Take a hike, Tim.
Canadian donut chain Tim Horton’s may be ready for Brooklyn, but Brooklynites may find these cakes a little hard to swallow.
Compared to Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts, Tim Horton’s is lacking in the taste department, according to an assemblage of eight donut divas selected for a special taste test Monday conducted by this paper.
Testers, consisting of critical, donut−loving Community Newspaper Group reporters and editorial staffers (the only ones more qualified than a hardscrabble reporter to evaluate a donut would be a cop, but such an important test couldn’t be held in the back of a squad car), took up the cake challenge just after a ribbon was snipped on a new Tim Horton’s at 22 Court Street in Brooklyn Heights. Earlier that morning, a second Tim Horton’s opened its doors at 451 Fulton Street.
Eleven new Tim Horton’s debuted throughout the city this week after the company wrenched a plum contract with Riese Organization from Dunkin’ Donuts’ sugar−coated grip.
Tim Horton’s and their big dancing Cup of Joe was welcomed with open arms by Borough President Marty Markowitz, who challenged the donut chain to “tap into our large religious Jewish population by making a kosher donut and opening some stores in Borough Park.”
“Many Canadians call our borough home, and Brooklynites who, like me, find it difficult to turn away delicious donuts and coffee welcome them to the big time,” Markowitz said.
When Tim Horton’s came to Brooklyn this week, Brooklyn’s bright lights glistened in their glazed over eyes and their pride swelled with Boston Creme and jelly filling.
“Move over Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme,” they boasted. “The ‘big three’ in the world of donuts has just become the big four.”
Yet, sadly, this northern exposure left our taste testers frostbitten.
After sampling glazed, Boston creme and fruit−filled donuts from Tim Horton’s, Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts, only two testers preferred the Canadian brand over their cakey competitors. Four preferred Dunkin’ Donuts to Tim Horton’s while Krispy Kreme blew away every one in the jelly donut competition.
“It was the best thing on that table,” said reporter Michele DeMeglio, CNG’s very own Kitchen Klutz. “Hey, my cooking skills may be lackluster but my palate is spot on!”
“[The Krispy Kreme] jelly pops and it has a classic dough… a winning combination,” praised reporter Gary Buiso.
Assistant Editor Merideth Deliso agreed. “It was just right…delicious.”
Tim Horton’s “Blueberry Bloom” −− their take on the jelly donut −− was “too sweet,” Deliso explained.
“The jelly was awful,” she said.
Reviews of Tim Horton’s chocolate glaze donuts were mixed.
“There’s a minimal glaze and the donut is rubbery,” DeMeglio said, describing the Tim Horton’s offering. “It has a hollow taste that leaves you feeling like you didn’t eat a donut.”
Editorial assistant Erica Sherman disagreed, announcing Tim Horton’s the winner.
“It was awesome and had a lovely glaze,” she said.
Also mixed was the verdict on the Boston creme, although the results could be open to interpretation.
Reporter Joe Maniscalco found Dunkin’ Donuts’ Boston creme to be “far and away the best.”
“It was plump and had sweet chocolate and creme,” he said. “The others were below standard, like supermarket fare.”
CNG intern Nico Simino sided with Maniscalco, claiming that the Dunkin’ Donuts’ Boston creme was “very good, rich and had a pleasant aftertaste.”
The Tim Horton’s Boston creme? Well, it lacked creme.
“There was no creme at all,” Simino said. “The bread wasn’t as tasty.”
Yet Williamsburg reporter Aaron Short thumbed his nose at the other critics.
“Yes, it didn’t have creme, but I liked it because it wasn’t too sweet,” he said. “The frosting was also good.”
While Assistant Editor Matt Zeidel favored Dunkin’ Donuts’ glazed to Krispy Kreme and Tim Horton’s versions, he noted that Tim Horton’s does have several tasty selections, like their Old Fashioned Plain and Honey Cruller. Yet those donuts couldn’t be compared since the competition isn’t currently selling that variety.
Since its humble beginnings in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1964, Tim Horton’s quickly grew to become the largest fast food chains in Canada.
Today, there are more Tim Horton’s in Canada than there are McDonald’s. They command 76 percent of the Canadian market for baked goods and control 62 percent of the country’s coffee market.
But, after our test, one thing is clear: there isn’t a lot to eat in Canada.
