Krispy Kreme on Harbord (Round 2): Stop 3 on National Doughnut Tour!

This was my second stop at a Krispy Kreme on National Doughnut Day... And my third stop on the doughnut tour. That's right, I have no shame! :P

The doughnuts that I got were the Chocolate Iced Glazed with Sprinkles & Glazed Raspberry Filled Doughnuts. 

The chocolate sitting below the sprinkles was a nice touch for the chocolate iced glazed doughnut and there was an amazing explosion of raspberry filling in the latter!

#noshame

Jelly Modern Doughnuts: Stop 2 on the National Doughnut Day Tour!

Jelly Modern Doughnuts gave us a free doughnut sampler consisting of Coconut, Jelly, S'mores, Salted Caramel, and Chocolate mini doughnuts!

I loved the added touch of chocolate shavings on the already chocolate glazed mini doughnut.  The salted caramel has always been my favourite here just because of the wondrous salty, sweet flavour profile.  The coconut doughnut had coconut shavings on top but also exploded with coconut filling!  The powdered raspberry jelly doughnut was good but it could have taken a cue from the coconut doughnut with respect to filling.  The S'mores doughnut was tasty, but it didn't really replicate the full experience. Despite having graham cracker powder on top, there was an absence of any graham cracker flavour and texture.  Also, how about blow torching the marshmallow next time, Jelly?  Overall, this sampler made my day!  Thank you Jelly Modern!

Doughnut Sampler

Krispy Kreme on McCaul: My first stop on National Donut Day!

Krispy Kreme (@KrispyKremeCan) is offering a free choice doughnut on National Doughnut Day (Today, June 5, 2015)!

Here are the doughnuts we had:

Lemon Kreme || Strong lemon flavoured doughnut with original glaze and signature whipped cream in the middle! 

Peach Pie || Love the pie crust bits on top of the doughnut!  The white glaze complimented the fragrant filling! Good for summer!

Celebrate National Doughnut Day!

Enjoy a free doughnut of your choice on June 5th, 2015 - National Doughnut Day!   I saw this poster at one of the few remaining Krispy Kreme locations in Toronto (162 McCaul Street).  This offer is reminiscent of the good ol' days when you used to get a free doughnut when the "hot" sign was on!  Go claim your doughnut (at any Krispy Kreme location) for nostalgia on the "sweetest" holiday of the year!

Free Tall Starbucks Blonde Roast Coffee!

This promo by twula.com is easy to redeem:

1. Text "blonde" to 81818. 

2. Click on the link in the reply text.

3. Press the "Redeem Now" button. 

4. Enter the Starbucks store # provided by your barista. 

5. Give the resulting code to the barista and enjoy!

Open to Ontario residents and available until May 31, 2015. 

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

7-Eleven Day 2013!

2013-07-11

What a beautiful sunny day to enjoy a free Slurpee on 7-11 Day!  

The location visited was at St. Clair and Dufferin (1169 St. Clair West).  Inside, they had a nice setup - cups, Slurpee straws and complimentary cream filled donuts cut up into small individual portions. I opted for a Crush Lite Grape Slurpee - which is coincidently the Slurpee they were advertising on the free Slurpee cups. 30% less calories... but still as delicious, and still very sugary.  The cup held 355ml which is more than previous incarnations - perhaps a deal was struck with Pepsi?  Whatever the case, I'm not complaining. 

 The sign out front stated free Slurpees for the first 1500 customers... so what are you waiting for?  Get yours NOW! :)