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Shoppers on social media give their verdict on McVitie's new Jaffa Cake Digestives

  • 2 hours ago
  • 4 min read

May 22 2026


Thousands of people on social media are talking about the launch of McVitie's new Jaffa Cake Digestives this week – some describe it as "the ultimate chocolate biscuit" while others say it's not as good as a proper Jaffa Cake as the orange layer isn't jelly-like and it's not dark chocolate.


The limited-edition biscuits combine the classic digestive biscuit base with an orange flavour caramel layer and a milk chocolate flavour coating. They're now on sale at Sainsbury's for £2.25.


Analysis for this article using Shooglebox AI to look at posts and comments across different social platforms show the verdict overall is positive – even those who miss the jelly and sponge texture say it's a tasty biscuit.


Here's some of the things people are saying across different social channels:


"A game changer" for those who love Jaffa Cakes and Digestives


One of the most positive reviews for the Jaffa Cake Digestives is from social media food reviewer Jonny Adams, who calls them a "game changer" in a post on Facebook. He says: "These have just took Jaffa Cakes to a whole new level. They're absolutely banging. The flavour comes right through. You still get the little chewy bit and then the biscuit with the chocolate. McVitie's, you have smashed it out of the park with these ones."



On TikTok Snackin N Sippin scored the biscuits a perfect 10/10, saying: "These are the best biscuits ever. Get them. They're so good. If you like Jaffa Cakes and a digestive, get them."


In a Facebook Reel posted on May 19 Billy from bigdaddybsfoods says McVitie's have got it spot on with the Jaffa Cakes and digestives combo: "I love the caramel chocolate digestives, and I love orange and Jaffa Cake-flavoured things, and I feel like they got this perfect. The orange flavour is not too sharp, it's not too strong, and it's not too sweet. I feel like these are a decent addition, and they definitely go well with a cuppa overall. I'd give them an eight out of 10, and if you like Jaffa Cake or chocolate orange stuff, you would definitely rate these, and I would recommend them."


John's Snack Reviews on Instagram also scored them an 8/10, saying "They're identical to the Digestives caramel for texture. It's a chewy, stretchy jaffa caramel, they're not soft jelly like a jaffa cake. Definitely jaffa flavour rather than a chocolate orange. Milk chocolate top rather than dark too. Decent! Love the collab and think they should do more things like this." His review got his followers excited, tagging friends in comments and saying things like "Omg I need them!"



Ellie – Another Snack Reviewer on Instagram – recommends dunking the biscuits in a hot drink to soften the caramel. She said: "The orange flavour comes through nicely in the caramel layer which is sweet and slightly chewy and pairs well with the creamy chocolate coating and crunchy biscuit. Definitely enjoyed them more when dunked in a cuppa as the caramel then softens up nicely. Would I have maybe liked the orange layer to be more jelly-like than caramel as in a proper Jaffa cake? Maybe, but these were still tasty and worth a try!"


Others say the biscuit isn't enough like a proper Jaffa Cake


The main criticism isn't that the biscuit is bad. It's that some people were expecting something closer to an actual Jaffa Cake – especially when it comes to the orange jelly layer and dark chocolate taste.


TripleEats on TikTok is among several people saying the Jaffa Cake Digestives remind them of caramel biscuits: "You are getting that orange taste but it's not like a Jaffa Cake, it's more like a caramel biscuit."


Another TikToker, Emily Jade, compares them to Club Orange Biscuits and notes how McVitie's have used milk rather than dark chocolate. She said: "It's got the texture of a caramel digestive but it tastes like Jaffa Cakes. It's kind of an orange Club vibe about it. It's actually delicious. You don't get the dark chocolate flavour of a regular Jaffa cake but it's really, really good."



Adam from the YouTube channel Adam & Kerry thinks the orange flavour needs to be stronger: "I'm not getting Jaffa Cake vibes. It's a nice biscuit. It's a McVitie's Chocolate Digestive, you can't go wrong. They're obviously using the same orange flavouring that they would use in the Jaffa Cake jelly but nowhere near enough of it."


Some people say they'd rather just stick with an actual Jaffa Cake. As one comment on Adam's video says: "The original digestives are classic biscuits, these look good but you can’t beat the jaffa cakes from mcvities."


Settling the cake or biscuit debate


At least with the Jaffa Cake Digestives there's no debate over whether it's a cake or a biscuit.


The original Jaffa Cake has sparked arguments for decades – though legally the debate was settled in 1991 when a VAT tribunal ruled the Jaffa Cake should not be subject to a luxury tax as it met the criteria for a cake as it goes hard when it's stale. Cakes are considered a staple food and so tax-exempt while chocolate biscuits, which go soft when stale, are subject to VAT.


It's one of the talking points about the Jaffa Cake Digestive on social:


So no matter if you see Jaffa Cakes as cakes or biscuits, there's no doubt that Jaffa Cake Digestives belong in the biscuit tin.


Using Shooglebox AI to analyse reaction to a new product on social media


Shooglebox AI helps PR and marketing teams quickly gather, analyse and create instant outputs summarising the things people are saying about their brands on social media. A task that previously took hours can now be accomplished in a few minutes.


In this case, Shooglebox AI tools were used to analyse and summarise the main themes in the reaction across social media to the new Jaffa Cake Digestives.


Shooglebox AI has also been used in similar ways to analyse what people are saying about the Greggs Chicken Roll and the McDonald's McGriddle. 



 
 
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