Arnott's Tim Tam Chewy Caramel vs Original: What Changes

Arnott's Tim Tam Chewy Caramel: an eating bar, not a straw, in summary: The Tim Tam build with a chewy caramel layer added to the middle. It makes each bar heavier, the finish longer and the Tim Tam Slam unreliable, so eat it dry beside strong black tea or coffee.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

Adding caramel to a Tim Tam changes how it behaves in a hot drink far more than it changes the look of the bar. A soft chocolate centre melts and runs, while chewy caramel stretches and clings, and almost everything worth knowing about this pack follows from that one difference.

What the caramel layer adds

Every Tim Tam starts from the same plan: two biscuit layers, a soft filling between them and a chocolate coating over every surface, so there is never a bare edge to bite. This version slips a chewy caramel layer into the middle as well, and the scales show it. Nine bars weigh 175g, about 19.4g each, against roughly 18g for a bar of the Original, because caramel is denser than the filling it joins.

The eating changes with it. Where the Original's centre softens and gives up its sweetness in one go, the caramel resists the teeth, pulls as you bite and keeps going on the palate after the chocolate has cleared. The bar is slower and the finish sweeter and longer. That suits anyone who tires of a single chocolate note by the last mouthful, and it will not convert anyone who already thought Tim Tams too sweet.

Why we keep the Slam for the Original

The Tim Tam Slam is the ritual this biscuit is best known for. You bite two opposite corners off, dip one end in a hot drink and suck the drink up through the bar as though it were a straw, then eat it whole. It works because the hot liquid melts a soft centre from the inside, which is why the bar has to be eaten within seconds.

Caramel spoils the trick. It does not melt and flow; it softens and stretches, so the drink struggles to pass through the middle and the result is unpredictable and messy. That verdict is ours, not something Arnott's says about its own bar. If the Slam is the plan, keep a pack of the nine-bar Original for it and enjoy the caramel bars dry, next to the cup.

Tea or coffee with caramel

All that lingering sweetness needs a drink with some backbone to clear it. A full-bodied black tea, brewed for a good four minutes under a saucer, has the tannin to cut through caramel, and a small splash of milk is plenty. Leave the sugar in the bowl, because the bar brings more than enough. A weak or very milky cup just lets the caramel coat everything that follows.

Coffee probably has the edge here. Bitterness is the natural partner for caramel, so a black instant made on the strong side, or a dark roast espresso from a capsule machine, does the job at least as well as tea. Store the pack somewhere cool rather than beside the kettle, so the coating stays firm and the caramel keeps its chew instead of turning sticky in the hand.

The packs we stock

Arnott's Tim Tam 9 x Chewy Caramel Chocolatey Biscuit Bars, 175g (barcode 9310072034577)

What to drink with it

Glengettie Welsh Breakfast Tea, 80 Tea Bags 250g: a Welsh breakfast blend to brew strong, with the tannin to clear a long caramel finish.
Yorkshire Tea Gold Blend Loose Leaf Tea, 250g: a loose leaf breakfast tea to brew strong in the pot when the bars go round the table.
Nescafe Gold Blend Intense Instant Coffee, 190g: a black instant made strong, the quickest way to the bitterness caramel wants.
Starbucks Espresso Roast by NESPRESSO Coffee, Dark Roast, Box of 36, 198g: dark roast capsules for a short black coffee, the pairing we would reach for first.

Elsewhere in the Arnott's range

The full range is on the Arnott's brand page.

FAQ

How is the Chewy Caramel Tim Tam different from the Original? It adds a chewy caramel layer to the usual biscuit, filling and chocolate build. Each bar is a little heavier and the finish runs on noticeably longer.

Can you do a Tim Tam Slam with the caramel version? You can try, but we would not. Caramel stretches instead of melting, so the drink does not travel cleanly and the bar tends to collapse messily.

How much heavier is a caramel bar than an Original? Nine caramel bars weigh 175g against 163g for nine Originals, so each one is roughly 19.4g rather than about 18g. The caramel layer accounts for the difference.

Does it taste sweeter than the Original? It stays sweet for longer, because a chewy caramel clears the palate more slowly than a soft chocolate centre. An unsweetened drink alongside helps.

Which Tim Tam should I buy for the Slam instead? The nine-bar Original. Its soft centre melts and flows the way the technique needs, so the drink comes through cleanly.

Curator's note: Eat this one slowly, with a black coffee, and give the caramel time to do its work. Save the Slam for a packet of Originals. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Arnott's Tim Tam Chewy Caramel: an eating bar, not a straw

Field	Detail
Brand	Arnott's
Packs we stock	175g
Category	Chocolate Biscuits
Tim Tam Slam	Not recommended, the caramel stretches
Best with	Strong black tea or a black coffee
Occasion	An afternoon bar to eat dry