A New Way to Earn Stars at Starbucks!

You can now earn bonus stars for purchasing packaged coffee at Starbucks!  This is great for Starbucks cardholders who like to brew their own coffee at home.  This applies to whole bean coffee, Starbucks VIA Ready Brew, K-Cups, and Verismo Pods.

Click here for more details from Starbucks!

Celebrate the New Launch of the Nespresso VertuoLine at Eaton Centre with a Free Customized Drink!

Toronto Eaton Centre

220 Yonge Street

M5B 2H1

This past Monday, two beautifully designed Nespresso pop-ups, opened up on the second (in the centre of the mall near Swarovski) and third (at one end of the mall near Zara) floors of the Eaton Centre to celebrate the launch of their new VertuoLine machine!  

According to the reps, the machine uses Nespresso's newly patented Centrifusion Technology, which yields a richer, more generous crema (foam) than the bar pressure technique used in their older models - perfect for espressos, lattes, and cappuccinos.

There was plenty of buzz at the pop-up Monday night.  At times, the wait to experience the taste of the new drinks produced by the VertuoLine was up to 20 minutes.

Once you are inside, reps allow you to interact with a large vertical touch screen to discern your coffee preferences such as the type - coffee, espresso, latte, or cappuccino and intensity: 1-10.

The screen spits out which Grand Cru pod is right for you and a rep brews a full-sized sample right before your eyes in a reusable plastic cup with lid.  If you get a latte or cappuccino, the reps also demonstrate the Aeroccino, which froths milk in less than 30 seconds with just the touch of a button.  It looks like a stainless steel cylindrical "kettle" with a handle.

Pictured below is a latte made with the Altissio Grand Cru pod (full-bodied and creamy, intensity level 9):

Try yours today!  The Nespresso VertuoLine pop-up will be at the Eaton Centre for the next 3 weeks.  The VertuoLine costs $299 on its own and $349 with the Aeroccino.

Coffee Wars - McDonald's brings back a week-long promotion of free coffees all day from Feb. 24 - Mar. 2

Few things in life are truly free with no strings attached.  McDonald's coffee is the exception, at least, during their insane week-long promotion currently running from February 24 to March 2 all across Canada. This is not the first time McDonald's has served up free small coffees all day in the city with upgrades to medium and large for 30 and 50 cents respectively.  No doubt a ploy to steal away market share in the coffee business from the likes of Tim Horton's. In fact, McDonald's Canadian share of the roughly $3.3-billion out-of-home coffee market has more than doubled to 10.3% in just four years (1).  The coffee war is alive and well in Canada with the consumer benefiting from all of the fallout. 

Every free coffee comes in a standard McDonald's cup with a coffee sticker and a detachable card (to apply said stickers).   So theoretically, 7 free coffees results in a free medium hot drink that can be used after the week-long promotion ends.  Insane isn't it?  So drink up Canada!  Just don't forget to stay hydrated after consuming all those coffees!

(1) Strauss, M. (2013, February 23).  Can Tim Hortons fight off McDonald's attack?  TheGlobeandMail.com.  Retrieved February 25, 2014, from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/can-tim-hortons-fight-off-mcdonalds-attack/article8993325/?page=1

The New Turkey Sausage Breakfast Sandwich at Tim Horton's

This 330 calorie turkey sausage sandwich is the newest addition to the breakfast lineup at Tim's.  It seems like the only breakfast item to be under 350 calories according to signs in-store so it must be a marketing ploy for the health conscious customer.  I wouldn't be surprised as turkey has always been considered leaner meat than chicken. 

However, I'm not sure how much real turkey meat is in this sandwich. The meat looks spongy and highly processed.  Think mechanically separated meat or pink slime. Y'know, the stuff that McDonald's always denies it uses (especially now that Chicken McNuggets are now made with white meat)?

The meat is bland and it is overseasoned with pepper to compensate. It's pretty disgusting. At least the egg tastes decently like egg unlike the more artificial stuff you get at McDonald's. 

All sandwich combos now come with a larger coffee (medium) and a larger hash brown. This new hash brown no longer has a herbal taste which is a plus but on numerous occasions, it has been served stale even during peak breakfast hours.  Think incredibly hard, inedible crust. 

See the hash brown pictures below:

Starbucks Celebrates National Coffee Day with Canada's Largest Coffee Tasting!

In anticipation of National Coffee Day on September 29th, Starbucks is hosting a coffee tasting for 3 days in their stores across Canada!

The tasting will take place between the hours of 2-3 p.m. on the following dates:

September 25:  Starbucks True North Blend

September 26:  Ethiopia

September 27:  Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend

Today, you can experience a familiar blend with the Starbucks True North coffee.  Over the next two days, the Ethiopia and Thanksgiving coffees will be available to taste for the first time in Canada!