Calgarian’s complaint about Tim Hortons coffee lids taps into Canadian identity

There is something intrinsically Canadian about Tim Hortons, that cross-country coffee shop frequented by campaigning politicians, construction workers, mothers, children and everyone else.

We love talking about their coffee just about as much as many people enjoy drinking it. We complain about it the way we complain about lines at the DMV, slow service from city hall.

Taxes.

A Calgary environmental analyst tapped into that passion this week when he posted online a cheeky letter he says he said to the company complaining about, of all things, their coffee lids.

In a letter directed to Tim Hortons' "Lid Manager," Bryan Hansen takes umbrage with the company's current lid design, that jagged hack job we are all more than familiar with.

He calls them "the worst thing to happy to Canada since Justin Beiber pissed in that mop bucket, since Avril Lavigne married Chad Kroeger, since Rita Macneil left us far too soon."

He writes:

[ Related: Doughnut contest pits Toronto man against Londoner ]

Hansen goes on the note the flimsy, yet razor-like, lid poses a risk of injury, both through the sharpness of its edges and the spilling of scalding liquid.

He has more (many more) thoughts about the lid design. His full letter can be viewed here.

In an interview with the Canadian Press, Hansen said he decided to write the letter after recalling every instance in which the lids have caused him grief.

"In a nutshell, your horrible lids have amazing potential to go viral because they make your customers go postal," he writes in his letter.

And Hansen is not wrong.

Since his letter was posted on the website Reddit on Thursday, it has launched a stream of debate over the flimsy lid, both in support and in opposition to the complaint.

"The lids Tim's uses for their specialty drinks and lattes and stuff are better than the regular lids. McDonald's lids are awesome. Drinking their coffee is like making out with a supermodel," a user named "firep4nts" responded.

Another used responded: "Even if you do overcome the lid obstacles you mentioned, you're still at the mercy of the coffee gods on whether or not that little flap folds back into its holder securely or not."

[ More Brew: Toronto coffee drinkers fail pay it forward kindness test ]

A Tim Hortons spokesperson told news groups the complaint over lids is not universal, but that the company appreciates the passion for their products.

Here's the thing, Tim Hortons is totally right. Every little thing that happens to the company gets passionately debated, due to the iconic connection between the brand and the country.

The company is currently chasing headlines in a "Duelling Donuts" contest tied to Canadian actor Jason Priestley – evolved from a isn't-Canada-quaint joke made on the U.S. TV show "How I Met Your Mother."

They also scored some big points earlier this summer when a series of Good Samaritans started anonymously purchasing hundreds of free coffees for other customers. The trend gave the country such joy that the company had to come out and confirm that it was not, in fact, a publicity stunt.

This is not to say the company’s acclaim doesn’t cause some headaches. Whenever gay-friendly news sites are blocked on their Wi-Fi, it makes headlines. Or when customer service goes awry, an inquiry is nearly called.

(And when mayors go gleefully traipsing through street parties, it is usually with an extra-large double-double from Timmies in tow. Although that could be considered either good or bad publicity.)

Coffee Time, as a random example, doesn't have to answer to an angry public whenever something goes wrong. And it doesn't have to defend the quality of its coffee lids.

On the other hand, no one notices when it introduces a new doughnut, and it's never mentioned on successful American sitcoms.

Yes, Tim Hortons' fame is a double-edged sword. And that sword is almost as sharp as their damn lids.

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