Cuisine Cube Artisan Foods Review, August 2015 + $10 Discount Code!

Does a big cube shaped box loaded with full size specialty food items sound appealing?  It certainly did to me!  Cuisine Cube sends 6 or 7 gourmet products each month.  Most of the items come from small batch artisan vendors, the type you'd find at local food fairs.  They have three types of boxes to suit different food preferences; Artisan (no food restrictions), Vegan and Gluten-Free. 

Here is the pricing structure for Cuisine Cube:

Month to Month - $39.99
3 Mo. Prepay - $113.98 ($37.99 per month)
6 Mo. Prepay - $209.94 ($34.99 per month)

Boxes ship between the 5th and 10th of each month.  Plans auto renew and you can skip shipments whenever you need to do so.  For right now, Cuisine Cube is shipped only within the continental U.S.

For August, I received the Artisan box. The items were indeed packed in a big cube shaped branded box.  

There were two square information cards in the top of the box.  One side shows color photos of the items (with some duplication between the cards) and the other side provides a few notes about the vendors.  I believe subscribers will get just one card that shows all the products in the box they receive.

There is a very promising looking assortment of six full size packages of specialty food items.

First is Sun-Popped Corn from Bjorn Qorn, which according to the label, is popped in a solar kettle in pure sunlight.  I had to check this out.  Their website has some pictures describing the process which I would not have believed to be possible. They actually use giant mirrored reflectors with kettles of popcorn suspended over them!  The reflectors focus the sun's heat to pop the corn (qorn?), thus saving electricity.

Next is a 6 oz. package of Emmer Reginetti from NYC Sfoglini Pasta Shop.  They make freshly extruded pastas from flour produced in America.  I had never heard of "emmer" but it is a textured type of wheat.  This pasta is ribbon shaped and has a nutty flavor.  The texture makes the surface of the pasta porous so sauce can cling. This is WAY more than I knew about any pasta!  (As a side note, Sfoglini's offers a Pasta of the Month Club where true connoisseurs get one bag of organic pasta and one bag of seasonal specialty pasta each month.)

Now, here is what everybody wants to see in a subscription box....a big package of Midnight Brownie cookies from Goodie Girl!  These are made with rice flour rather than wheat flour, which I believe makes them gluten free.  The cookies are extremely dark in color; in fact, they look like they are burned.  But they are very crispy and chocolaty tasting...just delicious!  (They remind me a little of Brownie Brittle but they have more flavor and better-for-you ingredients.)

  

This is an enormous 9 oz. package of Blackbear All Purpose Seasoning from Greenpoint Trading Co.  It can be used as a meat rub or can be sprinkled on all kinds of vegetables. There really aren't a lot of instructions, just an ingredient list that includes paprika, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, celery powder, cayenne pepper and natural spices.  It is quite red in color so I'm wondering how strong that cayenne is?

These Parm Crisps from Kitchen Table Bakers have arrived in at least one of my prior sub boxes.  They are completely made from parmesan cheese which makes them a little too bitter tasting for my liking.  Consumed in very small quantities, I think they'd be good paired with another food that offsets the strong cheese flavor...maybe grapes or apple slices?  The information card also suggests using them as a salad topping.

Finally, there is a big 10.5 oz. package of Gatherer's Gourmet Granola, a gluten-free recipe that includes coconut, dark chocolate and quinoa.  I've never had a granola that contained dark chocolate before so this is already a winner for me!

One other item in this box is a coupon for Salted TV, a website that contains a vast assortment of cooking classes taught by professional chefs.  Membership normally costs $9.99 per month and this coupon gives three months free to Cuisine Cube subscribers.  This little perk seems like a very good fit for this box!  (I'm guessing anyone can use the code CUBE to get the three free months.)

Several things about this Cube really impress me!  The selection of items is quite interesting and original. These are all generous full sizes--no tiny samples! The small batch artisanal quality of all the products is apparent; these are not just products you could pick up at the grocery store.  This box was fun to go through and brought some tasty new products to my attention.  So I'm a happy camper!

If you would like to try Cuisine Cube, click here and use code CC10Off for $10 off your first time order.  If you like checking out new specialty foods, I think you'll enjoy this subscription!

Thanks for reading,

Cheryl

Disclosure:  Views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly my own.  Product discussed in this post was received complimentary for review purposes. Post may contain referral or affiliate links.