Rich Tea is the best biscuit for dunking – and here’s the proof

THE debate over which biscuit is best for dunking normally comes down to a matter of personal taste.

But the more practical question of which can soak up the most tea without crumbling into the cup has been subjected to the more exacting scrutiny of science.

Ten types of biscuit, ranging from Fortnum & Mason pistachio and clotted cream to children’s favourite Fox’s Party Rings, were dunked to see how long each lasted before losing ‘structural integrity’ – science speak for how long before they crumbled. In a separate test, the amount of tea each could absorb in 15 seconds was measured.

The winner was the McVitie’s Rich Tea with nine points out of a maximum ten – holding together for an impressive ten minutes before starting to disintegrate.

It also absorbed more tea than any other biscuit at 14g.

Sarah Barnes, of the Institute of Physics, who carried out the test said: ‘The Rich Tea impressed us all. Its compact structure means it can hold its shape a bit easier than the looser, oatier biscuits.’

McVitie’s also took second place with eight out of ten for its digestives, which held together for four minutes and soaked up 12g of tea – almost doubling its dry weight of 14.8g.

Joint last were Sainsbury’s ginger snaps and Maryland choc chip cookies with only two points each.

A robot arm was used to place the biscuits exactly half way into a mug of tea to ensure no external forces – such as shaking hands or over-eagerness to munch – affected the results.

Digital scales were used to measure the amount of tea each retained during the 15second dunk test. Each test was done three times with average results calculated.

Fox’s Party Rings finished a respectable third, thanks to their ‘extra support’ caused by their ‘dense structure and sugary coating’, although this prevented them holding much tea.

McVitie’s also came fourth and fifth with Chocolate Digestives and Hobnobs respectively, followed by bourbon creams, the Fortnum & Mason biscuits which cost an eyewatering £11, Oreos, Sainsbury’s ginger snaps – the cheapest biscuits at 40p a pack – and the choc chip cookies.

The test was commissioned by Wired magazine and will feature in its September issue. Product editor Jeremy White told The Sun: ‘We thought we’d sort out the winner once and for all.’