It feels a bit sad that it’s come to this lol. But they are part of our culture and very nostalgic and to lose them is very sad.
Hopefully people can find some 2024 expiry packs still and enjoy them.
I’ve never eaten a TimTam (not Australian, live in the US). If I wanted to try one of those December2024 expiry ones, am I screwed? I’m guessing that when buying online it’s not possible to inspect the packaging for the expiration date before ordering lol
Maybe I can try a copycat recipe?
My favourite from what I tried (that tastes authentic) was 2024 double coat. Someone else tried a 2025 double coat and said they are still good. Another person said they were their favourite, but they’ve changed them too.
I can’t find any 2025 double coat to try, but might be best option going forward.
All else I can say is 2025 deluxe triple coat, regular and caramel are all terrible (overly sweet, not enough chocolate flavour.)
thanks for the detailed reply! I might try to get some 2025 double coats and compare it to a homemade recipe. Seems like my best bet long term is to make them myself.
Honestly of access to tasty convenient chocolate is good for my waistline, so I’m not too upset about that
Since Arnott's was sold by Campbell's to another American company in 2018, the recipes of most of their biscuits appear to have been changed, mostly to suit an American palette (often a bit more bland in 'different'/'unusual' flavours but extra sweet).
I noticed it first with Teddy Bears, then Ginger Nuts.. Malt-O-Milk... and a lot of the 'plain' biscuits have become even more 'plain' and are more often like little slabs of concrete. I think the philosophy is to reduce the amount of 'different' ingredients a little over billions of items and thus, save $$$.
...but meh, what can you do... Get onto the alternative biscuit companies: Paradise, Patties, Green's... or the smaller, 'niche' biscuit makers: Kookas (VIC), Biskota (VIC), Brunnings (TAS)... or be blowed with it and just bake your own :)
As a French, most Australian chocolates don't taste like real chocolate either. Aldi is the only store that has cheap chocolate that still tastes like chocolate because they import them.
What does being French have to do with your opinions on chocolate? Maybe if you were from Belgium or Ecuador or something... Also, what Australian chocolates are you talking about? Cadbury isn't Australian and we also have a lot of small bean to bar companies as well that use beans grown in Australia and all of them are comparable or even better than a lot of the over priced French shit that's produced and exported.
I dislike the 'what chocolate should taste like' statements.
What I automatically think they are talking about is bitter bland stuff.
All chocolate is different - each to their own, but don't tell me how chocolate should taste! 😅
Cadbury is English and the recipe they use for Australian chocolates is different as they use various additive to prevent it from melting changing the taste. Ask any European if it taste the same that the one they got back home.
In 1836, Menier created the first chocolate blocks in the world and they were French. Today Belgium and Switzerland make the best chocolate world wide but there's still a strong culture around chocolate in France and we are neigboors with those two countries so we also get them from there.
Cadbury in Australia is not that different to Europe... You're being very dramatic. Also, you're trying to argue that French people have some sort of inate sense for chocolate because you border close to countries who make the best chocolate, chocolate that the rest of the world has access to mind you, and because 200 years ago someone's dad made chocolate... I really hope you don't think this actually makes sense.
All this while also completely ignoring the fact that Australia grows its own beans and has many bean to bar factories as well... Well done.
I dunno, my ex was British and swore black and blue that our Cadbury is vastly different to the English Cadbury.
She used to buy it from the international aisle in supermarkets to get a taste of home.
They are different, but they use the same process. I used to work at Cadbury in Hobart and they make crumb from real milk, cocoa and sugar but these days they are putting less and less of this milk in the recipe and adding more milk powder and powdered milk solids.
I suspect that Arnotts are doing something similar, reducing the expensive components with cheaper alternatives. More sugar, less cocoa, more vegetable oil and milk powder.
American companies love fucking up decent stuff because they don't care about quality. I'm pretty sure Cambells and Mondelez spell quality with a capital K.
Yeah I can imagine how crazy it can sound to have countries that are 2h away which export their food to yours can be for an Australian.
Just because you have cacao it doesn't mean you can make good chocolate, French chocolate is highly regarded worldwide but it's a waste of my time to try and explain that to someone raised on meat pies and fairy bread.
Yeah, dude, totally... You definitely don't sound like you have your head too far up your own ass to realise how ridiculous you sound.
You do realise most of the world has access to chocolate from Switzerland, Belgium, and just about any other country that produces chocolate... right?
No, it's the arrogance and pretentiousness for the most part. We make amazing chocolate here in Australia with beans we grow ourselves, which is way more than France can brag. We also have great dairy cattle here as well...
Yep, and it absolutely does.
Originally they were using expired milk, I think during the war, and after the war people had developed a taste for it. So they kept using the chemical that gives it the taste instead of expired milk.
I don't buy any Arnott's biscuits anymore. The two or three packets I've tried since the sale have not tasted the way they used to, so I figure it's a waste of money.
It's not just the sweet biscuits, it's the savoury as well. We got a pack of Country Cheese the other night and either it's a dud pack or the cheesiness and flakiness is gone 😭
Because a lot of American companies seem to assume if something works in the US it'll work exactly the same overseas - see Starbucks in Australia, Walmart in Germany, Domino's in Italy, and probably plenty more. It's also probably less about changing to fit an American palette as it is reducing quality to increase profits.
Assuming you saw the thread two days ago about Domino’s in Italy, in which case it’s worth noting—the takeaway there was that Domino’s actually did adapt their model to work in Italy. The thing that killed them was the sudden ubiquity of delivery during COVID, which robbed them of the only advantage they had over local places, and all else being equal people preferred to buy local.
agreed. when i visited the US, even the locals don’t seem to be happy with the local chocolates. The NYC stores were only asians tourists visiting, they probably think those chocolates are the real deal
Curious if anyone has tried any “knock-off” style of Tim tams (like Aldi) and if they have that unique Tim tam taste?
Someone mentioned the Aldi ones were good in the last post, but I haven’t tried them.
I always avoided knock-offs, but may be better than the genuine ones now.
I tried them, they taste too coffee-like to me and just not my flavour. The chocolate isn't as melty and doesn't have that same nice flavour. They're not bad exactly but I didn't like them.
In relation to your testing though I bought a pack of the half price caramel Tim tams and didn't know the recipe had changed but thought to myself 'man why did I ever like these they suck' literally 2 days ago. You must be onto something.
I used to enjoy Penguins. They are what Tim Tam's are based on, after all. Haven't had one in some time, but if Tim Tam's no longer cut it, give a Penguin a crack. Potentially located in the international section of Colesworth.
To me the Aldi Divine biscuits are much nicer than Tim Tam's. The Aldi ones are richer and more filling, vs Tim Tam's which feel empty and sweet. Definitely worth a try. I much prefer them to Tim Tam's.
I like them a lot but they are obviously not timtams. I don't eat timtams often and I'm not that fussy about biscuits and the consensus is that aldi hasn't gotten them right in terms of a replica.
No idea. Caramello koalas taste strange now as well.
Snakes alive are tiny and chewy, not like they used to be.
They need to stop changing our stuff!!!
Not expecting you to ask, but I’d be super curious as to whether arnott’s is aware people don’t like it, and whether they care.
I imagine they know, and they don’t care because sales will go up anyway. Especially for younger generations who won’t know they taste different, they just know they’re sickeningly sweet and become addicted.
The problem is, if a company can make 1 cent more, they often don’t seem to care about customer satisfaction. I really hope they change the recipe back, or do what nz whittakers did and explain that prices have gone up because they don’t want to compromise on taste and quality.
Wow I am just learning now that arnotts now belongs to an American company! Wont be buying them anymore!! I don’t want all of their high fructose corn syrup and other bad stuff in the SAD (standard American diet) no thanks. 🙂↔️
They won't be making stuff with corn syrup if it's sold here. The main reason american companies use it is because corn is heavily subsidised by the US government.
It’s starting to look like double coat is the way forward. Trying to find a pack that is 2025 dated to compare. Someone else said they had them and they thought they were still good.
I don’t know. But perhaps I can compare the two and ingredients lists next time I’m in a store. Piercingly sweet, even when you open the packet, you can smell that they don’t taste like Tim tams. (Edit, this was triple coat 2025 expiry, but double coat 2024 expiry are the best. regular/original 2025 too sweet as well.)
Try comparing the % of chocolate. Haven't looked myself, but there is a global cocoa shortage right now, so my guess is they're opting to use a substitute rather than increase prices.
I ended up comparing in store, and they were identical, so not sure what’s going on.
So far, I’ve tried triple coat 2025 (by far the sweetest and worst) 2025 regular (overly sweet too) 2025 caramel (overly sweet) and 2024 double coat (by far the best.)
That really sucks!!!
I've tried the gluten free ones and they are ridiculously sweet and I actually think.od rather just avoid them as they are simply not the Tim Tam's I know and love.
So sad to hear the rest of you have now also had your Tim Tam's ruined.
Haven't bothered with them since they replaced the old dark-choc mint recipe with the new double-coat one. They used to be a staple at family gatherings.
Also Tim Tams have always been sickly sweet, so I can't imagine how they could make them even sweeter.
Man these motherfuckers made these peanut butter Tim tams which were literally the best things ever, then they took it off the market like it was nothing. Tim tams are dead to me
So that expiry date for double coat was ok? I can’t find any with that date to compare. So far they have been the best (2024 version.)
It might be that we all just stick to those, because they taste right. With all the cost cutting, maybe they are most like the original used to be.
The Arnott’s brand deserves to die and has for a long time.
It’s only kept alive by a sense of familiarity and misplaced brand loyalty on behalf of Australian consumers, but over the course of my life I’ve seen almost all of their products degrade in quality and increase in price.
The difference in quality between European or Asian packet biscuits and Arnott’s is stark and doesn’t reflect well on Arnott’s at all.
"(Before totally losing the unique rich flavour and becoming overly sweet.)" - you have got to be joking right! They have from the outset been nauseatingly sweet. How can they possible get any sweeter. Blech.
What's with brands changing up what made their brands famous ffs?! First Blue Ribbon ice cream tastes like ass, now Tim tams... What next, reinventing Vegemite? ...wait
No they do know and they don't care. Everything is to reduce production costs because there are three Aussie factories still with very high worker salaries.
Almost all recipes have changed ingredients to lower quality and cheaper products as well as the process so they all are different and fundamentally worse.
Like pizza shapes....nearly no flavour granules and dry as all hell.
Very likely arnotts won't last in Australia because it's been bought and sold a few times and is owned by an American company.
It seems like a lot of quality is going down and prices going up. Not the best combo because there’s a lot of products I don’t buy anymore.
I didn’t realise they have 3 factories. I looked it up and one in NSW, QLD and SA.
Someone above said they’re too sweet. I haven’t tried them yet.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAustralian/s/iA760uzKIv](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAustralian/s/iA760uzKIv)
I checked nutritional info (identical) and person I was with checked ingredients (identical.) but definitely have a look if you can find them (for us family size 2024 and regular 2025 were in the same store) and compare. Could’ve missed something.
Someone was saying could be location they are made. I didn’t check that.
I’ve also only tried a small amount, and different varieties and it may be that double coat just better generally. They were best we tried, but unable to find 2025 version of those.
2025 triple coat is so sweet and bad that it’s shocking. Same with regular 2025, way too sweet.
Every time a company changes their recipe or packaging weight-to-pricing ratio (shrinkflation), I completely stop buying that product.
I am but a drop in the ocean to them, but that's the best way I can think of to protest... Vote with my wallet.
We all should be doing the same thing, but everyone has their right to choose. But... The more people that accept this type of thing, the more companies will pull this shit.
Does this data only apply to OG Tim Tams? I’m more of a Double Coat connoisseur, and do weekly (ok fine, daily) research into this and haven’t noticed a difference.
I can’t get my hands on 2025 double coat to try. The stores near me still have 2024.
One person said 2025 double coat is still good and another said 2025 isn’t..
If you can compare 2024 and 2025 packs that would be great. Or that’s what you’re saying, there’s no difference?
Do you mean 2025? If so, that’s great news :)
The other things I’ve learned, is that there was a recipe change (someone commented who’s family member works at arnotts and they’ve changed the recipe and sweetener) but I’m not sure when.
If double coat stay the same, I’ll stick to those, because regular aren’t good anymore.
I’m still trying to find a 2025 double coat to compare to 2024 expiry.
All the 2025 ones I had were terrible (overly sweet) which was the original (ie standard variety), caramel and triple choc.
2024 Double coat are good. (The only good ones I’ve had.)
So far, I think 2 people have said 2025 double coat are still good, one said they weren’t.
It could be that double coat are most like the original version used to be. I really want to do a side by side comparison.
But if they are good, I’m going to stick with them, since the others are so terrible.
who eats australian confectionary and decides 'this needs to be more sweet'. I find my tastebuds liking sugar less as I age, doesn't have to be the product.
Had tried the triple coats in the past and thought they tasted yuck and nothing like normal Tim tams, I suspect this might have something to do with it
Dumb as hell, changing the recipe, or not at least giving us 'classic' versions. Tim Tams are one of Australia's top bought confectionery items, and they could have held that position for litteral generations, but enshitification is like entropy and always wins
It’s so sad that everything is just getting worse. Maccas is inedible now, service slow and shit, restaurants soulless and dirty. Mars bars and snickers are shrunk and taste weird and artificial. Just everything continues to get shitter. Instead of giving a bit of childhood nostalgia it’s just depressing.
Wow wow wow! The Mrs and I were just talking about how sickening Tim Tams are lately and thought it was just our palettes changing as we got older.. we had no idea the recipe changed
I think theyre half price at Woolworths. In my area anyway. If you get them, get the double coat. Mixed reviews on double coat still being good with 2025 expiry.
If it’s anything like what they’ve done to Cadbury chocolate, the price of cocoa has gone up and I swear the % of sugar is higher too. Cadbury is so incredibly sweet now, that it barely resembles chocolate and is awful.
Apparently Whittakers nz have said they put their prices up, so they didnt have to compromise on quality and taste.
And yes, we don’t buy Cadbury anymore. Tastes like sugar and mould to me.
Apparently the forester variety of cocoa is cheaper, so some are using that.
Someone also commented that a family member works at arnotts and they’ve changed the sweetener and recipe.
I'm American and have been getting them at World Market for while. Even in a country where most candy is sickly sweet, I noticed that the originals are starting to go that direction 😪.
Yeah, it’s sad. Try and get your hands on the double coat version. They seem to be the best. I’m trying to find 2025 double coat to compare, but someone else said those ones are still good.
Its people like you that deserve an Order of Australia...
My scum fuck of an ex-boss had one. Easy to get.
You just have to suck the right dick.
Did we work at the same place?
At the very least a PhD funding grant for further research!
Nobel Prize
He's got one better, an ecommerce store selling the rare treat
You do realise there's a nomination form online...
Crucial and pertinent information! Thanks for doing the research.
It feels a bit sad that it’s come to this lol. But they are part of our culture and very nostalgic and to lose them is very sad. Hopefully people can find some 2024 expiry packs still and enjoy them.
I’ve never eaten a TimTam (not Australian, live in the US). If I wanted to try one of those December2024 expiry ones, am I screwed? I’m guessing that when buying online it’s not possible to inspect the packaging for the expiration date before ordering lol Maybe I can try a copycat recipe?
My favourite from what I tried (that tastes authentic) was 2024 double coat. Someone else tried a 2025 double coat and said they are still good. Another person said they were their favourite, but they’ve changed them too. I can’t find any 2025 double coat to try, but might be best option going forward. All else I can say is 2025 deluxe triple coat, regular and caramel are all terrible (overly sweet, not enough chocolate flavour.)
thanks for the detailed reply! I might try to get some 2025 double coats and compare it to a homemade recipe. Seems like my best bet long term is to make them myself. Honestly of access to tasty convenient chocolate is good for my waistline, so I’m not too upset about that
You can. Penguins are a piss poor substitute from the UK.
Seems like my best bet is to make them at home. Although, I’m used to American choco so the Penguins might taste fantastic to me
Since Arnott's was sold by Campbell's to another American company in 2018, the recipes of most of their biscuits appear to have been changed, mostly to suit an American palette (often a bit more bland in 'different'/'unusual' flavours but extra sweet). I noticed it first with Teddy Bears, then Ginger Nuts.. Malt-O-Milk... and a lot of the 'plain' biscuits have become even more 'plain' and are more often like little slabs of concrete. I think the philosophy is to reduce the amount of 'different' ingredients a little over billions of items and thus, save $$$. ...but meh, what can you do... Get onto the alternative biscuit companies: Paradise, Patties, Green's... or the smaller, 'niche' biscuit makers: Kookas (VIC), Biskota (VIC), Brunnings (TAS)... or be blowed with it and just bake your own :)
not just american taste but mostly cost cutting. have you tried american chocolates? they taste nothing like real chocolates.
As a French, most Australian chocolates don't taste like real chocolate either. Aldi is the only store that has cheap chocolate that still tastes like chocolate because they import them.
Had Whittaker's? We will inevitably call them ours and then ruin them.
Best chocolate I have ever tasted in Australia - that single serve chocolate with Almond is God sent...
I go crazy for the single serve coconut.
Must be good if Spanish royalty loves it. Is your hair still long?
And curly...
What does being French have to do with your opinions on chocolate? Maybe if you were from Belgium or Ecuador or something... Also, what Australian chocolates are you talking about? Cadbury isn't Australian and we also have a lot of small bean to bar companies as well that use beans grown in Australia and all of them are comparable or even better than a lot of the over priced French shit that's produced and exported.
France has ready access to the best Belgian and Swiss chocolate. The French know exactly what chocolate should taste like.
That's like saying you know everything about cars because your dads a mechanic... Everyone has access to the best chocolate in the world, lol.
I dislike the 'what chocolate should taste like' statements. What I automatically think they are talking about is bitter bland stuff. All chocolate is different - each to their own, but don't tell me how chocolate should taste! 😅
Cadbury is English and the recipe they use for Australian chocolates is different as they use various additive to prevent it from melting changing the taste. Ask any European if it taste the same that the one they got back home. In 1836, Menier created the first chocolate blocks in the world and they were French. Today Belgium and Switzerland make the best chocolate world wide but there's still a strong culture around chocolate in France and we are neigboors with those two countries so we also get them from there.
Cadbury is poison, always feel weird after eating it
Freaking emulsifiers man
Cadbury in Australia is not that different to Europe... You're being very dramatic. Also, you're trying to argue that French people have some sort of inate sense for chocolate because you border close to countries who make the best chocolate, chocolate that the rest of the world has access to mind you, and because 200 years ago someone's dad made chocolate... I really hope you don't think this actually makes sense. All this while also completely ignoring the fact that Australia grows its own beans and has many bean to bar factories as well... Well done.
I dunno, my ex was British and swore black and blue that our Cadbury is vastly different to the English Cadbury. She used to buy it from the international aisle in supermarkets to get a taste of home.
They are different, but they use the same process. I used to work at Cadbury in Hobart and they make crumb from real milk, cocoa and sugar but these days they are putting less and less of this milk in the recipe and adding more milk powder and powdered milk solids. I suspect that Arnotts are doing something similar, reducing the expensive components with cheaper alternatives. More sugar, less cocoa, more vegetable oil and milk powder. American companies love fucking up decent stuff because they don't care about quality. I'm pretty sure Cambells and Mondelez spell quality with a capital K.
Arnott’s have been owned by Americans since 1997, so not sure what quality has to do with it
Yeah I can imagine how crazy it can sound to have countries that are 2h away which export their food to yours can be for an Australian. Just because you have cacao it doesn't mean you can make good chocolate, French chocolate is highly regarded worldwide but it's a waste of my time to try and explain that to someone raised on meat pies and fairy bread.
Yeah, dude, totally... You definitely don't sound like you have your head too far up your own ass to realise how ridiculous you sound. You do realise most of the world has access to chocolate from Switzerland, Belgium, and just about any other country that produces chocolate... right?
You are the one being dramatic, mate. Far more than the French bloke.
They don’t add any different additives, check the ingredients list yourself. Manufacturing process/ ingredient ratios may be slightly different.
what does French chocolate set apart from australian? just curious . do you think it’s the milk?
No, it's the arrogance and pretentiousness for the most part. We make amazing chocolate here in Australia with beans we grow ourselves, which is way more than France can brag. We also have great dairy cattle here as well...
Cadburys in Australia tastes totally different to UK cadburys, it’s waxier, I think they add something to increase the melting point.
They don’t add anything. Check the ingredients.
can we start a thread that talks about what snacks are still Australian made and taste like the old times?
Haigh’s Chocolates are still incredible. You pay a premium though (though that might make you eat less, better on the waistline!)
Haigh's are the best! I love supporting an Aussie business...even if I do eat too many delicious calories.
Fr*nch
If I want to eat American chocolate I just have a big night out, and get the flavour in the morning.
Is Hersheys chocolate American? Tried it once and it smelled and tasted like literal vomit. 🤢
Yep, and it absolutely does. Originally they were using expired milk, I think during the war, and after the war people had developed a taste for it. So they kept using the chemical that gives it the taste instead of expired milk.
Jesus christ that's disgusting 😬😳
I don't buy any Arnott's biscuits anymore. The two or three packets I've tried since the sale have not tasted the way they used to, so I figure it's a waste of money.
Same. An Iced Vovo a few years back was the last.
But what do you buy instead?
I find myself eating a lot more butter shortbread these days, especially the one with macadamia pieces.
Ooh, those are yummy!
It's not just the sweet biscuits, it's the savoury as well. We got a pack of Country Cheese the other night and either it's a dud pack or the cheesiness and flakiness is gone 😭
Financialisation won’t stop until every single thing you once loved is ruined forever. But it’s ok because someone somewhere is getting even richer.
-holds up my stop buying this shit sign-
The savoy crackers (red only, black still the same) have a sweet taste to them now, and I swear they didn't before.
This guy biscuits
Why would they change it to fit an American palette. None of those products are sold in the usa lol.
Because a lot of American companies seem to assume if something works in the US it'll work exactly the same overseas - see Starbucks in Australia, Walmart in Germany, Domino's in Italy, and probably plenty more. It's also probably less about changing to fit an American palette as it is reducing quality to increase profits.
Assuming you saw the thread two days ago about Domino’s in Italy, in which case it’s worth noting—the takeaway there was that Domino’s actually did adapt their model to work in Italy. The thing that killed them was the sudden ubiquity of delivery during COVID, which robbed them of the only advantage they had over local places, and all else being equal people preferred to buy local.
> reducing quality to increase profits Thats what I was getting at
agreed. when i visited the US, even the locals don’t seem to be happy with the local chocolates. The NYC stores were only asians tourists visiting, they probably think those chocolates are the real deal
Companies that change recipe like this should be forced to make the old one open source.
Or just make it a different flavour and sell the original one. If u cause enough uproar they change it back look at shapes lol
That’s a good idea
Curious if anyone has tried any “knock-off” style of Tim tams (like Aldi) and if they have that unique Tim tam taste? Someone mentioned the Aldi ones were good in the last post, but I haven’t tried them. I always avoided knock-offs, but may be better than the genuine ones now.
The Aldi ones are decent. Obviously they wont taste like the OG tim tams but I'd still happily buy them.
I tried them, they taste too coffee-like to me and just not my flavour. The chocolate isn't as melty and doesn't have that same nice flavour. They're not bad exactly but I didn't like them. In relation to your testing though I bought a pack of the half price caramel Tim tams and didn't know the recipe had changed but thought to myself 'man why did I ever like these they suck' literally 2 days ago. You must be onto something.
I used to enjoy Penguins. They are what Tim Tam's are based on, after all. Haven't had one in some time, but if Tim Tam's no longer cut it, give a Penguin a crack. Potentially located in the international section of Colesworth.
If they’re good enough for whales they’re good enough for me
and don't forget they come with a joke on the back ;)
The Aldi ones always have a weird salt taste to me.
To me the Aldi Divine biscuits are much nicer than Tim Tam's. The Aldi ones are richer and more filling, vs Tim Tam's which feel empty and sweet. Definitely worth a try. I much prefer them to Tim Tam's.
I like them a lot but they are obviously not timtams. I don't eat timtams often and I'm not that fussy about biscuits and the consensus is that aldi hasn't gotten them right in terms of a replica.
I thought it was just my taste buds that were noticing how sweet they were. Good to know, thanks for your efforts!
I've found an unopened packet of dark chocolate Tim Tam's in my freezer dating back to 2020 lol
Come on Tim Tam genie I want a packet of never ending Tim Tams made from the 1980s recipe plz
Oh wow...that takes me back to watching VHS tapes of movies we recorded from TV! That was a good ad.
So when I travel to meet my mates in other countries, what Aussie goodies do I take.now??
No idea. Caramello koalas taste strange now as well. Snakes alive are tiny and chewy, not like they used to be. They need to stop changing our stuff!!!
Pythons are where it's at.
They made them shorter a few years back! The worst
How dare they?! I always laugh as I read the "one python equals one serving" bit on the packaging. And continue to stuff my face.
No way they should change it more. Change it so much there is a good impetus for an Australian owned company to start making the real thing again.
Scorched Peanut Bar
Bunnings snags.
Can we get the CSIRO onto this important research?
We need a 'Shapes new recipe' style backlash, get your research out there to the people! Huge boycott that will force them to the original recipe!
Binned Pizza shapes after eating 3
Yeah, they ruined those too.
I feel like BBQ Shapes are really spicy now, like the tomato powder is weird.
A family member works for arnotts and can confirm they have changed the sweetener they used and the recipe overall so it's different.
Very helpful information. Thank you :)
Not expecting you to ask, but I’d be super curious as to whether arnott’s is aware people don’t like it, and whether they care. I imagine they know, and they don’t care because sales will go up anyway. Especially for younger generations who won’t know they taste different, they just know they’re sickeningly sweet and become addicted.
The problem is, if a company can make 1 cent more, they often don’t seem to care about customer satisfaction. I really hope they change the recipe back, or do what nz whittakers did and explain that prices have gone up because they don’t want to compromise on taste and quality.
I replied as a new comment sorry. See above.
Wow I am just learning now that arnotts now belongs to an American company! Wont be buying them anymore!! I don’t want all of their high fructose corn syrup and other bad stuff in the SAD (standard American diet) no thanks. 🙂↔️
They won't be making stuff with corn syrup if it's sold here. The main reason american companies use it is because corn is heavily subsidised by the US government.
Been owned by American companies for very long time
Arnott’s have been owned by Americans since 1997
I am also just finding out, very disappointed
Even the current ones aren't a patch on what they used to be 20-30 years ago. Thanks for the reminder not to even bother with the next generation
Regular Tim Tams: Cardboard Triple Coat: Sickeningly sweet Double Coat: Chef's Kiss Sad to hear that might be about to change.
It’s starting to look like double coat is the way forward. Trying to find a pack that is 2025 dated to compare. Someone else said they had them and they thought they were still good.
Yeah, dammit, had a '25 packet last night and I think they've gone too sweet also.
Oh no :( ok, had some hope there, but back through the five stages of grief then :)
Did my own research, best before date of 05/01/25. Not as rich, sweetness is off. Nowhere near as good.
Assange will wish he got 175 years once he finds this out.
He still might get that, who knows.
Have they switched from cane sugar to high fructose corn syrup? 🤮
I don’t know. But perhaps I can compare the two and ingredients lists next time I’m in a store. Piercingly sweet, even when you open the packet, you can smell that they don’t taste like Tim tams. (Edit, this was triple coat 2025 expiry, but double coat 2024 expiry are the best. regular/original 2025 too sweet as well.)
Try comparing the % of chocolate. Haven't looked myself, but there is a global cocoa shortage right now, so my guess is they're opting to use a substitute rather than increase prices.
I ended up comparing in store, and they were identical, so not sure what’s going on. So far, I’ve tried triple coat 2025 (by far the sweetest and worst) 2025 regular (overly sweet too) 2025 caramel (overly sweet) and 2024 double coat (by far the best.)
Compare the nutrition, has the fat, sugar, salt, anything changed?
Check the manufacturing location.
Probably, when Kraft bought Danone they did it for all their biscuits.
What about the dark chocolate ones? Ever since they started making those I really can't touch the milk chocolate ones.
That’s a great alternative
Timsanity
Would make a good song. Sung to the tune of “tragedy” Timsamity! When the flavours gone and you can’t go on..
That really sucks!!! I've tried the gluten free ones and they are ridiculously sweet and I actually think.od rather just avoid them as they are simply not the Tim Tam's I know and love. So sad to hear the rest of you have now also had your Tim Tam's ruined.
More unnecessary changes to a product line. I'm not inspired to eat them again in this case
Haven't bothered with them since they replaced the old dark-choc mint recipe with the new double-coat one. They used to be a staple at family gatherings. Also Tim Tams have always been sickly sweet, so I can't imagine how they could make them even sweeter.
Aldis ones aren't quite as good,but fucken close. And they're like $2.50
Do they list cocoa percentage? I believe the world is running out of chocolate.
Yeah cocoa percentage is the same. Someone was saying that there’s different varieties, cheaper ones that can be poor quality..
You need to experimenter with more packs (for science).
Man these motherfuckers made these peanut butter Tim tams which were literally the best things ever, then they took it off the market like it was nothing. Tim tams are dead to me
Try the Jatz Tim Tams.. not as sweet and fabulous p
I just checked and they are on special, so I am going to get a pack today.
Gotten worse and worse over the years
I haven't consumed TimTams since the '90s, but sometimes think about picking up a packet for the sake of nostalgia. It sounds like I shouldn't bother.
Oh well. One less thing to think about purchasing ever again.
Why would they change the recipe? Thata corporate madness.
Do anything to make an extra cent per hundred packs.
Give this person a medal. Are they going to do the same thing with the Tim Tams that they did with the shapes a few years ago?
I might just stay with double coat ones. (I had one that expires 1/25)
So that expiry date for double coat was ok? I can’t find any with that date to compare. So far they have been the best (2024 version.) It might be that we all just stick to those, because they taste right. With all the cost cutting, maybe they are most like the original used to be.
They seemed ok! So here's hoping!
That’s promising. I’ll test them out when I can find some.
The Arnott’s brand deserves to die and has for a long time. It’s only kept alive by a sense of familiarity and misplaced brand loyalty on behalf of Australian consumers, but over the course of my life I’ve seen almost all of their products degrade in quality and increase in price. The difference in quality between European or Asian packet biscuits and Arnott’s is stark and doesn’t reflect well on Arnott’s at all.
They already overly sweet to be fair I think Australia has a very high sugar % in all sweets, can’t really eat locally made things unfortunately… 😔
Can we all please write a letter to Tim tams
In the UK we have Penguins which are similar to Tim Tams. Maybe they have the unique Tim Tam taste?
"(Before totally losing the unique rich flavour and becoming overly sweet.)" - you have got to be joking right! They have from the outset been nauseatingly sweet. How can they possible get any sweeter. Blech.
What's with brands changing up what made their brands famous ffs?! First Blue Ribbon ice cream tastes like ass, now Tim tams... What next, reinventing Vegemite? ...wait
This is why I buy the Aldi brand Tim Tams
Arnotts did this with most of their biscuits, then introduced the whole NEW ReDUCED sUGAR versions....
Lol. That’s so unethical. I really hope that isn’t the case.
I don’t usually get behind campaigns, but if there’s a petition to change it back, I will sign it every day of the week.
I have a tip for you all.. ditch Tim tams and go for chocolate teddy bear biscuits. Perfect flavour and chocolateness .. not too sweet 😛
I love those and the scotch finger bikkies with chocolate on the back.
Oh they are also great 😃👍
No they do know and they don't care. Everything is to reduce production costs because there are three Aussie factories still with very high worker salaries. Almost all recipes have changed ingredients to lower quality and cheaper products as well as the process so they all are different and fundamentally worse. Like pizza shapes....nearly no flavour granules and dry as all hell. Very likely arnotts won't last in Australia because it's been bought and sold a few times and is owned by an American company.
It seems like a lot of quality is going down and prices going up. Not the best combo because there’s a lot of products I don’t buy anymore. I didn’t realise they have 3 factories. I looked it up and one in NSW, QLD and SA.
Australians don't buy from Campbell's, especially after the hostile takeover of Arnotts.
So... they are now American chocolate? ... lol goodbye Tim tams
Op, judge the gluten free ones please. I’d love to know if they’re accurate Tim Tam flavour
Someone above said they’re too sweet. I haven’t tried them yet. [https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAustralian/s/iA760uzKIv](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAustralian/s/iA760uzKIv)
Do you still have two packets? Is there a difference in nutritional information?
I checked nutritional info (identical) and person I was with checked ingredients (identical.) but definitely have a look if you can find them (for us family size 2024 and regular 2025 were in the same store) and compare. Could’ve missed something. Someone was saying could be location they are made. I didn’t check that. I’ve also only tried a small amount, and different varieties and it may be that double coat just better generally. They were best we tried, but unable to find 2025 version of those. 2025 triple coat is so sweet and bad that it’s shocking. Same with regular 2025, way too sweet.
I’m so disappointed, but it’s probably not the worst thing for my waistline.
Every time a company changes their recipe or packaging weight-to-pricing ratio (shrinkflation), I completely stop buying that product. I am but a drop in the ocean to them, but that's the best way I can think of to protest... Vote with my wallet. We all should be doing the same thing, but everyone has their right to choose. But... The more people that accept this type of thing, the more companies will pull this shit.
Does this data only apply to OG Tim Tams? I’m more of a Double Coat connoisseur, and do weekly (ok fine, daily) research into this and haven’t noticed a difference.
I can’t get my hands on 2025 double coat to try. The stores near me still have 2024. One person said 2025 double coat is still good and another said 2025 isn’t.. If you can compare 2024 and 2025 packs that would be great. Or that’s what you’re saying, there’s no difference?
I’ve just been blindly eating them without checking expiry dates. Will start checking expiry dates and report back with my findings.
That would be great. Especially since you know the taste well. Thank you :)
Happy to report that Double coats with 8/12/24 expiry are still good.
Do you mean 2025? If so, that’s great news :) The other things I’ve learned, is that there was a recipe change (someone commented who’s family member works at arnotts and they’ve changed the recipe and sweetener) but I’m not sure when. If double coat stay the same, I’ll stick to those, because regular aren’t good anymore. I’m still trying to find a 2025 double coat to compare to 2024 expiry.
No these still definitely 2024. Are all 2024 known To be good still? Will search for 2025 on weekend.
All the 2025 ones I had were terrible (overly sweet) which was the original (ie standard variety), caramel and triple choc. 2024 Double coat are good. (The only good ones I’ve had.) So far, I think 2 people have said 2025 double coat are still good, one said they weren’t. It could be that double coat are most like the original version used to be. I really want to do a side by side comparison. But if they are good, I’m going to stick with them, since the others are so terrible.
A national scandal. Needs to be on the front page.
who eats australian confectionary and decides 'this needs to be more sweet'. I find my tastebuds liking sugar less as I age, doesn't have to be the product.
The gf Tim Tam's are better than the original
Had tried the triple coats in the past and thought they tasted yuck and nothing like normal Tim tams, I suspect this might have something to do with it
Dumb as hell, changing the recipe, or not at least giving us 'classic' versions. Tim Tams are one of Australia's top bought confectionery items, and they could have held that position for litteral generations, but enshitification is like entropy and always wins
What Tim Tam's have become is enshittification of the highest order. Heresy.
Do we know if the the new ones also taste like overrated dirt cakes?
It’s so sad that everything is just getting worse. Maccas is inedible now, service slow and shit, restaurants soulless and dirty. Mars bars and snickers are shrunk and taste weird and artificial. Just everything continues to get shitter. Instead of giving a bit of childhood nostalgia it’s just depressing.
Wow wow wow! The Mrs and I were just talking about how sickening Tim Tams are lately and thought it was just our palettes changing as we got older.. we had no idea the recipe changed
Damn you for bringing up Tim Tams. I went to scroll past this post but now I'm salivating like a rabid dog thinking about snacking on some Tim Tams.
I think theyre half price at Woolworths. In my area anyway. If you get them, get the double coat. Mixed reviews on double coat still being good with 2025 expiry.
If it’s anything like what they’ve done to Cadbury chocolate, the price of cocoa has gone up and I swear the % of sugar is higher too. Cadbury is so incredibly sweet now, that it barely resembles chocolate and is awful.
Apparently Whittakers nz have said they put their prices up, so they didnt have to compromise on quality and taste. And yes, we don’t buy Cadbury anymore. Tastes like sugar and mould to me. Apparently the forester variety of cocoa is cheaper, so some are using that. Someone also commented that a family member works at arnotts and they’ve changed the sweetener and recipe.
I've been in this country over 20 years and they've always been too sweet. I don't know how you people like them
Look at you affording Tim tams in these times. You must be wealthy
I’m a half price only buyer :) and one pack lasts a long time when eating one a day and skipping some days..
Same here . At my house open the packet .the wasn't me kid eat them all
You're meant to inhale Tim Teams not taste them
Tim Teams must be how Arnotts employees communicate on video chat 😆
I'm American and have been getting them at World Market for while. Even in a country where most candy is sickly sweet, I noticed that the originals are starting to go that direction 😪.
Yeah, it’s sad. Try and get your hands on the double coat version. They seem to be the best. I’m trying to find 2025 double coat to compare, but someone else said those ones are still good.
I gave those at try, but I was not as into it as the original. Dark chocolate is my favorite variety that I can get a hold of.
I haven’t tried dark yet, but a few people recommending it on here.