Who is each biscuit for?

Classic bourbon tea-break shoppers

If you want two cocoa biscuits around a chocolate-flavoured filling, start with a standard bourbon cream. Its brown colour alone does not tell you whether it contains dark chocolate.

Shoppers seeking dark chocolate

Look for an explicit dark-chocolate description and a cocoa-solids figure where one is given. Marks & Spencer’s 49%-minimum-cocoa example is a chocolate round, so choosing it means leaving the bourbon format behind.

Ingredient- and allergen-checking shoppers

Check the exact pack’s ingredients, highlighted allergens and precautionary statements before buying. A general description of bourbon biscuits cannot establish whether a particular product suits your requirements.

What should you check before choosing?

Decide whether the bourbon sandwich format or an explicit dark-chocolate description matters more, then compare the filling, coating and pack details of the products you are considering.

Priority What to check Your needs
Dark chocolate Check whether the label explicitly says dark chocolate and gives a cocoa-solids minimum. Tesco describes its Bourbon Creams as chocolate sandwich biscuits with chocolate-flavoured filling; Marks & Spencer states 49% minimum cocoa solids for the chocolate in its Dark Chocolate Rounds. I want a stated dark-chocolate ingredient, even if that means choosing a biscuit other than a bourbon.
Biscuit format Compare a standard cocoa-biscuit sandwich with an extra-cream version or a coated version. Marks & Spencer describes its coated bourbon as covered in milk chocolate, not dark chocolate. A plain bourbon suits the tea break I have in mind; on another occasion I might prefer more cream or a milk-chocolate coating.
Nutrition and portion Use per-100-g values to compare different formats, and check per-biscuit values for the amount you plan to serve. Marks & Spencer lists 36.7 g sugars per 100 g for its Extra Cream Bourbon Creams and 47.4 g per 100 g for its Milk Chocolate Coated Bourbon Creams. I want to compare biscuits on the same per-100-g basis without losing sight of how many I will have with tea.
Ingredients and allergens Read the current pack for ingredients, highlighted allergens and precautionary statements. Tesco lists wheat flour in its Bourbon Creams; do not apply one product’s ingredient list to another variant. If an ingredient or allergen matters to me, I need the label for the exact biscuit I am buying.

Common buying mistakes

  • Assuming a cocoa-coloured bourbon is dark chocolate

    Cocoa in a biscuit does not, by itself, establish a dark-chocolate ingredient or a particular cocoa-solids level. Tesco’s standard bourbon and Marks & Spencer’s explicitly dark-chocolate rounds are different products.

    If dark chocolate is the deciding factor, check the exact label for that description and compare any stated cocoa-solids figure. If the sandwich format matters more, choose on that basis instead.

  • Comparing a coated biscuit with a plain bourbon by appearance

    A coating changes the product you are comparing. Marks & Spencer labels its coated bourbon as milk chocolate and lists 47.4 g sugars per 100 g for that product.

    Check the chocolate type and compare nutrition per 100 g across the specific packs; use the per-biscuit figures when considering your usual serving.

  • Using a general biscuit description for an allergy decision

    Ingredients and precautionary allergen statements belong to the exact product, not to the bourbon-biscuit category as a whole.

    Read the current physical pack before use, including its highlighted allergens and any precautionary statements.

Relevant brand and retailer options

These examples show how product descriptions distinguish a bourbon cream, a coated bourbon and a separate dark-chocolate biscuit; they do not establish that every product from a brand has the same ingredients.

McVitie’s

Joybuy describes the 300 g McVitie’s Tasties Bourbon Creams as chocolate buttercream between crisp biscuits that its product page calls dark chocolate biscuits.

  • A bourbon-cream format for a tea break.
  • Check the pack’s chocolate description and ingredients if a stated cocoa-solids minimum matters to you.

Tesco

Tesco describes its Bourbon Creams as chocolate sandwich biscuits with chocolate-flavoured filling.

  • A reference point for the standard bourbon-cream format.
  • Do not treat the cocoa-biscuit description as an explicit dark-chocolate designation.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s lists a 200 g own-label Bourbon pack.

  • A smaller-pack bourbon option to consider for a tea break.
  • Check the exact pack for its ingredients, allergens and any dark-chocolate description.

M&S

Marks & Spencer describes separate Extra Cream Bourbon Creams, Milk Chocolate Coated Bourbon Creams and Dark Chocolate Rounds.

  • The product descriptions distinguish extra filling, a milk-chocolate coating and dark chocolate with 49% minimum cocoa solids.
  • The dark-chocolate rounds are not bourbon biscuits; the coated bourbons use milk chocolate.

Waitrose

Waitrose lists Essential Bourbon Creams 400 g separately from Essential Dark Chocolate Digestives 300 g.

  • The listings make the choice between a bourbon cream and a different dark-chocolate biscuit clear.
  • Check the bourbon pack itself before drawing conclusions about its chocolate type or ingredients.

Joybuy product options

This Joybuy option is a matcha cookie to consider if you are willing to move away from the traditional bourbon-cream sandwich. BOURBON is the brand name here, not a description of the biscuit type.

BOURBON Alfort Mini Chocolate Matcha Cookies, 12 pcs, 60g

BOURBON Alfort Mini Chocolate Matcha Cookies, 12 pcs, 60g

These matcha cookies are an alternative to the familiar bourbon-cream sandwich for a tea break. The pack is labelled 12 pcs, 60g. If dark chocolate is your priority, check the exact pack for the chocolate type and any stated cocoa-solids figure before choosing it.

View on Joybuy

Questions about bourbon biscuits

How can I tell whether a biscuit contains dark chocolate?

Look for an explicit dark-chocolate description and a cocoa-solids figure where one is provided. Marks & Spencer states 49% minimum cocoa solids for the chocolate in its Dark Chocolate Rounds, but those rounds are not bourbon biscuits; cocoa powder in a standard bourbon is not the same claim.

Are bourbon biscuits suitable for someone avoiding wheat or milk?

Do not decide from the biscuit name alone. Tesco lists wheat flour in its Bourbon Creams, while ingredients differ between products and variants. Read the exact pack’s ingredients, highlighted allergens and precautionary statements before use.

Does the name “bourbon biscuit” tell me whether it contains alcohol?

No; the name is not an ingredient list. If avoiding alcohol matters to you, check the ingredients on the exact pack rather than relying on the biscuit’s name or another brand’s recipe.

How should I store bourbon biscuits after opening?

Keep them in a cool, dry place and reseal them or transfer them to an airtight container after opening, as directed on the checked Tesco and Marks & Spencer product information. Follow the instructions on your own pack where they differ.