Does Your Coffee Taste Weird Flying? WestJet Has Tim Hortons Coffee Made to Taste Better at 35,000 Feet
If your coffee never tastes quite as good on a plane, WestJet and Tim Hortons are trying to fix that. The two Canadian companies have created a special coffee blend made specifically to taste better at 35,000 feet.
Starting Nov. 30, WestJet will serve the new Tim Hortons Flight Roast on flights that currently offer in-flight refreshments. Tim Hortons’ coffee team created the coffee exclusively for WestJet.
Flight Roast is made with 100% Arabica beans and roasted to a full medium. WestJet says it has flavors of toasted nuts, cocoa and red fruit.
Tim Hortons will also provide tea on WestJet flights. The new drinks are part of a larger partnership between the airline and Tim Hortons that will eventually include their rewards programs too.
Why Does Coffee Need to Be Different on a Plane?
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Tim Hortons Chief Marketing Officer Hope Bagozzi told The Canadian Press that people’s taste perception changes at high altitudes.
Bagozzi said the team considered factors like brewing time and temperature while developing Flight Roast. The new blend is also different from the Original and Dark Roast coffees you can get at a regular Tim Hortons.
You Can Try It Starting Nov. 30
Flight Roast will start showing up on WestJet flights on Nov. 30. It will be served on flights that already offer drinks to passengers.
For now, the special blend is just for WestJet. You won’t be able to walk into Tim Hortons and order a cup of Flight Roast.
New Rewards Are Coming Next Year Too
In 2027, Tims Rewards and WestJet Rewards members can link their accounts.
Once the programs are connected, members can earn WestJet points and Tims Rewards points on eligible Tim Hortons purchases. The companies say they will announce more details about the rewards partnership closer to launch.
