Jam the Van Calgary

Calgarian Tim Tam lovers we need your help!

Tomorrow the CBC in Calgary is jamming a Purolator van full of donations for The Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank. The CBC's Tim Tamashiro (great name) will be handing out Tim Tam biscuits to donors and demonstrating the famous Tim Tam Slam.

Look for the Purolator van parked outside CBC Calgary. You can't miss it because it will be decorated with Christmas lights and Tim Tamashiro will be sitting on top of it. And he won't get off until it's filled with food.

Click here for more details.

Tim Tams on Canada AM

This morning Canada AM's Jeff Hutcheson learned how to do the Tim Tam Slam. He is heading to Australia for the Best Job in the World contest announcement and there were some essential travel skills that he needed to know before taking off. Thanks to Tourism Australia for working with us to make this happen.

Slam tip #1: as soon as you taste the coffee through the biscuit your have to flip it around and slam it.

Aussie Tim Tam biscuits slam into Canada

by Adam McDowell

Aussie expatriates rejoice: No need to smuggle Tim Tams in your luggage anymore, as the chocolate treats from Down Under have arrived on Canadian shores. Now it’s time to spread your disgusting delicious biscuit-slurping habits in a new country.

Tim Tams, according to the press release, consist of “two layers of chocolate malted biscuit separated by light cream filling and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate.” They come in three flavours: Original, Chewy Caramel and Classic Dark Chocolate. Australians evidently consume said cookies employing a technique known as the Tim Tam Slam, the company’s description of which reads like an advanced course in dunking.

Based on YouTube evidence, there is indeed an established order of things. Natalie Imbruglia once showed ever-entertaining Irish-British talk show host Graham Norton how to do it. Here’s how to eat a Tim Tam like a platinum-selling recording artist:

1. Prepare a warm drink (e.g. tea, coffee or hot chocolate; tea seems to be traditional)
2. Nibble off the corners of the biscuit
3. Use your Tim Tam as a straw, sucking the drink through it (“This is the part where it gets orgasmic,” says Imbruglia)
4. Just when you start to taste the drink, flip the cookie around and slam it into your mouth (quickly — Natalie Imbruglia warns us that the Tim Tam will be melting by this time)
5. Repeat as above

Whether or not you consider buying a package of Tim Tams and trying this for yourself at home, one thing’s for certain: Dipping chocolate cookies in tea will taste much better than dunking them in Vegemite.

The Wait is Over: Tim Tams Finally Arrive In Canada

Vancouver, BC; October 23, 2008– Ex-pat Australians and Canadian chocolate lovers are rejoicing at the news that Arnott’s renowned Tim Tam biscuits have arrived in Canada. Concord Sales Ltd./Concord National Inc., a leading Canadian food distributor, has secured the rights to import Tim Tams from Australia. Starting this month, the biscuits (a.k.a. cookies) will be available in major Canadian grocery and drug stores.

“In my long career as Australian Senior Trade Commissioner in six countries, I and the Australian expatriate community have depended on parcels from home to supply us with survival supplies of iconic Aussie foods, like Tim Tams,” says Stefan Trofimovs, Australian Senior Trade Commissioner and Consul General Toronto. “Our life is so much easier having global distribution of these brands. I know Aussies in Canada will give thanks to Concord for now supplying this country and I am certain that discerning Canadian consumers will quickly appreciate what we have known for decades about the qualities of Tim Tams.”

Australia’s favourite biscuit is made from two layers of chocolate malted biscuit separated by a light cream filling and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate. The indulgent chocolate, created from a secret recipe, cradles a delicate cream centre of vanilla, butter and chocolate. Tim Tams are available in three flavours: Original, Chewy Caramel and Classic Dark Chocolate.

Tim Tams were first launched in 1963 and are made by Arnott’s Biscuits, the venerable Australian biscuit company that has been in operation since 1865. The biscuit is so popular, that Australians annually consume nearly 35 million packs.

“The biscuits are not simply a way to satisfy chocolate cravings, they are an experience, complete with their own ritual,” says Tina Ryan of Concord Sales Ltd./Concord National Inc. “Tim Tam enthusiasts take their love of the biscuits to the next level, even sharing online videos on how to best enjoy them.”

The Tim Tam Slam is the preferred consumption method of the true Tim Tam aficionado. The technique involves biting off opposite corners of a Tim Tam and using it as a straw to sip a hot beverage such as coffee or tea. As soon as the biscuit lover tastes the hot liquid through the cookie, it must be swiftly flipped around and ‘slammed’ into the their mouth before it falls apart.

Cookie lovers will find videos on YouTube that feature celebrities such as Natalie Imbruglia and Jennifer Love Hewitt demonstrating the proper Slam technique. However, enthusiasm for the biscuits does not stop there. Fans of Tim Tams have dreamt up many ways to enjoy their favourite cookie including the Tim Tam Martini and the Tim Tam Chocolate Sundae.

After a long wait, Canadians can finally join the Tim Tam movement. The biscuits are now available at Save-on-Foods, Overwaitea Foods, PriceSmart Foods, London Drugs, IGA, Sobeys, Federated Co-Op and Buy-Low-Foods.