So…what did I do this week when I left a meeting early to come home and put in a couple of hours as a podcast manager and I walked in on Phil wandering around the house on the line with our phone and internet provider trying to get to the bottom of why our phone and internet had quit? Well although I have piles of work waiting for me, I put my pjs on, peeked in our January Degustabox and grabbed the Crabbie’s Ginger Beer and a few smoky bacon Popchips and started typing this up offline….although to tell the truth, I was awfully tempted to turn everything off and spend an hour reading before calling it an early night.
It’s always a surprise to see what will arrive each month in our Degustabox. We get a text message in the morning letting us know our box will be arriving; for us it’s usually on a Wednesday or Thursday between 12:57 and 1:57 pm; yes, the timing really is that specific!
Many, if not all of the 10-15 items are new to us each month, and it’s rare that there’s something that no one in the family is fond of, which is a good record. Almost monthly there are items that we add to our grocery list to search out when we head into Belfast or order groceries.
Phil’s just moved into a new location for work, and I’m thinking that a Degustabox would be a great subscription for the office. What better way to mingle with colleagues than to chat over an unboxing and decide who is going to try which items? Put out some bowls for the chips and plastic shot glasses for taste-testing the drinks and the office will be buzzing all day!
Many of the drinks included this month will help with energy and concentration, which is great, and everyone will have something to look forward to each month when the next box arrives! For only £12.99/$19.99/month (with free delivery), it’s less expensive than a pizza, too!
What was in our January Degustabox?
- £2.49 – Quinola Mothergrain
- £1.45 x 2 – Aspire Drinks (and a code for 20% off on line)
- £1.89 – Finn Crisp (and 8 recipes for dips and meals to go with them)
- £4.99 – Natvia
- £1.29 – Protein Boost
- £2.00 – Coupon for a pot of The Collective gourmet live yoghurt
- £1.25 – Fruittella Strawberry – 30% Less Sugar
- £1.79 – Yushoi Coconut & Chillli Snapea Rice Sticks
- £1.39 – Crabbie’s Ginger Beer in Scottish Raspberry Flavour
- £1.99 – Popchips Smokey Bacon Flavour
- £0.66 x 2 – The Chia Co packets
We also received the following to try out for our review; each box may differ slightly according to taste, but as reviewers we also tried these out:
- Pip’s Real Hot Chocolate Co. Chocolate Coin (and a loyalty stamp card)
- Chosan Hibiscus Drink with Fiery Ginger (and a way to get a free bottle)
- Little’s Coffee Coconut Flavour (& a code for 20% off)
Wondering what to do with chia seeds? This month’s included recipes are for Chia Cranberry Peanut Butter Slice and Chia Mocha (also another use for Little’s coffee and the Hot Chocolate Coin), or try our own Pumpkin Chia Seed Breakfast Porridge.
The Finn Crisps are little triangles of crunchy goodness. They’re reminiscent of a larger whole grain cracker, but these are small and don’t feel as ‘heavy’ or dry. They were the perfect match alongside a hot bowl of homemade soup at lunchtime. They’d also be great with chilli, or for a snack with a piece of your favourite cheese; this is how my children prefer them.
Phil and I shared the Chosan Hibiscus and fiery ginger drink on the weekend as he was replacing attic flooring and I was sorting through the children’s neonatal and baby clothing. I was expecting it to be sparkling, but it was a still drink. The flavours were mild and not too fiery, for those who don’t like a sharp ginger, this would be a good choice.
I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I did want to give the Little’s coffee a try. First I tried it black; and it was so-so (I’m used to plain coffee black, but this had a coconut flavour as well). So my next cup I tried according to the suggestion on the label; I added a half teaspoon of brown sugar and some milk. This made the difference! Made in this manner it’s quite rich and flavourful. Yes, I can see me having a cup half way through the mornings next week when Phil’s back to work and I’m half asleep after a late night of work.
My January Degustabox Top Picks So Far:
Crabbie’s Ginger Beer for its firey but not over the top ginger flavour with it’s delicious hint of summer raspberry on this wet, cold, and windy night.
Popchips ridges smoky bacon as they are ‘popped,’ not fried. They are light and not greasy, yet satisfy my crunchy craving.
Surprisingly, also the Fruitella; I have never been a big fan of this candy as I’ve found it overly sweet. However, with 30% less sugar, it’s still very sweet; just turned down a notch. If you didn’t think about it, you’d not notice the difference, I’m sure. But for me, this has made a pleasant change.
So what are you waiting for? Order up a box for yourself or a friend! Use the coupon code X2OEC you’ll get your first box for only £5.99! (For my lovely US Readers click here for a 50% discount) You can’t beat that.
You can can connect with Degustabox through their sites:
UK website, UK Facebook, UK Twitter, or UK Instagram.
US website , US Twitter, and USA Instagram.
Carolyn M Wilhelm says
Are these from Japan? I haven’t understood this subscription. Or is just some from Asia? I looked it up online but I can’t tell for sure.
Crystal McClean says
No, just the Yoshoi Snapeas are Japanese in this box.
The boxes will differ between the UK and the USA; each will have brands that are available in each particular country.
Some of the items aren’t yet on the market, while others are more well-established, but may have a new spin on them. You never know what you will get; but each item should be accessible through a supermarket or online store.