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Rakusen's has been baking in Leeds since 1900, and most shoppers know it for matzo rather than biscuits. Its dark chocolate digestive has the same plain-spoken character: a malty, faintly savoury base under a chocolate with real bitterness.
From Passover matzo to digestives
The firm began in 1900 with Lloyd Rakusen, a watchmaker who made matzo for Passover in a back room of his terraced house in Leeds. After his death in 1944 the business went to his sons, Phillip and Mannie, and it is still based in the city, with matzo made at its Leeds headquarters. Rakusen's says it was the first UK maker of water crackers.
The factory has worked under London Beth Din and KLBD supervision since the late 1970s; if a certification mark on this particular pack matters to you, read it on the pack itself. Rakusen's lists wheat and soya lecithin in the chocolate digestives, and gives the chocolate as a minimum of 52 per cent cocoa solids, which is the key to how they eat.
Why dark chocolate changes a digestive
The base is coarse wheatmeal with bran in it, only half sweet, and its crumb breaks short and sandy rather than snapping. Put milk chocolate on it and the whole thing tips towards sugar, with the base reduced to texture. Dark chocolate goes the opposite way. Its bitter edge meets the malty, faintly savoury bran head on, and the biscuit underneath becomes a flavour rather than just a crunch.
Among the other Rakusen's lines we stock, the matzo crackers are for cheese, smoked fish or marmalade, and the ginger biscuits are the classic tea-time line. The dark chocolate digestive sits closer to a coffee biscuit, and it is the one to crush for a cheesecake base, where its bitterness keeps the filling from tasting too sugary.
Chocolate side up, two seconds
Dunk it with the chocolate facing the ceiling. The coating works like a roof, keeping the crumb in one piece from above; turn it face down and the chocolate softens first, taking the biscuit with it into the mug. Two seconds is enough, because the bran soaks up tea faster than you would think. Keep an opened pack sealed in a cool, dry cupboard so the crumb stays crisp.
For tea, brew something strong: an Assam or a breakfast blend at a full boil for four minutes, with a splash of milk to round off the cocoa. Because the biscuit is only half sweet, it does not flatten a proper brew next to it. For coffee, a medium-roast filter handles the bitterness better than a light tea would, and an intense espresso or a strong instant does the same job.
The packs we stock
- Rakusen's Digestive Biscuits - Dark Chocolate, 200g (barcode 5010112001968)
What to drink with it
- Yorkshire Tea Original Everyday Blend, 80 Tea Bags 250g: a strong everyday brew with milk that holds its own against dark chocolate.
- Glengettie Welsh Breakfast Tea, 80 Tea Bags 250g: a robust breakfast tea for dunking, chocolate side up.
- Lavazza Espresso Maestro Intenso Nespresso Compatible, 10 Capsules: an intense espresso for a Nespresso-compatible machine, which meets the cocoa bitterness head on.
- Nescafe Gold Blend Intense Instant Coffee, 190g: a strong instant coffee for the quick version of the coffee-and-biscuit break.
Elsewhere in the Rakusen's range
The full range is on the Rakusen's brand page.
FAQ
What coffee goes with dark chocolate digestives? Something with body: a medium-roast filter, an intense espresso or a strong instant. The coffee and the cocoa bitterness meet each other rather than fighting.
How much cocoa is in Rakusen's dark chocolate? Rakusen's gives a minimum of 52 per cent cocoa solids for the chocolate on its digestives.
Which way up should you dunk a chocolate digestive? Chocolate side up, for about two seconds. Upside down, the chocolate gives way before the crumb and the biscuit breaks.
What allergens does Rakusen's list? Rakusen's lists wheat, and soya lecithin in the chocolate. Check the current pack for the full allergen advice.
Is this the same Rakusen's that makes matzo? Yes. The firm started with Passover matzo in Leeds in 1900 and still makes matzo at its Leeds headquarters; this digestive carries the same name.
Curator's note: Dunk it chocolate side up in a strong builder's mug and it holds up well. Better still, keep a pack back for the next cheesecake; that dark edge is what stops the pudding going sickly. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.
In short: Rakusen's Dark Chocolate Digestives: a matzo baker's biscuit
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | Rakusen's |
| Packs we stock | 200g |
| Category | Chocolate Biscuits |
| Dunkable | Yes, chocolate side up, two seconds |
| Best with | Strong breakfast tea with milk, or a proper coffee |
| Also good for | A cheesecake base |
More from the tea wiki
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- 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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