Arnott's Tim Tam White: the sweet end of the range

Swapping chocolate for a white coating leaves the Tim Tam's structure untouched but removes the one thing that kept its sweetness in check. That puts the White at the far, sweet end of the five Tim Tams we stock, and makes it the one that gains most from a little care in serving.

Where the cocoa went

The build is classic Tim Tam: two biscuit layers, a soft cream filling in the middle and a coating that encloses the bar on every side. Only the coating changes. On the chocolate versions, cocoa brings a hint of bitterness that pulls against the sugar. The published ingredient list for the White names no cocoa ingredient at all, and its coating is creamy and milky, so we describe it as a white coating rather than white chocolate.

With nothing bitter on the outside, any contrast has to come from within, and there is little of it: the cream filling adds richness rather than relief, and the biscuit layers are there mainly for structure. The result eats rich rather than crisp, and it is noticeably sweeter than the Original. Anyone new to Tim Tams should know they are starting at the sweet end of the family, not in the middle of it.

Try it from the freezer

Half an hour in the freezer turns the White into a different bar. The cold firms the coating and the filling, the whole bar holds together better, and the sweetness reads as far less cloying. In hot weather we think it is simply the best way to eat one. Take them out one at a time, since a frozen bar is at its best straight away rather than left to soften on a plate.

Do not treat it like a digestive. There is no exposed crumb to soak up tea, so dipping it only melts the outside and the bar folds in your fingers. There are two good ways to have it with a hot drink: dry, beside the cup, or as a Tim Tam Slam, with opposite corners bitten off and the drink drawn through before the whole bar is eaten, quickly.

Coffee first, then strong tea

Because the White has no bitterness of its own, it needs a drink that brings some. Black coffee is our first choice: a short espresso cuts straight through the cream and makes a cold bar taste almost restrained. If you would rather have tea, go strong and brew it long, a malty breakfast blend with only a splash of milk, and leave the sugar out entirely.

Serve one each and put the packet away again, because this is not a biscuit for grazing. It tends to suit two quite different buyers: Australians who grew up with Tim Tams and want a taste of home, and the curious who have heard about the Slam and want to try the white one. Both do better knowing it is the sweet outlier of the family.

The packs we stock

• Arnott's Tim Tam White Biscuit Bar, 165g (barcode 9310072035314)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Arnott's Tim Tam White Biscuit Bar, 165g (barcode 9310072035314) says it contains wheat (gluten), milk, soya and sulphites. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.

Ingredients, as published: Sugar, Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Palm: Oil (Contains Soy), Whole Milk Powder, Vegetable Fats (Shea and/or Sal In Varying Proportions), Maize Starch, Emulsifiers (Soy Lecithins, Sorbitan Tristearate, Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate), Salt, Raising Agents (Ammonium Carbonates, Sodium Carbonates), Flavouring, Colour (Carotenes), Flour Treatment Agent (E223 (Sulphites)).

Ingredient and nutrition data for this barcode: Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL. The pack in your hands is the final word.

What to drink with it

• L'Or Espresso Supremo Coffee Intensity 10, 40 Pods 208g: a short, strong espresso whose bitterness is exactly what the white coating lacks.
• Barry's Tea Gold Blend, 80 Tea Bags 250g: a robust breakfast blend to brew long, with a splash of milk and no sugar.
• Twinings English Breakfast Decaffeinated 40, 109g: an English Breakfast without the caffeine, for a frozen bar after supper.
• L'Or Nespresso Compatible Espresso Supremo Aluminium Coffee Intensity 10, 10 Capsules: the same Espresso Supremo in Nespresso-compatible aluminium capsules, good with a bar straight from the freezer.

Elsewhere in the Arnott's range

• Arnott's Tim Tam 9 x Chewy Caramel Chocolatey Biscuit Bars, 175g
• Arnott's Tim Tam Extra Chocolaty Biscuits, 200g
• Arnott's Tim Tam 7 x Gluten Free Original Chocolatey Biscuits, 150g
• Arnott's Tim Tam 9 x Original Chocolatey Biscuit Bars, 163g

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

FAQ

Is Tim Tam White made with white chocolate? We call it a white coating. The published ingredient list for this barcode names sugar, wheat flour, palm oil, whole milk powder and vegetable fats, but no cocoa.

Is the White sweeter than the Original Tim Tam? Yes, noticeably. Without cocoa in the coating there is nothing bitter to pull against the sugar.

Can you freeze Tim Tam White? Yes, and we recommend it. Half an hour firms the coating and filling and makes the bar far less cloying.

Does the white coating still work as a Slam straw? Yes. The all-over coating lets it act as a straw for a few seconds; draw a hot drink through, then eat it whole.

Does Tim Tam White contain gluten and milk? Yes to both. The published list says it contains wheat (gluten), milk, soya and sulphites; Arnott's gluten-free Tim Tam is a separate product, the chocolate Original.

Curator's note: Straight from the freezer with a short black coffee is how I would serve it. One is plenty, and it is better for it. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Arnott's Tim Tam White: the sweet end of the range

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• Tea and Biscuits
• Biscuit Dunking Physics: The Real Science
• Tea Pairing Principles: Reason, Don't Memorise
• Tea With Cake: The Pairing That Never Fails (If You Get It Right)
• Tea and Food Pairing: The Five Principles
• Tea with Chocolate: Pair by Cocoa Percentage
• Tea and Chocolate Pairing

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