Choose traditional taaitaai if you’re mainly looking for anise-flavoured treats to share at your garden party. If a pronounced cocoa flavour matters more, choose a product whose ingredients and cocoa percentage match what you’re after: the 70% and 90% cocoa bars shown are chocolate, not taaitaai. If any guests have dietary requirements, check the label on each pack too.
If you’d rather serve cocoa than the usual anise flavour at your garden party, check the exact product. The ingredients lists for Jumbo and PLUS’s standard taaitaai don’t include cocoa, so a dark-coloured pack or the search term ‘dark’ isn’t enough to go on.
If you’re putting out a bowl for guests to help themselves, net weight, shape and storage instructions are useful points to compare. Jumbo and PLUS each list a 500 g bag, while Dirk shows 500 g mini taaitaai.
A clear gluten-free label is a good starting point, but check the other allergens too. Albert Heijn describes the Consenza figures as gluten-free; oats and almonds are also listed for this product.
First decide whether taaitaai itself or a cocoa flavour is your priority. Then compare the pack size for your group and check the allergens for each product.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa flavour | Read the ingredients for the exact product and, if it matters to your choice, look for a stated cocoa percentage. | I want to offer my guests something with a pronounced cocoa flavour, rather than accidentally choosing anise-flavoured taaitaai; around 37% of consumers put a clearly identifiable cocoa flavour first. |
| Sharing | Compare the net weight and shape, such as minis or figures, and follow the storage instructions on the pack. | For a self-serve bowl, I want to know how much I can put out and how to store the rest. Around 36% of consumers give practical sharing the highest priority. |
| Gluten and allergens | Check the current ingredients and allergen information, even for a product labelled gluten-free. | If a guest needs gluten-free taaitaai, I also want to check which other ingredients may be relevant; for around 27% of consumers, this check is their first requirement when buying. |
A dark-coloured pack or advice to store a product in a dark place tells you nothing about its flavour. The ingredients lists for Jumbo and PLUS’s standard taaitaai don’t include cocoa.
Check the exact product to see whether cocoa or cocoa mass is listed and whether it states a cocoa percentage, if that matters to your choice.
The standard Jumbo and PLUS products described list cereals containing gluten and milk. PLUS also mentions other allergens that may be present.
Read the current label before serving. Put the pack or ingredients information next to the bowl, and keep any gluten-free product separate from regular taaitaai.
A 500 g bag and a 125 g pack don’t contain the same amount. Jumbo and PLUS list 500 g for their standard taaitaai, while Albert Heijn lists 125 g for the Consenza figures.
Check the net weight and work out how many packs you’ll need for your guests, without overlooking any dietary requirements.
Jumbo lists Sint Taai Taai Figuurtjes in a 500 g bag, with around 36 servings according to the product page.
PLUS describes Taai taai sint en piet as a 500 g bag.
ALDI describes its 500 g taai-taai as anise-flavoured biscuits in figure shapes.
Dirk shows Mini taai taai in 500 g packs in its search results.
Albert Heijn describes 125 g packs of Consenza taaitaai figures as gluten-free and organic.
These bars are for anyone who values a stated cocoa percentage more than taaitaai at their garden party. They’re separate chocolate products, not dark taaitaai; check the portions and allergens on each pack before serving.
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A chocolate alternative if you’re looking for a stated cocoa percentage and don’t need taaitaai.
The product name states 70% cocoa and a 100 g bar. If any guests have allergies, check the current label for ingredients including nuts, milk, soya and sesame, and decide how many bars you want to serve.
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A chocolate alternative if you specifically want to serve a bar with the stated cocoa percentage of this variant, rather than taaitaai.
The product name states 90% cocoa and a 100 g bar. Check the current label for possible traces of hazelnuts, other nuts, milk and soya, and work out in advance how many bars you’ll need.
Don’t assume that it does. The ingredients lists for Jumbo Sint Taai Taai Figuurtjes and PLUS Taai taai sint en piet mention anise, but not cocoa. If you want to serve cocoa, check the ingredients and any stated cocoa percentage for the exact product; the Lindt bars shown are chocolate, not taaitaai.
Follow the storage instructions on the pack you buy. PLUS says to store its taaitaai in a cool, dry, dark place; Jumbo says to store it in a cool, dry place. Only put the biscuits out just before serving, and store any leftovers according to the label.
The standard Jumbo and PLUS taaitaai described aren’t suitable: both products list cereals containing gluten. If you choose an alternative, always check the current label for the exact product and keep packs separate when serving.
Not necessarily. The gluten-free Consenza figures described by Albert Heijn list oats and almonds. So even if a product is labelled gluten-free, read the full ingredients and allergen information on the pack.
