The Tim Hortons Double-Double Daily Habit

The Canadian institutional pattern of consuming 3–5 large Tim Hortons "double-double" coffees per day — each containing two creams (~10g fat) and two sugars (~8g sugar) — sustained year-round across the working-age population, producing among the highest per-capita added-sugar-from-coffee intakes in the developed world.

Why this habit matters

  • Sleep: Afternoon double-double consumption (the documented 14:00 stop) delivers caffeine that has a 5-hour elimination half-life, materially fragmenting the sleep window even when the sleeper does not perceive caffeine as a disruptor.
  • Finances: Four large Tim Hortons coffees per day cost ~CAD $11/day, ~$4,000/year — for a beverage that costs ~$0.40/day to make at home; over a 30-year working career this is ~$120,000 in nominal cost and substantially more in retirement-savings opportunity cost.
  • Health: Four large double-doubles per day deliver ~30g added sugar and ~40g cream-fat — documented as a top-tier contributor to Canadian metabolic syndrome, weight gain, and the doubling of adult diabetes prevalence between 2000 and 2024.

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