles)— I was afraid of getting a cavity just looking at this one, but it wasn't as sweet as I expected. The vanilla frosting was light and not too sweet, while the sprinkles added a nice crunch.
8. Glacé au chocolat (chocolate frosted)— This doughnut felt a little denser than some of the others, but the frosting was perfectly chocolatey without being too sweet, in my opinion, and I don't usually even like frosting. It also tasted more like milk chocolate than dark chocolate, which I prefer.
- À l'ancienne ordinaire (old-fashioned)— I found that the old-fashioned doughnut had a much heavier, cake-like texture compared to the rest, but the flavor had a touch of cinnamon that I enjoyed.
- Glacé à l'érable (maple frosted)— I actually thought this was dulce de leche or coffee-flavored before realizing it was maple glazed. The doughnut itself was a bit dense, but I did like the frosting a lot, which I wasn't expecting (as I said before, I don't usually like frosting). It was sweet, but not achingly so.
- À l'ancienne glacé (frosted old-fashioned)— Again, this old-fashioned doughnut tasted more like cake to me than a doughnut. It had a lemony frosting I liked a lot, though.
- Chocolat Glacé (frosted chocolate)— This one reminded me more of a doughnut-shaped chocolate cake than an actual doughnut, but it was delicious. The chocolate flavor was subtle, similar to a marble cake, in my opinion.
- Beigne aux pommes (apple fritter)— Apparently, this apple fritter counts as a doughnut in Quebec, as they call it a beigne. Doughnut or not, it was delicious, though I will admit the apple was so subtle I thought it was a kind of Canadian cinnamon roll. Either way, it was very, very good.
- Beigne farci au caramel avec Kit Kat (caramel stuffed and topped with Kit Kat)— I'm usually a classic glazed doughnut kind of girl who likes her pastries simple, so I was surprised at just how much I liked this fancy doughnut. The caramel inside was gooey and delicious — again, not too sweet — and the Kit Kat topping added a delightful crunch.
- Glacé au miel (honey glazed)— I thought this was a lemon-glazed doughnut thanks to its refreshingly tangy taste. Turns out, it's honey glazed. I'm actually surprised that this ranks number one for me, as I don't usually like honey but I really enjoyed this doughnut. You'll have to see for yourself whether that means it doesn't taste much like honey, or is just very good honey.
My biggest takeaway is that Tim Hortons can make a good doughnut, and in my opinion they're better than the ones I'm used to from Dunkin'.
While I do like Dunkin' coffee (it even took the number two spot in my supermarket ground coffee taste test), I personally find that doughnuts at Dunkin' leave me with a strange, almost artificial taste in my mouth, and a thin film on my tongue. The doughnuts at Tim Hortons tasted fresher, in my opinion, plus I really liked the more unusual maple and honey-glazed flavors.
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