RawSpiceBar Subscription Box Review – June 2015

I never received my January shipment but got charged. I tried to contact customer service but, I never got a reply and there is no number to speak to a person. They also don’t have tracking on their subscription which makes it harder if there is a problem. I also never got a confirmation that they are even getting my emails. I have no idea what to do at this point and can’t even cancel it. If anyone has an idea how to handle this please let me know.

Thanks for the great review! As others have said, it really helps me in making these recipes for myself.

We just made the June recipes for a party this weekend, and all three of the dishes were a huge hit. My only issue was that the fish recipe called for a pound of fish for 8-12 people, and I thought that was crazy… luckily I had read this review that it was really spicy, so I just doubled all the ingredients except for the spices, and we had *just* enough fish for everyone. And it was STILL spicy!

I would absolutely buy this set of spices again, so I hope they start selling these mixes on their website soon.

I agree with some of the other constructive comments below – I’m a fan, but I would love:
-to buy their spices online
-for them to send an alternative recipe on the back of each card (vegetarian, etc) or make their alternative recipes more easy to find (I couldn’t remember my login info last time I went looking, my bad)
-If they halved the spices – so two packages of each serving 4-6 people… with spice blends I hate to try to halve them myself, and not get the blends right.

Overall I’m really happy with the sub. I signed my DH up when they had a buy six months, get one month free deal, and I think we’ll likely re-up. We havent loved every blend, but it makes us step out of our comfort zone, which is fun!

I LOVE this subscription and your reviews for it are my favorite on MSA!

I love that you cook the dishes for your review! It’s really helpful since sometimes I’m not sure if I’m adventurous enough to try a recipe, but then seeing how it actually turns out makes me more excited to go for it. So thank you!

It sounds like some people have been having some issues with their subs… That sucks. 🙁 I just want to share my experience, though, since I haven’t had any problems. I subscribed after reading about last month’s Peru spices. I emailed the customer service people and asked if they still had Peru spices and if I could start my sub with that. Someone replied right away to say yes, all I had to do was subscribe and email them my order number so they could add a note to my account. I did, and within a week or so, I had the Peru spices in my mailbox! And then a few days ago I received the Jamaica ones, too. So everything went perfectly with my ordering and shipping process. I hope everything smooths out for those who are having trouble, though, because this sub seems really cool and I hope it succeeds! I love having such an affordable foodie option!

I love this subscription! I may or may not make all the recipes each month, but I usually make something. And it’s always fun and interesting. I’m glad to hear they will be offering the spices for sale. I loved the Japanese spices and would order more. It’s smart business to sell the spices. As for those talking about shipping issues, I live in VA and have never had a problem receiving the spices. I usually get them a couple days after the email announcing this month’s spices, which works for me. I have no complaints. I have gotten everything I expected from this subscription.

I agree about loving the idea but being disappointed by the shipping and customer sevice. It took 4 emails and 2 weeks for them to finally send the May package that we paid for but we’re never sent and we still haven’t received it and we’re more than halfway through June. It takes what should be an easy fun surprise and makes it a time consuming project just to get it. Hoping May will be an isolated incident.

I’m loving this sub – just signed up right after Japan was featured. I do wish I could of received the Japan spices – I emailed them about wanted those spices but never heard anything. Last month’s chicken and sweet potatoes were wonderful!

Looks absolutely fantastic! I really love your reviews. I was on the fence about making this because it is hot down south but after looking at the food I think I am going to dive in next weekend.

These reviews always make me want to sign up for this even though I am allergic to peppers and wouldn’t be able to use like 80% of the blends they send.

This was my first month of RawSpiceBar and it was a huge hit. I prepared the marinade with the Jamaican Jerk seasoning as directed but instead of fish I went with a vegetarian option and marinated fake Quorn chicken tenders and black beans, and served over rice with the mango salsa and avocado on top. It was delicious! And SPICY. Luckily my boyfriend and I like hot food. The banana fritters were so good, and I liked that they were quick and easy to prepare. I agree about needing a bit more flour; I added extra because I thought the mixture looked too runny. I also had to cook mine longer than directed to achieve an even, dark brown color. I hope they add the option to purchase individual spice blends soon because I would love to make this meal again.

This was my last month of my subscription, and I’m on the fence if I’ll renew it or not. I disliked the Japan shipment, loved the Peru, and was meh on the Jamaica.

Pros:
Cheap
High quality
Try new blends

Cons:
Can’t currently purchase refills
Recipes don’t scale (serve 8-10)
Every month includes a dessert option, which doesn’t interest me. It leaves me scrambling to figure out what to do with the spices. And despite their claims, their Pinterest page does not provide any good swaps, just inspiration. Which isn’t all bad, but just like others want vegan recipes, I’d like savory only recipes.

I’ve had these sitting on my table for a few days. Guess since the weekend’s coming up, I need to make a grocery shopping list. First to find an appropriate vegetarian recipe for the main dish.

At least the banana fritters seem like they would be difficult to mess up, unlike the dessert from last month!

This is one of my favorite subs, even though I often end up swapping at least one of the mixes. The ones I use are AMAZING and for $6/month this is a dirt cheap way to try new things!

We plan to put the jerk seasoning on chicken this weekend. I also got the right chili’s to try and reproduce last months roasted potato seasoning.

I have been getting RawSpiceBar for the past three months and despite how much I love the spices I will not be renewing. Their shipping times have been incredibly unreliable. The Japanese box I didn’t even get until the next one came out. I bought my mom a subscription for Mother’s Day and she is having an even harder time getting her spices. I will say their customer service is good when they eventually reply but having to contact them every single month about shipping is incredibly frustrating.

I really like that you make the items instead of just showing the spices

I get this sub and love the concept but the past few months – Japan, Peru, Jamaica… I don’t like the food from any of those countries (except veggie sushi).

I wish they’d offer a vegan/vegetarian recipe option – I won’t be renewing a sub to get yet more meat rubs and am honestly sick of this sub being so meat-centric – yes, most people eat meat, but would it kill them to do a veggie-centered month?

I actually signed up for this subscription after reading your last review, which was great! Still waiting for my June (and May, which I requested b/c it looked so good) packet. Thanks!

Whenever I read your reviews I’m tempted to sign up for the subscription! But I’m not sure if I would really love the sub, or if I just really love your reviews….