In short:
The UK’s rival version of a Tim Tam, the Penguin, is now labelled as “chocolate flavour” because it no longer meets the UK’s definition of chocolate.
Rising cocoa prices have led to some manufacturers changing the recipes of chocolate products to the point they can no longer be legally defined as chocolate.
What’s next?
Tim Tam maker Arnott’s says it has no plans to change its recipe. Cocoa commodity prices are starting to fall but retail chocolate prices are expected to remain high for some time.
Cocoa commodity prices are starting to fall but retail chocolate prices are expected to remain high for some time.
The prices won’t ever go back down, corpos know they don’t have to, they might give random coupons or sale prices, but once raised, never lowered (unless smaller shrinkflated portions are designed).
Penguins are horrible. Not worth the calories.
I live in the USA now, and you can buy Tim Tams here, but Trader Joe’s and Aldi both have store brand imitation Tim Tams too. Even those are better than Penguins. They’re not exactly like Tim Tams, but they’re pretty close.
penguins suck shit
I’ll buy the Aldi Tim Tam knockoffs when Tim Tams have been full-price for too long. I refuse to pay $6-$7 for 11 biscuits, but will pick up a few packets when I find them half-price and use them up over the subsequent weeks.
The Aldi “Divines” are like most Aldi knock-off products: Not as good as the real deal, but close enough that you don’t really miss the real product. And they’re even a little cheaper than half-price Tim Tams.
Until this article, I’d never heard of Penguins. But I know the brand McVities and I like their Digestives, I’d probably have been willing to give Penguins a chance.
The Aldi ones in the USA have the catchy name of “Aussie-style chocolate coated wafer cookies”
…which somehow isn’t as bad as the name of the Trader Joe’s ones: “Aussie-style chocolate creme sandwich cookies coated in chocolate”
They’re both manufactured in the Netherlands.
Not quite as good as legit Tim Tams, but they’re 85% of the way there at half the price of legit Tim Tams imported from Australia.
The aldi knock-offs in Australia are pretty good too.
I’ll have to try them the next time I’m in Australia.
They’re most of the way there but fall a bit short of a real Tim Tam. I find the chocolate has a slight sourness to it compared to the original (as if they let an American pick the recipe) - not enough to stop me eating them but enough to reduce the normal Tim Tam desire to rip through a whole packet.
The Choceur chocolate blocks however tend to be a quite acceptable replacement for Cadbury and even Whittaker so not all hope is lost for more affordable chocolates.
Tried it. Your review seems pretty on point. Its creamier, or less salty, than Cadbury.
I now have to try this Choceur for myself, theres surely no way they could be as good as Whittaker.
I live in the USA now, and you can buy Tim Tams here, but Trader Joe’s and Aldi both have store brand imitation Tim Tams too.
Fellow murican here - was not aware of either of those. Will be on the look out!! …even if they are subpar.
Coworker got me addicted to Tim Tams ages ago, and they’re a pain in the ass to find here.
You can find them at World Market, but like most of the food at World Market, it’s overpriced. Some Target and Walmart stores have Tim Tams, or at least the ones where I am in Northern California. There’s a Fijian grocery store near me that has a bunch of Aussie things too.
My wife and I usually just bring some back with us when we visit Australia. We’re both Australian so we try to go back every so often to see friends and family.
I’d suggest getting an Aussie penpal for a cultural exchange but the shipping would probably be killer even on a pack of biccies
Without a de minimis exclusion, you have to pay import taxes on a pack of biscuits, too.
As it aptly says on the box “There is no substitute”.
Which is bad news for me because the only supermarket that sold TimTams where I live stopped selling them…
real chocolate is 70% cacao and above, anything below that is almost dirty milk chocolate.
Rivals? The thing Tim-Tams ripped off more like. They’re pretty mid biscuits though, mostly notable for being individually wrapped to go in your lunchbox.
