I tested 12 biscuits to find the best dunker – a favourite really surprised me and the winner won’t mug you off
AS I dunked my Rich Tea biscuit into my cuppa, I didn't hold out high hopes - but amazingly it's still in tact over a minute later.
I tested the nation's favourite biscuits to see which one is best for dunking in tea.
Choosing your biccie wisely is more important than ever, with prices on the rise - costs have shot up by up to 42% in the months running up to Christmas.
I tested 12 popular biscuits, firstly, I dunked for two seconds and then I measured the length of time it would take for each one to break.
To make the test a fair result, I made sure to refresh my brew frequently to make sure biscuits were being tested in similar temperatures.
Here's which biscuits were a big success, and which ones were a flop.
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The most robust - Milk chocolate Hobnobs
With it's hard-as-nails dense oat biscuit covered in a generous layer of milk chocolate, the Hobnob was crowned winner.
It's a biscuit I wouldn't dare eat without dunking - I'd be worried I'd loose a tooth.
After two seconds, the dense biscuit started loosening up and was much easier to bite into.
It took on an almost caramel-like flavour, and the chocolate melted in my mouth.
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It took a whole one minute 15 seconds before it broke in my tea - making it the biscuit less likely to break apart.
You do pay a price for the brand, though.
It was the most expensive biscuit, at £2.70 from Sainsbury's.
But I would say it's worth paying a premium if you're looking for a treat - the flavours were perfect.
I couldn't wait to take the packet home with me after work to finish off in front of the telly.
- Taste test after two second dunk: 5/5
- Value for money: 4.5/5
- Length of time to fall into mug: 1:15
Overall score: 9.5/10
Custard cream
I consider custard creams an elite biscuit.
With sweet custard flavour icing sandwiched between two plain biscuits, it’s a true British classic.
It didn’t let me down.
It crumbled in my mouth, and the biscuit structure didn’t fall apart.
Best of all, the hot tea brought out the flavour of the custard middle.
It also held up well when it came to testing how long it would withstand being dunked in tea for.
A packet cost 40p from M&S - which I thought was great value.
- Taste test after two second dunk: 4.5/5
- Value for money: 4.5/5
- Length of time to fall into mug: 35 seconds
Overall score: 9/10
Milk chocolate McVitie's Digestives
I'm already a seasoned Milk chocolate digestive dunking pro.
They are my favourite biscuit, so I was interested to see how they would live up to others in my dunking test.
After two seconds, the chocolate started to melt and tasted delicious.
It didn't last long in my cuppa - it fell apart after 22seconds.
As any choccy biccie fan knows, eating them can turn into a bit of a mess - I was concerned I would stain my sofa.
It was the joint most-expensive biscuit at £2.70 from Sainsbury's.
I believe you can get a similar choccie Digestive that tastes as good for less, but without paying a premium for the McVitie's brand.
- Taste test after two second dunk: 5/5
- Value for money: 3.5/5
- Length of time to fall into mug: 35 seconds
Overall score: 8.5/10
Bourbons
You can't go wrong with a Bourbon - I like to bite the biscuit off, leaving the chocolate icing for last.
It retained its structure very well, and after two seconds, still had a good bite to it.
But it didn't have as much stamina as other biccies, breaking into my tea after 22seconds.
At 40p a packet from M&;S, I was surprised by the great value for money.
- Test after two second dunk: 4/5
- Value for money: 4/5
- Length of time to fall into mug: 20 seconds
Overall score: 8/10
Ginger snap
I love a ginger snap, and dunking one is essential.
Because they're so hard, they can be difficult to bite into.
That's why I'm surprised when it only took 36seconds to break in my tea.
But it fared better in the two second taste test.
The tea softened the biscuit up, so it went all chewy and tasted delicious.
For the price - 50p from Sainsbury's - I thought they were great value for money.
- Taste test after two second dunk: 4/5
- Value for money: 4/5
- Length of time to fall into mug: 36seconds
Overall score: 8/10
Maryland choc chip cookies
These biscuits gave the winner a run for their money.
They had great structural integrity after both dunking tests.
After two seconds, the choc chips went all gooey, while the cookie itself still had a good snap.
It took 34seconds for before it broke off in my tea, making it one of the most resilient biccies I tried.
Although it was one of more more expensive varities I tried, I still thought it was great value for money at £1.50 a packet from Sainsbury's.
- Taste test after two second dunk: 4/5
- Value for money: 4/5
- Length of time to fall into mug: 34seconds
Overall score: 8/10
Malted milk
Malted milks remind me of my childhood - I used to have them with orange squash at school.
Judging by the name alone, I assumed they wouldn't last long in my cuppa.
I was right - it took just 13seconds before it dropped to the bottom of my mug.
After a two second dunk test, my malted milk went floppy as well - any longer and I would have lost my biscuit.
They cost 50p from Sainsbury's - but although they were cheap, they weren't as yummy as the other low value biccies I tried.
- Taste test after two second dunk: 3/5
- Value for money: 3.5/5
- Length of time to fall into mug: 13 seconds
Overall score: 6.5/10
Plain McVitie's Digestives
Admittedly, a plain Digestive wouldn't be my first biscuit of choice.
But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed giving this biscuit a good dunking.
My first issue, however, was getting it into my mug.
Any Digestive fan knows that they are annoyingly too big to dunk whole - so I had to nibble around the edges to get it in.
After a two second dip, it still had a great snap.
After 35 seconds, it started to disintegrate in my tea.
At £1.25 from Sainsbury's, they were expensive, and there were plainer biscuits, like the Malted Milks, that I preferred - so I knocked a few points off for value for money.
- Taste test after two second dunk: 3.5/5
- Value for money: 3/5
- Length of time to fall into mug: 35 seconds
Overall score: 6.5/10
Rich tea
I was very sceptical about this biscuit.
I expected it to flop immediately in my hot tea.
But I couldn’t have been more surprised at the results.
After a two second dunk, I was surprised when it snapped when I took a bite.
My rich tea was holding on for dear life while being dunked - it was surprisingly resilient.
The only downside was the taste.
It was really plain, and I was craving a bit chocolate or icing on top to make it tastier.
That's why I marked it down on taste, and value for money.
I bought mine from Sainsbury's for £1.60, and I just didn't think it was worth the cash.
- Taste test after two second dunk: 3/5
- Value for money: 3/5
- Length of time to fall into mug: 1:04
Overall score: 6/10
Jammie Dodgers
I love jam in biscuits, and Jammie Dodgers are a firm favourite of mine, even if it's a bit of a random choice for dunking. I stick by it.
The shortcake-like biscuit started soaking up a lot of moisture after just two seconds in my cuppa.
However, the jam acted like superglue, keeping the biscuit in tact and I soon realised I'd made a big mistake.
The gloopy jam quickly got stuck around my teeth and it tasted weird with tea. A firm no, thanks from me.
It took 32 seconds to finally fall apart.
I was surprised by the great value for money - a packet only costs 65p from Sainsbury's.
I couldn't eat a lot of them though - they are quite sickly.
Taste test after two second dunk: 3/5
Value for money: 3/5
Length of time to fall into mug: 32 seconds
Overall score: 6/10
Nice biscuit
Nice biscuits are the type of biscuit that make you feel underwhelmed just by looking at it.
I'm not a fan of coconut, and find the concept of it in a biscuit baffling.
Nevertheless, it's the type of biscuit that you'd find in a jar at your nan's, so gave the family favourite a whirl.
Far from what the name suggests, it wasn't a pleasant experience dipping it in tea.
After just two seconds, the biscuit went all mushy in my mouth - it didn't retain its structure at all.
Just 15 seconds in my tea, it fell apart.
At 50p from Sainsbury's, I would have chosen a packet of Custard Creams or Bourbons - which were 10p cheaper - any day.
- Taste test after two second dunk: 1/5
- Value for money: 3/5
- Length of time to fall into mug: 15 seconds
Overall score: 4/10
Jaffa Cakes
I know what you’re thinking: Jaffa cakes aren’t a biscuit.
But with 51% of Brits classing this treat in the biscuit category, I had to include it.
I wish I hadn’t though.
After just one second in my tea, it started to disintegrate.
It was a logistical nightmare trying to navigate it into my mouth without ending up with a big mess on my lap.
It tasted foul and the texture was all wrong.
I imagine it would be like the consistency of a mother bird regurgitating her food and feeding it to her brood.
The best big of a Jaffa cake is the wobbly orange jelly.
I think that was the main reason the Jaffa cake took an astounding 1:04 before it finally fell to the bottom of my mug - it acted like superglue binding the cake together.
That's if you can stomach the weird taste combo.
I rated Jaffa Cakes low on value for money - they were among the most expensive biscuit at £1.20 from Tesco, and you only got 10 of them.
- Taste test after two second dunk: 0/5
- Value for money: 2/5
- Length of time to fall into mug: 1:04
Overall score: 2/10
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