Hosts comparing sugar on the label
If you want to put bourbon biscuits out with coffee, sugars per biscuit helps you compare a planned serving. The per-100g figure gives you a second basis for comparing packs.
Who is this choice for?
Hosts serving guests who avoid gluten or milk
A stated free-from declaration matters more than the biscuit's resemblance to a standard bourbon. Check the current pack for the particular ingredients your guests need to avoid.
Shoppers looking for a reduced-sugar claim
A lower sugars figure in a small product comparison is not the same as a product labelled reduced sugar. Check the precise product wording if that claim is central to your choice.
What should you check before buying?
For coffee with friends, start with the serving you expect to offer, then check the nutrition and allergen information on the specific pack.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars per biscuit | Compare the labelled figure for each biscuit and consider how many you will serve. Tesco Groceries lists 2.7g for Tesco Free From and 3.5g for standard Tesco Bourbon Creams; Sainsbury's lists 3.4g for its Bourbon. | I'm putting out a few biscuits with coffee and want to compare the sugar in the serving I offer. |
| Sugars per 100g | Compare the nutrition declarations on the same per-100g basis. Tesco Groceries lists 19.5g for Free From and 25.2g for standard Bourbon Creams; Sainsbury's lists 25.8g. NHS label guidance describes 22.5g or more of total sugar per 100g as high. | The biscuits may differ in size, so I want a consistent label measure as well as the per-biscuit figure. |
| Dietary declarations | Read the current ingredients, allergen statement and any free-from wording. Tesco describes its Free From Bourbon Creams as gluten-free and milk-free; Sainsbury's warns that its standard Bourbon is unsuitable for customers with milk or barley allergy because of manufacturing methods. | A guest needs to avoid gluten or milk, so I need a declaration that addresses that requirement—not just a lower sugars figure. |
| Claim wording | Look for an explicit reduced-sugar claim if that is what you require. Do not treat vegan, gluten-free or milk-free wording as a sugar claim. | I'm choosing between a biscuit with a lower listed sugars figure and one specifically described as reduced sugar. |
| Sharing portions | Plan the number of biscuits you will put out and check the pack size when buying for several guests. | I'd rather set out a serving for the group than use the whole pack as my portion guide. |
What is easy to overlook?
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Reading free-from as reduced sugar
Tesco Free From Bourbon Creams list less sugar per biscuit than Tesco's standard Bourbon Creams, but their gluten-free and milk-free declarations address different questions from a reduced-sugar claim.
Compare sugars per biscuit and per 100g, and check for explicit claim wording if a reduced-sugar label matters to you.
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Letting pack size decide the serving
Tesco Free From Bourbon Creams come in a 150g pack and standard Tesco Bourbon Creams in a 296g pack. Neither pack size tells you how many biscuits each guest will eat.
Decide how many to serve before using the per-biscuit sugars figure to compare options.
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Using an old online allergen statement
An allergen decision depends on the specific pack being served. Sainsbury's warns that its standard Bourbon is unsuitable for customers with milk or barley allergy because of manufacturing methods.
Read the current pack's ingredients and allergen statement before offering biscuits to guests with dietary restrictions.
Which product lines are relevant?
These named products illustrate different label and format checks; a brand name alone does not establish its sugar content or dietary suitability.
Tesco
Tesco lists both standard Bourbon Creams and a separate Free From Bourbon Creams product.
- Tesco Groceries lists 3.5g sugars per biscuit for the standard product and 2.7g for Free From, which it describes as gluten-free, milk-free and vegan.
- The Free From declaration is not itself a reduced-sugar claim. Check the current pack before serving.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's Bourbon is a standard bourbon biscuit sold in a 200g pack.
- Sainsbury's lists 3.4g sugars per biscuit and 25.8g per 100g for this product.
- Sainsbury's says it is unsuitable for customers with milk or barley allergy because of manufacturing methods.
Waitrose Essential
Waitrose describes Essential Bourbon Creams Biscuits as chocolate-flavoured cream sandwich biscuits in a 400g pack.
- Use the current pack's nutrition and allergen declarations to assess this product for your guests.
M&S
M&S describes its Extra Cream Bourbon Creams as having more chocolate cream.
- Extra cream does not tell you how much sugar the biscuit contains. Compare the current nutrition declaration if sugar is your priority.
Joybuy biscuit alternatives
These chocolate sandwich biscuits are options to consider with coffee if you are willing to serve something other than a bourbon. Their product names refer to sugar, but check the current nutrition panel for a comparable sugars figure and read the allergen warnings before sharing.
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Gullon Zero No Added Sugar Cookies and Cream 210g
A cookies-and-cream sandwich biscuit to consider with coffee instead of a bourbon. Check sugars per biscuit and per 100g on the current pack. It contains wheat, has a may-contain warning for milk and mustard, and uses maltitol; its product warning says excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
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Oreo Zero Sugar Sandwich Cookies 97g
An Oreo sandwich cookie rather than a bourbon biscuit. Check its current sugars per biscuit and per 100g before comparing servings. It contains wheat and uses maltitol; its product warning says excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Questions about biscuits and sugar
Is a free-from bourbon automatically reduced sugar?
No. Tesco Groceries lists 2.7g sugars per biscuit for its gluten-free and milk-free Free From Bourbon Creams, compared with 3.5g for its standard Bourbon Creams. Those dietary declarations do not themselves make a reduced-sugar claim; check the exact product wording if that claim matters.
Should I compare sugars per biscuit or per 100g?
Use both. Sugars per biscuit helps you assess the number you plan to serve, while per 100g gives you a common basis across packs. NHS label guidance describes 22.5g or more of total sugar per 100g as high; Tesco Groceries lists 19.5g per 100g for its Free From Bourbon Creams and 25.2g for its standard product, while Sainsbury's lists 25.8g for its Bourbon.
Can I offer standard bourbons to guests avoiding gluten or milk?
Do not assume a standard bourbon meets those needs. Sainsbury's says its Bourbon is unsuitable for customers with milk or barley allergy because of manufacturing methods. Tesco declares its Free From Bourbon Creams free from cereals containing gluten and milk; check the physical pack's current allergen statement before serving any product.
Does a biscuit named “no added sugar” tell me its total sugars?
No. The name and the sugars figure answer different questions. Read the current nutrition panel for sugars per biscuit and per 100g, and check the ingredients and allergen statement if you are choosing biscuits for guests.