Degustabox Surprise Box Review and Product Taste Test
IMPORTANT UPDATE ON DEGUSTABOX USA: — This box (for 2019 and after) is no long available in the United States. You can still use this post to read the product reviews I wrote for the snacks and foods in the box I received.
Degustabox is a monthly box of food products, ordered by subscription. Always fun to receive a big box full of a variety of yummy surprises on your front porch, I was happy to find this month’s box contained the usual interesting selection of sweets and savories for me to try. By the way, Degustabox sends you full-sized products, not tiny samples – which I really appreciate.
So here’s the scoop on the different snacks, sweet treats, and other items that were included in the November box, along with my “tasting test” with ratings for each of the foods received. If you are interested, see below my Taste Test review for details on subscribing to this box, plus a special discount for your first order.
Taste Test Report for the food products in the November 2016 Degustabox
Ratings: 4 stars = Super Yummy; 3 stars = Yummy; 2 stars = Meh; 1 star = Yucky
- OLOVES Natural Green Pitted Olives : Flavor “Basil & Garlic” — A small pouch (1.1 oz.) of flavored green olives. These tasted pretty good, though I am not much of a fan of olives eaten by themselves (rather than part of a recipe). I think these would be best served as a party appetizer, or snack with cocktails – or better yet, in a classic Martini! Fans of olives might really like this product. ***
- BEANITOS WHITE BEAN CHIPS “Hint of Lime” Flavor — This month’s Degustabox included two bags of these in the “Hint of Lime” flavor (and also two bags of the “Nacho Cheese” flavor). These are “High Fiber” chips, they were quite broken up into small pieces (this first bag I opened seemed liked it got a bit crushed in shipping – the other 3 bags were okay). The taste of these is very good, with just the right amount of saltiness and a really yummy hint of lime. Yum. ****
- BEANITOS WHITE BEAN CHIPS “Nacho Cheese” Flavor — Also a bag of “High Fiber” chips, these taste a bit like my fave chips, Doritos Cool Ranch, so there’s nothing not to like. Cheesy, quite salty – I love these, and they taste lots healthier than the Doritos. ****
- BRIANNAS’ HOME STYLE “Rich Poppy Seed Dressing” — 12 ounce bottle of thick, creamy dressing with Poppy Seeds – the second ingredient in this dressing, after Canola Oil, is sugar. Uh oh. I had this dressing on a green salad and I was right – over the top too sweet. This made my salad taste like I was trying to turn it into a bowl of candy. Not so good (and I felt like I needed to brush my teeth right after eating this, from all the sugar!). * ½
- NIB MOR Dark Chocolate : Blueberry — A 1 ounce chocolate bar, dividable into 3 pieces. This has a very rich chocolate flavor with a nice hint of blueberry blended into it. Really delicious (and made me feel a bit high, the chocolate goodness just runs through your veins). Wow! ****
- NIB MOR Dark Chocolate : Cherry — This is the same as above, a rich chocolate – this bar with a bit of cherry pieces in it. Not quite as good as the blueberry, but very yummy (it’s actually a very close call between this and the blueberry flavor). I am going to mention – these NibMor chocolate bars are quite hard to bite into (not soft chocolate, or even as soft as a Hershey bar) but the flavor is really good. ****
- CHEF’S CUT Real Steak Jerky : “Chipotle Cracked Pepper” Flavor — Smoky meat chews with a strong peppery taste combined with the flavor of what tastes like a sweet BBQ sauce – this has quite a nice kick to it, without being overly spicy. Yummy (and not tough in texture or difficult to bite into, like some jerkys). ***
- BRUCE COST : Ginger Beer — Two cans came in the box. Tastes like a high quality Ginger Ale, this is really good. Very refreshing with just the right touch of gingery flavor and spiciness. I am a fan of Ginger Ale and will want to repurchase this product again. Love it! ****
- SHARWOOD’S Tikka Masala Cooking Sauce — I made a recipe using this sauce that I found on the Sharwood’s company website for Sharwood’s Chicken Tikka Biryani. A very simple recipe that came out quite tasty and flavorful. This is a VERY mild sauce with pretty close to no heat, but does have an authentic Indian flavor. For someone who wants something closer to the type of dish you normally get at an Indian restaurant, this won’t quite do it – but I did think this sauce is quite nice for a more “Americanized” version of an Indian sauce, plus using this product will surely make it easier to create an Indian-inspired dish at home. *** ½
Chicken Tikka Biryani dish, prepared and baked using a recipe that features Sharwood’s Tikka Masala Cooking Sauce in the ingredients. - HONEES Honey Lemon Cough Drops — “Pure liquid honey inside every drop” is the slogan on the bag – this bag includes 20 cough suppressant cough drops to help with your cough and sore throat. No one in my house is currently sick with a cold or cough so I can’t give these a try — but with the weather just starting to get a bit colder here in L.A., I will really appreciate having these on hand when I need them!
- TORANI Single Serve Coffee Cups : “Salted Caramel” Flavor — This product was sent in the Degustabox for customers who own a K-Cup Coffee Machine (for those that don’t, the PONTI Balsamic Vinegar was sent instead – I was sent both products for purposes of this review). This was a box of 12 coffee cups of medium roast flavored coffee. I do not own a machine I can use these on, so I gave this to my husband to bring to work and try out. Report coming.
- PONTI GLASSA GRASTRONOMICA (Ponti Glaze with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena) — Gastronomic Glaze with Balsamic Vinegar that is quite thick, like a balsamic reduction. It makes for a strong, sweet balsamic flavor. I used this to make a salad dressing and it was quite good. I think this would be terrific as a glaze for a Balsamic Chicken recipe. One complaint – this comes in a plastic bottle and I normally avoid acidic products like this (such as vinegar) that are packaged in plastic. ***
Summary and Subscription Information:
I am happy to say, this month’s surprise box (aside from the rather uninspiring – shall I say, yucky – Brianna’s salad dressing) was full of a lot of really tasty products, many rated “super yummy” on my 1 to 4 star ratings scale. I really like those Beanitos bean chips, would like to try out other flavors. I am looking forward to seeing what’s contained in next month’s box – I think Degustabox is a great value and I love the nice variety of sweets, sauces, snack items, even drinks that they include in the box.
If you are interested in trying out a Degustabox for yourself, here’s the details you need to know : the box costs $19.99 a month and shipping is free. This is a monthly subscription, so you will receive one box a month and will be surprised with 10 to 15 full-size goodies (both sweet and savory) in each box. The total value of the products sent will exceed the cost of your box and you can unsubscribe whenever you like. The Degustabox USA box delivery is available for residents living in the 48 Contiguous United States.
Degustabox subscriptions are no longer offered in the USA.
Enjoy the Eats!
Disclosure: I was sent this box for free in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated for the review and all opinions are my own.
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