Having spent the first few years of my life in the Midwest, I vaguely remember my little suburb in Rochester, Minnesota.

But one detail that will always stick with me is the familiar scent of coffee and pastries drifting out of a Tim Hortons. From their iconic Iced Capps to their chewy chocolate chip muffins, Tim Hortons has been and always will be my favorite coffee shop.

This year, Tim Hortons released three new drinks for autumn: the Vanilla Chai Latte, served hot or cold, the Caramel Apple Latte, served hot or cold and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Iced Capp with Reese’s.


Vanilla Chai Iced Latte: 8.5/10
While I typically don’t like chai tea lattes due to coffee shops’ Americanization of the drink, such as adding too much cinnamon or over-sweetening the drink. But the Vanilla Chai Iced Latte’s caffeine wasn’t too strong and the spices weren’t overdone. The drink was refreshing and I would 100% buy this again.

The most prominent flavors of the drink were cardamom and vanilla. Cardamom has two varieties: green cardamom, the more commonly used spice, and black cardamom, also known as Badi Elaichi when making chai.

Green cardamom is sweet and was prominent in the drink, but the smoky flavor of the Badi Elaichi was also subtly present. These two flavors of cardamom intertwined and complemented the chai really well.

The other prominent flavor was the vanilla. While the chai itself was already enjoyable, the vanilla made it infinitely better.

Combining chai with vanilla was really creative because of their different cultural backgrounds. While chai is a South Asian tea, vanilla originated in Mesoamerica. These two flavors come from different parts of the globe, but they accompany each other so well. The vanilla made the chai velvety and creamy.

The chai also didn’t have an unnaturally sweet taste to it because of the subtly sweet vanilla flavor.

This drink started my journey on such a high note, it set the bar for the other drinks to follow.

Vanilla Chai Hot Latte: 7/10
Once again, this drink tastes surprisingly authentic. The drink was flavorful, and the velvety smooth texture and creaminess were enhanced by the drink’s steamy temperature.

But the problem I had with this drink was that the spices were a little overdone. The flavors of the green cardamom were on point, but the Badi Elaichi was added in such a large quantity that it tasted overly smoky. It’s worth noting that the usual tea bag used was out of stock at my location so the staff brewed a second option; this might have affected the overly spiced flavor.

Another issue I faced was that the vanilla syrup was really sugary and didn’t taste natural. When ordering this hot, I recommend asking for less syrup to prevent that artificial taste.

Overall, this drink was really enjoyable due to the smooth texture and flavors; I would definitely order it again.

Iced Caramel Apple Latte: 3.5/10
After the first sip of this drink, I actually turned over to my mom and asked her, “We ordered the correct drink, right?”

I was so disappointed with this drink. The coffee itself was a medium roast espresso, creating a balanced, enjoyable flavor, but that was its only saving grace.

The drink tasted like a basic, everyday coffee. I couldn’t tell it was supposed to be caramel apple flavored – to be honest, I couldn’t even tell it was seasoned at all. While I love a simple iced latte, I would have just ordered one if I wanted it. Charging three extra dollars for a standard latte with a little shake of cinnamon was not the way to go.

There was a slight apple aftertaste but I wasn’t impressed. I won’t be ordering this drink again, but if you’re looking to, I recommend adding a few extra pumps of caramel apple syrup to try to bring out the flavor.

Hot Caramel Apple Latte: 6/10
This wasn’t the best in the lineup, but it was a step up from the iced for sure. I have mixed feelings about this drink, but changing a few things in my order would bring it to a higher score.

In terms of the coffee, the espresso is way too strong. Dark roast is my favorite, but this was so overdone. It’s important to remember that the longer you roast your coffee, the more acidic and bitter it tastes–think black coffee. For a seasonal drink, this is the last flavor you want to sip on. Next time I order this drink, I will be sure to order decaf instead.

While the roast was a flop, the caramel apple flavor was spot on. Rich syrup was added which complemented the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. The syrup is the new caramel apple flavor made specifically for this drink.

By tweaking the order a little, this drink does have serious potential.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Iced Capp with Reese’s: 9/10
I have a confession to make – I am a bit biased when it comes to Iced Capps.

Iced Capps are my favorite type of drink on the Tim Hortons menu. If you’ve never been to Tim Hortons, the Iced Capp is a blended frozen cappuccino available in different flavors, including standard coffee, pumpkin spice, mocha, oreo and caramel.

I knew my biases would play a role in the rating of this drink, but it was genuinely terrific. The peanut butter and chocolate flavor presented themselves well and shone through the coffee. The coffee was roasted appropriately and didn’t overpower the Reese’s flavor.

The flavors incorporated into the drink–peanut butter and chocolate–wouldn’t have gone well in another type of coffee, like a latte. The thing about Iced Capps is that they aren’t creamy or velvety, which was better for the flavors of this drink.

The cold coffee was so refreshing and it felt like I was drinking a Reese’s peanut butter cup. Well done, Tim.

Sipping on these new additions brought me back to my early childhood in Minnesota. While some drinks didn’t live up to my expectations, most took me pleasantly by surprise. It’s clear that these drinks had lots of thought put into them and will put a warm smile on customers’ faces, one sip at a time.