I Tasted Tim Hortons French Vanilla Medium Coffee: Review

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by Nigel Ong

I am not a fan of flavored coffee, as roasters generally take low-quality coffee beans, flavor them, and then roast them up. The additional flavoring usually masks the lower-quality coffee.

However, after enjoying the Old Town Hazelnut White Coffee, I thought I’d go ahead and try more flavored coffee, too. Next up is the Tim Hortons’ vanilla coffee.

In this review, I will sample the Tim Hortons French Vanilla Coffee. I’ll brew the coffee several ways and then sample it. I’ll also compare the roast with relevant coffees to see if you should try it.

About Tim Hortons French Vanilla Coffee

Tim Hortons was founded by the famed hockey player Tim Horton and entrepreneur Ron Joyce in 1964. The first store opened in Hamilton, Ontario. Since then, it has become a staple Canadian coffee and fast-food franchise.

The chain is renowned for its signature “Double Double” coffee, a term coined for a coffee enhanced with two creams and two sugars, showcasing how customers can customize their coffee.

Beyond its acclaimed coffee, Tim Hortons also offers an array of roasts, breakfast dishes, sandwiches, and pastries. One of their popular flavored coffee roasts? The French Vanilla coffee.

This roast combines coffee roasts with French vanilla’s sweet, creamy taste. It’s known for its rich aroma and comforting, velvety texture, making it a favorite among those who enjoy flavored coffees. The French Vanilla Coffee can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Reviews on Amazon seem to indicate that they enjoyed the coffee for its aroma, delivery, and intensity of the coffee. Many also mentioned how the French Vanilla coffee tastes fresh and not overly flavored. 

First Impression

My Tim Hortons French Vanilla Coffee bag comes in a 12 oz bag in its regular Captain America-esque bright red packaging. On the coffee, I can see writings in English and French, which is very Canadian for the French-speaking Quebec folks.

This French vanilla coffee has an intensity of 2 out of 4, signaling it as a medium roast. This should make the coffee flavorful and intense but not to the point of smashing your palate up.

The coffee bag has these handy tabs that let you reseal it after opening and a special valve that lets gas out but keeps air from getting in. These are nice touches, especially since the coffee isn’t too pricey.

The strong but not too intense coffee smell immediately hit me when I opened the bag. The coffee smell is also accompanied by French vanilla’s soft, buttery, and floral aroma. Overall, it smells inviting and natural despite being artificially flavored.

Since my coffee is already ground, I can’t tell much about the beans. The coarse grounds should be perfect for a French press, pour-over, or a regular drip coffee maker.

How Does Tim Hortons French Vanilla Coffee Taste?

I’m sticking to my three go-to brewing methods for the Tim Hortons French Vanilla Coffee, which include:

French Press: This method gives me a rich, slightly gritty cup of coffee because it leaves some bits floating. It’s great for tasting the coffee’s full-bodied flavor.

Pour Over with Filter Paper: Using a paper filter with this technique makes the coffee smoother without the extra oils and bits. It’s perfect for picking up on the more delicate flavors.

Espresso: This is not a dark or espresso roast, but I thought I’d give it a try as one. My reason? Espresso packs a lot of punch, and it’s super concentrated. I’m excited to see if any new tastes don’t appear in other brewing methods.

French Press

With the French press, I stuck with my usual way of making coffee. I put 15 grams of ground coffee and 180ml of hot water at about 185°F (around 85°C) into my Bodum Caffettiera French press. 

I stirred the coffee grounds and hot water and let it steep for 4 minutes before pouring the concoction out.

The Tim Hortons French Vanilla Coffee turned out slightly darker, with slight opaqueness, looking pretty much like your average brew. The smell was really welcoming, a combination of fresh coffee and creaminess.

The flavor lived up to the smell; the coffee was gentle and mild and went down smoothly. There’s some body and acidity, but they’re subtle and not overpowering. 

As I drank the coffee, my mouth was filled with a bit of bitterness, which you should expect from coffee. Besides that, there is a soft touch of floral and buttery notes from the French vanilla. The flavorings are delivered rather well and do not taste synthetic.

The coffee also has starchy sweetness, reminding me of fresh bread dissolving in my mouth.

The aftertaste was decent, with some French vanilla and coffee bitterness sticking around. Every now and then, I’d get a soft, sweet taste, which is nice. 

This coffee is super drinkable and cozy. It’s the kind of brew you could make a big pot of, keep it warm, and enjoy cup after cup throughout the day.

Pour Over With Filter Paper

For my pour-over brew, I use the following gear:

I use the pour-over brewing method from Starbucks. I added 20 grams of ground coffee and slowly poured in 360ml of water, taking about 3-4 minutes to pour all my hot water.

Tim Hortons French Vanilla Coffee made with the pour-over method feels ‘cleaner’ than the grittier French Press brew. Texture-wise, the coffee is airier, lighter, and less intense.

This is expected, as the filter paper stops the tiny coffee particles from getting into the cup, making the coffee less smoky and earthy. The filter paper usually filters much better than the steel mesh from the French press.

There’s some downside to using filter papers, though, in that it also absorbs some of the oils that give coffee its taste, so the flavor isn’t as strong. However, the reduced smokiness makes up for it. 

I noticed a more pronounced French vanilla flavor in the pour-over coffee, probably because there’s less smoke than in the French Press version. 

I prefer the French press coffee, although you want to try both and see which one you like better.

Espresso

For my espresso roast, I used my Wacaco Minipresso GR, a handheld, manual espresso device, to make an espresso shot. I ground the coffee and packed it into the machine’s filter basket.

Then, I added hot water, assembled it, and manually pumped the espresso.

As an espresso, the Tim Hortons French Vanilla Coffee came out wonderfully, topped with a rich, thick layer of crema. The crema’s aroma was milder than the usual dark roast espresso, lacking the burnt, smoky scent.

Instead, I get the aroma of light coffee, with creamy and floral notes from the French Vanilla. 

The espresso shot itself wasn’t as bold or intense as typical espressos. It had a light acidity with a unique blend of floral and creamy flavors. This pleasant, mild espresso may be particularly refreshing on warm days.

Tim Hortons French Vanilla Coffee vs Other Tim Hortons Coffee

For the comparison test, I thought I’d get started with other Tim Hortons coffee in my collection. I pulled out the coffee below and then brewed it as French press coffee:

After tasting them, I’m a little stuck between the Original Blend, the 100% Colombian, and the French Vanilla Coffee. They’re all smooth in flavor, with a good body and great taste notes. 

The Original Blend has soft chocolatey notes like the 100% Colombian. The French vanilla coffee is also great, with a soft French vanilla flavor.

I prefer coffee on the lighter side, not too heavy on the smoke, with a touch of sweetness and chocolatey notes. This naturally pushes out the Dark Roast. 

However, I would pick the naturally made coffee since the French vanilla coffee is artificially flavored. I will pick the 100% Colombian roast from the two for its stronger chocolatey note.

Is Tim Hortons French Vanilla Coffee For You?

Having given the Tim Hortons French Vanilla Coffee a thorough try, I’d describe it as a rather pleasant surprise. Flavored coffee can be a hit or miss, but I would see it as a hit with this coffee. 

It has a steady, solid, base coffee flavor, making it a reliable daily coffee. The additional French vanilla coffee flavoring adds a new dimension to the coffee experience. 

The best thing to me, however, is the flavoring. I think it’s done quite well, with a soft, subtle hit of French vanilla flavor on the coffee instead of overloading it. This helps to make the coffee taste rather natural and not too synthetic.

To me, this coffee can be consumed as a daily go-to. If you enjoy a bit of unique flavor with your coffee, the Tim Hortons French Vanilla coffee is a good place to start.

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