Side by Side Comparison

Tim Tams. Often referred to as the bounty of the gods (OK wait, that probably steps on the toes of Bounties and Ferrero Rochers, but whatever). Also known as the one and only foodstuff my dad stockpiles in the event of some sort of apocalypse. Although I guess toilet paper is edible as well. I’m going off message again. Sorry. But we’ve established that Tim Tams are yum, and my dad’s definition of retail therapy is buying toilet paper and chocolate biscuits when they’re on sale.

Fiji, being a thoroughly cool and hip country, has its own version of the Tim Tam called the Tymo. They come in normal chocolate, mint, orange, and coconut flavours. However, every now and then you might just find Tim Tams on the shelves of the local supermarkets. This happened today, and caused quite a stir (not on the streets or anything, just in my life). It provided me with the unique opportunity to sample both biscuits side by side, mouthful by mouthful.

Is this lame? Is this something lame people do? Who cares. I’m doing it anyway.

Packaging

Both Tymos and Tim Tams are professionally packaged, and are obviously marketed to look attractive to prospective buyers. Tymo packaging doesn’t quite have that glossy sheen Tim Tams do – which is more a reflection on marketing budget than anything else – but both definitely appear to be delicious snacks worth your purchase.

Physical Description

Ostensibly the same biscuit, Tymos and Tim Tams still appear slightly different to the casual observer. Both are of similar size, shape and weight. Some may prefer the Tim Tam’s smooth surface to the Tymo’s more ‘rough around the edges’ approach to biscuit confectionary, but really, that’s up to the individual. The innards of both biscuits are similar in appearance but likely not in ingredients (you really think I can be bothered looking at the recipe thingy on the back? Please): chocolate coated biscuit with a flavour-of-your-choice-filled centre. No surprises there.

Range of Flavours

As stated previously, Tymos come in four distinct flavours. Unfortunately this in no way measures up to the vast range that Tim Tams have to offer. However, where Tim Tams have double chocolate, coffee, dark chocolate, blackforest, white chocolate, white-chocolate-coloured-pink-to-support-breast-cancer-awareness, and choco-vanilla, Tymos have coconut. And mint, but that risks getting into a whole different argument regarding Arnotts’ Mint Slice or Drop or whatever they’re called, and I’m really not comfortable getting that political. They also have orange flavour, but that’s not something to brag about. To make a point of all this, both brands offer something different: Tim Tams are more decadent and sedate, where Tymos offer something a little more adventurous and wild.

Taste

Which is really what it’s all about, isn’t it? Tasting both Tymos and Tim Tams one after another (and another, and another, but you don’t need to know the science behind the experiment, except that it was rigorous) yielded some interesting, albeit unsurprising results. The ingredients constituting both brands may be somewhat similar – sugar, flour, cocoa etc), but the quality of ingredients differed vastly. Tim Tam chocolate was nicer, more chocolately. The biscuit was more firm, and crumbled in my mouth precisely when it should have. The creamy centre was creamier than Tymos, and more satisfying. Having said all that, both biscuits were a little stale. This is normal for Tymos, and I’m sort of glad Tim Tams suffered the same fate.

Overall Score

How can one be objective when it comes to scoring a biscuit? One can’t, which makes the whole test quite meaningless. Much like the majority of this blog. Sure, Tim Tams are better made because they have more funding for marketing, as well as higher quality ingredients. They also have a bigger range to cater for all tastes (all tastes categorised under ‘sweet’, that is). But you know what? After four months of not having Tim Tams, Tymos are pretty great. They still look good, and sure, there aren’t as many options, but they’re still a chocolate biscuit. And there are a heck of a lot of places in this world where you can’t even get that. Yeah, sometimes I’ve taken a bite of a Tymo and cringed at how stale it is. Sometimes I’ve wondered why I even bothered buying a packet (I’m looking at you, orange flavour). On the whole though, I’m glad I’ve got Tymos. Tim Tams are great, and I look forward to eating them in the future, but for now, Tymos it is.

*SPOILER ALERT* For readers in the far off future who understand what it is to be meta: I’m hoping you totally understood that this whole post was a ridiculously clever and somewhat poignant allegory of my experience thus far in Fiji, where Tymo = Fiji and Tim Tam = Australia. You absolutely have my blessing to turn this entire blog into a movie written and directed by a cryogenically preserved/clone of Joss Whedon. I just think he gets me.