I've spent many weekends with Tim in the desert. While my husband took off on a journey with his glider overhead, I sat on the mat in silence holding Tim in my hand. With every sip, the wind blew and I squinted my eyes a little to avoid the sand.
I miss Tim Hortons.
When we moved back to the Philippines, I never saw Tim again. There were other popular coffee chains available from every alley of the urban capital and yet I thought a lot about the warm comforting liquid in the red paper cup. There was something about Tim Hortons, why I was enamored by its flavor was something I couldn't explain.
Almost two years later after arriving back in my home country for good, my family and I moved to Cebu, a province in the southern part of the Philippines.
A Canadian-born friend based in Manila sent me an article that Tim Hortons will open up several branches in the metro. Ecstatic, I jumped like a crazy person sending messages to all of my friends that Tim Hortons will land on Philippine shores.
That was 2017. I waited patiently for Tim Hortons to finally reach Cebu but this didn't happen. I flew to Manila for administrative matters twice or thrice a year but missed the chance to visit. There was always something that needed to be done.
It was bad timing.
I drove past the signage in a cab on the other side of the road with a no U-turn sign a few times. "Oh there's Tim Hortons," was all I could utter as I watched the signage disappear.
A personal photo that was used in this post
The pandemic arrived and this wiped away any possibility of Tim Hortons coming to Cebu.
February of 2021 I found myself back in Metro Manila. After completing all of the meetings I had for the day, I had the rest of the afternoon free.
I leaped out of the cab somewhere in Ayala Malls Circuit in Makati City. and the red Tim Hortons signage drew my attention from the drop-off. I found myself staring at the glass facade with its red walls in disbelief.
This is it! Reunited finally after almost ten years!
I messaged @millycf1976 sending photos of where I was in glee. I informed my husband that I needed to spend time at Tim Hortons. With that, he wished me a good time catching up.
I ordered donuts and a wrap with my favorite Hot Original Brewed Coffee.
I couldn't hold myself from taking photographs as long-time friends would after many years apart.
I sat by the window holding Tim in my hand, grinning every now and then and remembering the comfort this coffee gave me throughout my years in the sandpit.
Thank you, Tim Hortons, until we meet again.
Thank you for reading! Excited to join in the fun, this is my entry for Coffee and Coffee Shop Moments Posting Contest organized by @galenkp along with the rest of the funders and Milly of Cinnamon Cup Coffee Community. I highly encourage you to share your coffee story.
P.S. The first two photographs were images that I've used in my previous post. Edited blog cover image using Canva.
"I am an old soul who simply loves coffee, who finds joy and beauty in both tangible and the unseen."
Curiosity and imagination lead to unexpected experiences. Interested in Nature, Places, Roads Less Traveled, Minimalism, Authentic Living, Anything French, and International Cuisine. Feel free to follow her, re-blog, and upvote if you enjoy her content.
Hello dear @discoveringarni I hope you're doing well.
I never tried Tim Horton's coffee but by reading your publication, I feel like I should definitely try it out. but I guess it's not in India yet.
Coffee lovers like you always tend to find the best coffee places.
That's a beautiful blog, Have a great day ahead.
Hi Sahiba, how are you doing? Thank you for your kind words. You're right, it's not in India yet. Lately, I have been drinking more coffee at home. Have a great day to you too!
I am doing well. Enjoy the day😊
I heard some good stuff from Tim Hortons but unfortunately, I don't think they have a branch in Indonesia. It's still is only Starbucks 😅 but now I know, where to get them in Asia at least.
Hi Mac, interesting to know their limited presence in South East Asia compared to Starbucks. Tim Hortons is cheaper than the latter. I found an article about the brand identity comparison between the two which was quite enlightening to read. Haha, given what you just said, I just looked up which branches they have in Asia.
That was a really nice piece, I'm interested in this coffee now. Can you explain a abit about its flavour and texture. Is it thick, thin, double shot, what's the aroma like?
I'm a coffee addict and love it. Lock down has killed my ability to have decent coffee. :(
Hello @melbourneswest, I'll try my best to answer as I'm not really a coffee connoisseur 😁but what I like about it is the subtle flavor. Not too strong as Starbucks Americano, not too thick nor thin (I think), there's a hint of sweetness without adding sugar. Maybe I was imagining it or I just romanticized it a lot but when I tasted it again this year, it brought me back to the same flavor I used to enjoy. Would love to hear what you think if ever you come across it.
Sounds wonderful, different cultures have different types of Coffee like Greek and Turkish coffee tends to be a lot thicker with what appears to be sludge left over in the bottom of the cup.
Vietnamese coffee and a lot of coffee in Asian nations can be a little different and quite thin and at times a little watery or even quite powerful to and strong. Just depends really.
I prefer my percolator and I love a smooth caramally flavoured coffee with a slight chocolate/nut flavour to it.
I see, their original brewed coffee is a mix in between. I could have just ordered their coffee beans online but there's something about buying directly from the barista and helping myself with their yummy donuts along with it. Having said that, I'm planning to now order coffee beans so I could enjoy them at home.
Caramel flavored coffee with a slight chocolate/nut flavor sounds heavenly!
Hello Arni,
I enjoyed reading about your love for Tim!
Nice entry.
Greta photos too:-)
Thanks for participating, much appreciated.
Hi Camille, it was a pleasure writing about it and thank you for this virtual coffee experience 😀 Speak soon
I could tell you enjoyed writing it ;-)
Catch up with you soon!
I wish I have this kind of relationship with Tim. I haven't found one like Tim yet. 😅 A Canadian friend told me how he prefers Tim over all coffee out there as well. Perhaps one day, I'll pay Tim a visit when I get to Manila.
Haha, can't get enough, addictive si Tim. 😅😂
The way you talk about Tim it seems like it's a really good coffee brand. It's not yet here in Cebu though huhu. I hope one day I can sip its yummy roasty goodness~!😍🙏
Hi @jongcl, fingers crossed it arrives here in Cebu next year. For now, Tim Hortons is present in Luzon and there's always Lazada and Shopee, I'm tempted to order a bag for some alone time with Tim 😄
Oooh. Sige I'll go ahead and check Shoppee for Tim~! Your post has piqued my interest to try it😘😊
Enjoy ☕️
Cheers~!🥰☕️
i thought there's tim hortons in ayala cebu? no?
Hello @junebride, much to my dismay, no, there isn't. According to their official website, there isn't any in Cebu nor any other VisMin provinces (yet). Tim Hortons Philippines was said to have plans of building 80 more shops this year but their expansion was slowed down by the pandemic so hopefully, we'll see it here down south soon.
oh I really thought there's one in ayala... i guess you'll have to extend the waiting then...
What an exciting publication, now I'm so looking forward to meet that coffee and try it! I hope I can live long enough to go that far. ☕️ thaks!
Hello @solsticia, nice meeting you here, I raise my mug of coffee to that, cheers ☕
¡Salud! ☕️ Es un placer!
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the person sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.
Your content has been voted as a part of Encouragement program. Keep up the good work!
Use Ecency daily to boost your growth on platform!
Support Ecency
Vote for Proposal
Delegate HP and earn more
Hello @ecency, thank you very much for your support
Hello Arni,
Your post was creative and a nice entry for the competition. Well received in general, with useful information;)
We're Looking forward to seeing you soon;-)
Have a great day!
Thank you so much, @cinnccf! Have an excellent caffeine-fueled weekend 😍
😍 You're most welcome @discoveringarni!
That's just the kind of weekend I have in mind, as it's raining cats and dogs, and cold. 😍
A great sunny weekend t you;-)