At the end of June, I decided to sign up for Degustabox for six months as I liked the look of what was in the June box from what I saw online. The boxes are shipped toward the end of the month, so my first box was the July one. Degustabox is a monthly food subscription box, and subscribers can try new food-related products. I will see what the next three months bring in order to determine if I want to continue my subscription. The reviews for my first three months of my subscription are included below.
September Degustabox
I have surveyed each product with a rating from one (hated it) to five (awesome). I've pictured the contents of my box below. This box contained several snack items, and we saw some new brands while some brands that we had tried out for several weeks in a row (such as Dr. Oteker's) were not included. This was probably my favouite box so far because I discovered a couple of new products that I actually would purchase, and I don't include the popcorn or tortilla chips in the previous boxes as I have always bought those products in any brand.
Burts Lentil Waves - in flavours Lightly Salted, Sour Cream & Chive, Thai Sweet Chilli (3/5): The cooked lentil crisp snack comes in three flavours described above. I only tried the salted as I do not like other flavours of crisps/chips. I expected them to taste slightly like a poppadom, but they were in between that and a potato chip. I cannot fault the product, but I probably would not buy them as I do not consume a lot of crisps. The other two flavours were given to a friend, and they said that they were okay, so I rated them average as they did not completely excite me.
Jordans Simply Granola (5/5): I love granola as a healthy breakfast with blueberries. Granola is a food that allows the energy to be slowly released (instead of a quick fix chocolate bar which picks you up and leaves you wanting more in ten minutes, once it's worn off). I have my granola dry with blueberries or other berries as I don't like yogurt or milk. I enjoyed this and I would buy it. I have also wanted to buy granola on its own in the past to add to my cereal, and I've never been able to find it, so this is a welcome addition and a product that I will seek out.
Bahlsen PiCK UP! in flavours Milk Chocolate and Black and White (5/5): These individually-wrapped biscuits include a slab of chocolate in the middle. The Milk Chocolate edition is vanilla biscuits with a milk chocolate slab sandwiched in the middle. The Black and White is the opposite, with a white chocolate slab in the middle of cocoa biscuits. I really enjoyed these and would purchase them.
Crabbie's Alcoholic Fruits : Black Cherry flavour (3/5): My box came with the Black Cherry flavour; the flavours also include Zesty Lemon and Raspberry and Rhubarb. I actually got the flavour that appealed the least to my tastes out of the three; Lemon would have been my first choice as I love lemon. I was not keen of the taste of this, so I gave it to my partner who thought that it was okay but not wowed by it.
Little Miracles (5/5): These organic drinks have less than 90 calories each and contain no added colours or flavours. They have a subtle flavour, and I enjoyed both flavours of them.
Carnation Cook with it! (1/5): Our box came with two cartons; I was unsure about what to do with these. I visited the Carnation website and found some recipes and eventually made the chicken pie. It tasted too "milky" for me, and I'm not a fan of milk as I dislike the taste of it. Perhaps it was just a bad recipe. The second carton was used for the "chicken potato bake" spice sachet that I received in a previous box. Anyway, I am not excited about this product at all and it's the product in the box that appeals the least to me.
Elizabeth Shaw - dark chocolate mint thins (5/5): These dark chocolate mints are nice. I love dark chocolate and mint, so this is a win-win for me. I would purchase these.
Righteous salad dressings (3/5): I received three of these in different flavours (Lemon & Mustard Seed, Raspberry and Sweet Basil; English Blue Cheese & Cider). I gave them away because I dislike dressings; I eat my salads plain. Apparently, these were nice. I am told that the raspberry one was the best, and the other two were average.
August Degustabox
I have surveyed each product with a rating from one (hated it) to five (awesome). I've pictured the contents of my August box below. I did not have any issues with leaking or broken products this time (as I did in the previous box), and one of the products in the box is a voucher to collect a chilled item. This box contained more items than last month's, but many of the items this month are not as expensive.
Pasquier croissants and pains au lait (2/5): These are pre-packaged croissants and sweet buns that are inexpensive and made to last for a couple of weeks. The bread does not use preservatives, but their recipe is made to make the bread last longer. I am picky about bread items, I didn't care for them much at all. I didn't like the taste, and they tasted "cheap" to me. I gave away most of these to colleagues, and I made bread pudding out of the pains au lait from a recipe provided in the box. The bread and butter pudding did turn out nice with this bread, but I would not purchase these items. I am sure that others would not mind this product, but if I were to buy a croissant or bread, I would spend a little more on fresh items, even though they do not last long. (Actually, when I do buy bread, I always buy the fresh bread and never buy the loaves in the general bread section because I am picky.)
Mexican Dave's Tortilla Chips (5/5): I love tortilla chips, so I was happy to see these in my box. These are tasty, and I would buy them again.
Lindt Milk Hearts (4/5): This gift box tin of chocolate hearts came with ten milk chocolate hearts wrapped in pink foil. This would make a nice gift, but I am a little concerned about buying tins as most of them probably end up in landfills. I have never cared much for Lindt chocolate, but I found these to be alright.
Dr. Oetker Edible Cupcake Cases (2/5): This is another baking product, similar to the Dr. Oteker edible cake toppings that I got last month. This is an interesting idea, and I could not wait to try it. Unfortunately, I found a flaw. The bottoms of the edible cupcake cases (with cupcake in them) got stuck to the plate, and the result was a cupcake without a bottom. Otherwise, an edible case was a good idea.
Flavour Shots (Mexican Fajitas and Spanish Smoked Paprika Chicken) (5/5): These 'shots' contain all the spices needed to create your meal. I simply had to chop and prepare the meat and vegetables and then cook. These was easy, and the spices were easily taken out of the pot with a teaspoon. They also had a nice flavour. I would consider buying the fajita one.
Cawston Press (Apple and Pear) juice: (5/5) This small lunch-sized juice drink boasts that it is pressed fruit and water and contains no added sugar. The juice has a subtle taste and reminds me of apple juice that I enjoy. Thankfully, I tasted the apple more than the pear as I am not too keen on pear. This is a good product and a good alternative to high-sugar drinks for children.
MOMA! Yogurt (1/5): The box came with a voucher for a free box of MOMA! Yogurt, which I had to locate from a shop as this is a refridgerated item. I don't eat yogut or porridge, and these are a mix. I had to give these away to friends, and out of the large group of twelve people, only two liked them. I saw the responses of others as they tried it, and everyone else hated the taste of the product. Based on the two who did like them, one said it was average and the other rated it just above average. However, the score I have given the product is based on the average of the twelve of us.
Berrywhite Organic Drink (Lemon, Ginger and Acai Berry with white tea and Yerba Mate) (3/5): I was not sure if I would enjoy this drink because of the ingredients, but I found it to be okay. The company also donates a percent of its profits to charity.
Caribbean Twist (Strawberry Daiquari) (3/5): This sparkling alcoholic cocktail is made from lime, strawberry, and sweeteners. The taste is slightly overpowering. The strawberry could be smelled as soon as I opened the product and before I would take a sip. I would prefer it if the taste was not so overpowering.
July Degustabox
This is my first box! I have surveyed each product with a rating from one (I hated it) to five (awesome). I've pictured the contents of my box below. I had a slight issue, however, with the cider. The bottle cap did not seem to be too straight on one of them as it had leaked a little bit in the box. My first impressions were not so great because I preferred what I saw in the June box.
Green & Blacks Organic Dark Chocolate and Lemon: (4/5) I am already familiar with this brand and have tried this flavour before; I think I've tried most of their flavours. I don't have much to say about it other than I do like Green & Blacks. It's not my favourite flavour, but I enjoy dark chocolate and the brand is known for being ethically-sourced.
Zeo (in flavours Zest, Burst and Crunch) soft drinks: (2/5) This lightly-carbonated soft drink brand claims to use natural sweeteners and sugars. Zest is a lime flavour. Burst is peach and grapefruit. Crush is a citrus flavour. Unfortunately, I did not care for these.
Dr. Oetker (Eton Mess and Violet Crystals): (4/5) These are baking embellishments for cakes. I do not do a lot of baking and currently have a small stash of cute cake and cupcake decorations around. Don't get me wrong; I love the idea of baking. I just don't have the time for it, and my commute is too long and requires too many changes (including a crushing underground trip and walking) to take any baking creations to work. As I got the edible cupcake cases in my August box, I decided to do a bit of baking for a group of friends. I used both toppings. The Eton Mess toppings are real strawberry and meringue pieces, and they taste nice. The violet crystals actually do not have a taste strong enough to notice with the flavour of the vanilla cupcake I put them on, but they do look pretty.
Maggi cooking seasoning packets (So Juicy oriental soy and ginger chicken, Piri Piri Chicken, Beef & Ale caserole, Chicken & Leek potato bake): (3/5) I used the recipe on the back for the Piri Piri, and I wish I had just kept it more simple. The sachets do include a nice blend of spice. So Juicy was a subtle blend, and the chicken was tender. The chicken & leek potato bake had a nice flavour. I was told that the beef and ale was alright as well. These were alright, but they did not wow me and there's still a lot of preparation time involved, and I didn't think some of the instructions were the clearest.
Hornsby's Blueberry Cider: (4/5) I don't drink cider, but I did have a sip when my partner had it. Even with the blueberry taste, it is still beer/ale/cider and not something that I would ever drink. However, I do think this is unique and the blueberry does smell nice. I think it is a good product, and my partner liked it. He said it was "easy going", so the product gets a thumbs up from him. However, I do think they need to tighten their bottle caps so the bottles stay fresh and don't create a mess.
Portlebay Popcorn (in flavours sweet & salted, crispy bacon & maple syrup, chilli & lime): (5/5) I love popcorn, so I was excited to see these. I am not a fan of flavoured crisps or potato chips unless it's BBQ, but the crispy & bacon and chilli & lime flavours tasted fine. My favourite was the standard plain sweet & salt. This popcorn does have a lot more flavour than some of the other brands, and this may mean that they are not quite as healthy, but they do taste nice.
Do you subscribe to Degustabox? If so, what do you think and what has been an awesome product that you discovered from them?
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