Coffee Houses and the Pumpkin Spice Phenomenon

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Coffee Houses and the Pumpkin Spice Phenomenon!

A coffee house is an establishment that sells coffee and usually other refreshments, and that commonly serves as an informal club for its regular customers. The first known use of the term coffeehouse was in 1612. More commonly a coffee house or coffee shop (cafe) serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino.

Coffee houses are popular hangout spots in pop culture. The most famous example is Central Perk from the television show Friends. However, there are many more examples. Not only are these places great spots to get together on tv, they also work great in real life. Whether it’s the start of your road trip, a neutral place for a first date, or a pit stop along your journey, the coffee house is essential to every day life.

Real life coffee shops include Robin’s Donuts, Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, and Tim Horton’s. McDonald’s is also becoming known for their great coffee. It seems as though everyone is trying to get on the coffee train.

Who was Tim Horton, and what is Tim Horton’s?

Tim Hortons Inc., known colloquially as Tim’s, Timmies, or Timmy’s, is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain with headquarters in Toronto; it serves coffee, donuts, sandwiches, breakfast egg muffins and other fast-food items. It is Canada’s largest quick-service restaurant chain, with 5,701 restaurants in 13 countries, as of September 2023.

1964 saw the company founded in Hamilton, Ontario by Canadian ice hockey player Tim Horton (1930–1974) and Jim Charade (1934–2009), after an initial venture in hamburger restaurants. In 1967, Horton partnered with investor Ron Joyce, who assumed control over operations after Horton died in 1974. Joyce expanded the chain into a multi-billion dollar franchise. Charade left the organization in 1966 and briefly returned in 1970 and 1993 through 1996.

On August 26, 2014, Burger King agreed to merge with Tim Hortons for US$11.4 billion. The two chains became subsidiaries of Toronto-based holding company Restaurant Brands International on December 15, 2014.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) is a coffee drink mix of traditional fall spice flavors (cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove), steamed milk, espresso, and often sugar, with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice. The beverage is most commonly associated with Starbucks, which first offered the drink in the fall of 2003. And that is the coffee houses and the Pumpkin Spice phenomenon!

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