How Long Do Biscuits Last When Dunked in Tea? A Conclusive Experiment
As a lover of tea and biscuits, I decided to conduct an experiment to determine how long different types of biscuits can withstand being dunked in a hot cup of tea before becoming too soggy or falling apart, I will call this the "safe dunk duration". This information could be useful for biscuit lovers to know which varieties hold up best when dunking. It was also the inspiration for my biscuit mug.
For my experiment, I bought one packet of each of the following 10 biscuit varieties: Hobnob, Digestive, Nice biscuit, Bourbon, Jammie Dodger, Shortie, Custard Cream, Malted Milk, Ginger Nut, Rich Tea.
I wanted to find out how long you can dunk biscuits safely, so I made a fresh cup of hot tea. I took one biscuit from each packet and dipped it halfway into the tea, then started a timer as soon as the biscuit touched the tea. I gently moved the biscuit up and down twice while it was in the tea to copy how people dunk biscuits. When the biscuit started to break or get too soggy, I stopped the timer and wrote down how long it took. I did this test three times for each of the ten types of biscuits and worked out the average.
Here's how long, on average, each type of biscuit lasted in my experiment:
Biscuit | Avg. Safe Dunk Duration |
Hobnob | 5 seconds |
Digestive | 4 seconds |
Nice | 2 seconds |
Bourbon | 5 seconds |
Jammie Dodger | 7 seconds |
Shortie | 6 seconds |
Custard Cream | 4 seconds |
Malted Milk | 2 seconds |
Ginger Nut | 5 seconds |
Rich Tea | 3 seconds |
The Jammie Dodger lasted the longest when dunked in hot tea, averaging 7 seconds before becoming too soft. This is likely because the jam filling helps add structural integrity to the biscuit, allowing it to maintain its shape longer when introduced to moisture.
The Shortie biscuit and Hobnob varieties came in second, each averaging 5-6 seconds before deteriorating. Both these biscuits have a decent amount of weight and density that may have contributed to their medium-level dunk times.
On the lower end, the Nice biscuit and Malted Milk biscuits fell apart very quickly, lasting only 2 seconds when dunked. Their crumbly, crunchy textures caused them to dissolve rapidly when moisture was introduced. The lightweight Rich Tea also shared this low tolerance, lasting just 3 seconds.
The Digestive, Bourbon, Custard Cream, and Ginger Nut biscuits performed moderately well, withstanding 4-5 seconds on average before becoming saturated. Their modest amounts of additional ingredients seem to lend these varieties a bit more structural integrity than the drier, plainer biscuits.
Based on these results, I can conclusively recommend the Jammie Dodger as the best variety for dunking in hot tea. The added jam appears to act as a sealant and binder to help the biscuit maintain its shape and absorb a moderate amount of liquid before softening excessively.
The Shortie and Hobnob are decent second-tier options, lasting nearly as long as the Jammie Dodger. However, I’d advise against choosing the lightest, crunchiest biscuits like Nice, Malted Milk and Rich Tea for dunking purposes. Their textures simply cannot withstand the hot liquid for more than a few very brief seconds.
Picking biscuits often comes down to what you like, but this test gives us good info on which ones are best at not falling apart in tea or coffee.
Being a fan of biscuits and hot drinks, I thought it was cool to know exactly how long each kind of biscuit lasts when you dip it.
Maybe later, I'll check out more biscuits, different drinks, and temperatures. But for now, I can say for sure that the Jammie Dodger is the champ at keeping its shape when dunked in hot tea!
If you need to remember this for future reference you can check out our biscuit dunk duration mug, the perfect biscuit lover gift!