Saturday, November 7, 2015

The Cozy Mug Halloween Tea Box Review, October 2015

It's probably safe to say that most box bloggers entertain the fantasy of curating their own box.  I know a couple who have actually done so.  Keeping economic reality in mind, my under $20 box would look something like The Cozy Mug. With this subscription, you get tea samples from various sources plus a few surprise treats like cookies, chocolates or beauty products. The idea is to promote a little "you time" with relaxing cups of tea and a few other niceties each month.

The monthly price for The Cozy Mug is $19.95.  You can get a small discount by signing up for the annual plan at $227 which works out to $18.92 a month. If you want to try just one box, the cost is $22.00.  All of these rates include shipping. I believe the only payment form accepted is Paypal which is actually to the buyer's advantage. (When you set up a recurring payment through Paypal, you can stop it at any time without having to contact the merchant. If you've ever endured the hassle of being forced to call a subscription company to cancel, you will recognize the value of this benefit!)

New subscribers get their first box the month after they pay. That means you could actually get charged twice before seeing your first box. That's what happened with me as I signed up near the end of one month. My first box arrived early in the month FOLLOWING the next month...quite a long wait. I received a small USPS Priority mail box which opened to reveal several Halloween-ish shades of tissue paper and a pumpkin sticker holding it all together. Some of the items were individually wrapped which gave this a real "gift from a friend" feel.



Here is a group shot of all the goodies inside:



The information card is a little hard to read but very cute and seasonal; it tells why each product was chosen and gives tips about how it can be used.



First is a cute little packet from Novel Teas which contains five tea bags.  This is English Breakfast Tea; the card mentions that this tea is good for add-ins like cinnamon sticks, honey or vanilla.  I plan to try a cinnamon stick since I have a bunch laying around and never know what to do with them.


Next is a Mulling Spice mix from Simply Organic.  Add this to apple juice, boil it, then strain out the spices for a delicious fall/winter drink. When it's cold out, I sometimes just boil mulling spices for the aroma rather than to drink.


There are a couple of Halloween inspired sturdy paper straws and an Apple Cinnamon Greek Yogurt Bar from Athena.  These bars contain a lot of good things like anti-oxidants, two full servings of fruits and vegetables, protein and probiotics. Plus, they just taste good.


I've been introduced to Shea Terra Organics products through other subscription boxes so am always intrigued to get these in new seasonal scents.  This is a generous sample size of their whipped shea body butter cream in Gingerbread Pumpkin. Smells like the real thing!


People complain about getting too many lip balms in subscription boxes but they are always welcome in my mailbox.  I use them constantly and gift any surplus.  This one is by Moody Sisters in Chai Spice, another great fall scent which is already in use.


Speaking of Chai, there is a Fresh Yerba Mate tea sample from Mate Factor in that flavor and another from The Republic of Tea (one of my favorites) in Dream By the Fire--Cinnamon Vanilla.  



Digging into this box was fun; it felt like a gift from someone who knows me pretty well. Since we lost Eco Emi in April of this year, I'm not sure anyone has taken on individual packaging inside a sub box so I thought that was a very nice touch. Also, the seasonal curation really enhanced this box and tied it all together in a cohesive way.

The Cozy Mug would make a great one time gift as well as a subscription for yourself, particularly at this time of year.  I noticed that they have a few Halloween boxes still available if you want to collect any of the above products.  Otherwise, new subscribers will get the Christmas box which comes out later this month.  Until then, I will be busy brewing tea, mulling spices and slathering on Shea Terra products!

Thank you for reading,

Cheryl

Disclosure:  Views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly my own.  Product discussed in this post was purchased by Lone Star Shopper. Post does not contain referral or affiliate links.

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