The Tim Tam turns 60: here's the taste team's definitive ranking

The Tim Tam looks good for someone turning 60. The iconic Australian biscuit first appeared on shelves in 1964 and now about 30 million packets are sold each year.

February 16 is National Tim Tam Day and the celebrations are in full swing.

At the Arnott's Huntingwood bakery in Western Sydney, the Tim Tam line runs 24-7, churning out more than 4 million biscuits each day, using up 20 tonnes of the cream filling and 27 tonnes of chocolate coating each shift.

The biscuit was created by Ian Norris in 1958 and when it went to market, Ross Arnott himself decided on the name. An avid race goer, Arnott settled on Tim Tam, the name of the horse that won the 1958 Kentucky Derby.

Over its 60-year history, the Tim Tam recipe hasn't changed much. It's a simple malted biscuit dough, cut to one centimetre thickness and baked before it's filled with cream and dunked in chocolate.

One part of the cooking method involves holes being punched into the biscuit before baking. Perhaps this is the reason the "Tim Tam Slam", first reported in 1983, is such an experience. Bite the ends off a Tim Tam and dunking it in your tea or coffee and using it as a straw.

Arnott's is hoping a certain celebrity might do one when she performs in Melbourne this weekend.

Taylor Swift is a fan, she once said the Chewy Caramel variety was "life-changing", and Arnott's will be distributing limited-edition Tay Tams across Melbourne on February 16.

Tim Tam marketing manager Rebecca Chan said Arnott's hopes fans everywhere join in the celebrations.

READ MORE:

"As Tim Tam enters its 60th year, we continue to witness the power and social currency this incredibly indulgent chocolate biscuit has amongst locals and visitors," she said. "We are so grateful to each and every fan for making Tim Tam the icon it is today. We hope one in particular will join us in doing a Tim Tam Slam ... maybe in front of over 100,000 fans at the MCG - what more could we wish for?"

Swift isn't the only celebrity who's a fan of the biscuit. George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Harry Styles and Kendall Jenner have publicly expressed their love. So have Australian stars such as Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Jackman and Rebel Wilson.

In 2019, the country NSW town Tamworth joined in the fun, renaming itself Tim Tam-worth for the day. In 2012, a Tim Tam tree was planted in Sydney's Martin Place and in 2021 Bachelor star Tim Robards made an appearance as the Tim Tam genie granting a woman's wishes.

And a TikTok from the Matildas went viral after a World Cup win, the clip showed them enjoying a post-match snack of Tim Tams.

While the Original flavour is the best-seller, memorable flavours from the past 60 years include: Choc Banana, Dimbulah Mountain Estate Coffee, Turkish Delight, Butterscotch and Cream, Dark Choc Banoffee, Red Velvet, Dark Choc Espresso Martini and Kensington Pride Mango and Cream.

We put our tasting team to the Tim Tam test and discovered our favourites. Let us know in the comments and poll what your favourite is.

I wanted it to taste like a Bounty Bar and was a little disappointed. There's an early aroma of coconut but that bitter essence kicked in. Buy a Bounty instead.

If the Double Coat was decadent, ramp it up another notch here with the Deluxe range's latest option. There's an extra gooey centre and more cream filling.

Pure decadence, it's like two Tim Tams in one. There seems to be more creamy filling too. With this one you could stop at one.

A lighter colour biscuit which added to the experience as the caramel was extremely rich and salty. Tasty way to get a geography lesson too.

Surprisingly brownie-like, fudgy biscuit with a generous layer of delicious salted caramel with quite a bit of that caramel pull when you bite into the biscuit.

A superior biscuit with that almost savoury dark chocolate flavour. Even the biscuit itself is darker in colour and there's a richness to it without it being overpowering.

Lovers of white chocolate will adore these. There's a lightness to it, and the cream filling has a distinct vanilla flavour. Almost reminiscent of a melting moment your nanna made.

The pick of the caramel offerings, with a real bite to the caramel filling. Good caramel is never too sweet and this one is the perfect foil for the chocolate coating.

Officially it's Australia's favourite. More than 2.8 million were sold in 2023. Some days you need a classic and this biscuit is it. Never disappoints.

A little thicker than the non-deluxe versions with a thin layer of white paste that's not too minty but the perfect foil for the rich chocolate. Serve them after dinner.