subscription boxes. try the world

Ego check:  This is my walloping THIRD blog post.  Numero tres.  #3.  How could I have possibly thought that the world of subscription boxes, or anyone for that matter, would care what I need to say?  I mean, it is only.the.third.blog.post.  I got this big reality check on Friday.

A little background here:  I haven't written about the February Birchbox that I received about a week ago,  but I really liked it and I am really enjoying Birchbox as a subscription box option and as a company.  (For those of you who live under a subscription box rock, Birchbox is a monthly box that comes filled with beauty goodies, including hair, skin and makeup products.  It's only $10/month and a great introduction to the SB world.)  After I received my February Birchbox, I started getting emails from Birchbox about deals they were having, including a big winter sale on items in their store.  I decided to buy myself a new pair of tech gloves and a BB/SPF facial cream duo. (I've never tried a BB cream before, so it was a good excuse to get over $35 for a free mystery pack.  I had also heard a lot of great things about Dr. Jart's skin care line and wanted to try it out.)  My Birchbox order arrived on Friday along with another box addressed to me.  I wasn't expecting anything else, so imagine my surprise when I had a SECOND subscription box to open!  Huh?

So, here's the ego check:  I thought, oh my gosh, someone read my blog and thought my writing was SO GOOD that I could be getting boxes for free to review!  HAHAHAHA, yeah right!  Silly me - after a little digging, I found out this latest box was a lovely gift from my bestie Tara.  Well, with my dreams of being a big-time blogger on hold, I sent T a thank you text and decided to use this fun gift as an excuse to review the box anyway. 

The box I received is from a company called Try the World.  It was heavy!  The box was a pretty Tiffany blue color and the inside is filled with crinkled royal blue confetti.  There was a pamphlet and a note card describing the box - which was filled items from Paris.  The pamphlet was a description of the box, ideas about how they chose the items, how Parisians would eat the food they chose, as well as movies and music from Paris.  It was a cute concept!  The artwork on the front of the pamphlet was really nice, a pretty watercolor of the Eiffel Tower and the city.  The note card's description of the items also states if the food comes from a family business, if it is an antique recipe, if they support the local community and if they are organic/sustainable. This is a really nice touch! The items in the box included sweet and savory French treats.  There were seven items in all, the 7th being a 'surprise' item that I can only assume varies from box to box. 

Here are pictures of the items I received.  (Not my best photo work, but you can at least see what was included.)  The first item were butter cookies called Palets made by La Mere Poulard (est. $1.85) that were tasty, but they got beat up in the shipping process.  There were two cookies in the box but most of it was crumbs, a little disappointing.  The second item was a jar of Arnaud nicoise olives marinated in Provence thyme leaves (est. value $19.10) which are my favorite olives, so I will really enjoy this item.  I ate a quarter of the jar with dinner!  The third item was a Les Delice du Luberon Aioli spread (est. $6.90) which I will enjoy with chicken or fish as a fancy spread.  Fourth was a jar of Dijon mustard by Domaine des Vignes (est. $2.25) which will never go to waste in our house.  Fifth was a jar of fig jam by Charles Antona (est. $4.59.)  Fig jam is a staple in our house with all the cheese we eat, so I'll look forward to seeing how this product stacks up against the fig jam we usually use.  The last two items were candied fruit bars made by Francois Doucet in a bilberry and raspberry flavor (est. $2.60) which will make for a tasty sweet treat.  Finally, the last item was a full size 72% dark chocolate raspberry bar made by Flagrants Desirs (est. $4.00) which was also broken because of shipping.  Broken or no, I will enjoy this dark chocolate bar!  I don't usually buy dark chocolate with raspberry, so it will be a decadent treat. 

Try the World has three subscription options.  Boxes come once every two months.  Their cheapest option is on a two-month at a time basis at $39/box.  If you purchase their six-month option, the three boxes will be $35/box and their annual subscription drops the box price to $33/box.  All come with free shipping.   Based on the values of the items I found at various internet shops, I valued my box at roughly $41.29, which makes this box a par value.  Certainly, this is a fun concept for the foodie in your life and makes a great gift.  The next box in queue is from Venice.  Past boxes have included Rio and Tokyo.  They also have a cool tumblr blog with pictures of the boxes and great travel advice.  My final take on the Try the World box is that it was a very fun gift to receive, but it wouldn't be a box I would subscribe to on a regular basis.  Do you subscribe to Try the World?  Is this a box you would be interested in?  Let me know.  I'm off to eat some more olives.