RawSpiceBar Subscription Box Review – July 2015

Made the recipes tonight.

I’m actually glad for the smaller amounts. I live with my fiance now and we don’t host dinner parties (actually there are still a lot of unpacked boxes around the house — we’ve only been here two weeks). I would get a bit tired of leftovers after a few days.

For the ice cream, we found a strawberry ice cream recipe elsewhere and just made that but with the spice packet added. My ice cream maker malfunctioned (didn’t auto shut off so we had to listen to that motor for an HOUR before we decided to stop it ourselves) but the ice cream actually turned out well (I have the old-style bucket maker that you use rock salt with, but it has a motor instead of a hand crank). But that basically worked.

We made the quinoa burgers sans mushrooms (we just ate them on buns with burger fixings).

And the potato salad was fine; we just made it without bacon (so the salt level was not too high, since there was no salt from the bacon to contend with).

I actually don’t mind that Memphis was chosen. I almost never make all the recipes as-is (too much of a meat focus). I think of it more as a way to break out of a rut in terms of what I cook. At least once a month I am trying some new recipes I haven’t tried before. Yeah, I do have most of these spices in my kitchen (in fact, I am on spice overload since my fiance and I combined our — both extensive — collections). But I like getting the package and trying something new. And it’s so inexpensive. I’ll probably stick with it and hope they get a little better with the directions (and are quicker to offer vegetarian alternatives).

Thank you Lindsey!! I’m so glad I read your review before attempting the recipes. My ribs turned out perfect with a nice crust. The potato salad had just the right amount of salt and the strawberry Compote over ice cream was amazing (and alot less work).

Did anyone else notices the recipes got about 1/2-1/3 of the size for this round? My fiance and I have been subscribing since February and have been using the packets to have dinner parties with our friends and when I was looking over this months recipes I realized that they were really only big enough for 2-4 people and not the normal 8-10. I hope they have some larger recipes for the August box.

I have had this subscription 2 months and this month I was pretty happy with the recipes and spices… however, I’m REALLY disappointed that the Spice Packets no longer are re-sealable. I enjoyed that I was able to open and smell the seasonings and then re-seal them from the Jamaican box. Now I can’t do that with this one, which leaves me a bit sad because I have to use them the day that I open them! And what do I do with the left overs? Tape the packages and risk ruining them? Sigh.

Mona is spot on… I loved the packaging and would not describe this change as an upgrade. I got such joy out of the colorful envelopes, but I don’t really care if my recipes are in full color (especially if they have a lot of errors.)

And, seriously, boring theme. I expect a lot more intrigue from Raw Spice Bar. Even with the Japanese theme (I already do a lot of Japanese cooking) there was one spice blend that was completely new to me, one old favorite that I was happy to see because it’s hard to get where I live, and one new take on matcha, which was fun to try out. I was still thrilled about it. Memphis BBQ though? Meh. Other foodie subscription boxes send that stuff out by the trunkload.

I’m sad to see that they changed the packaging… I was absolutely in love with the beautiful envelopes they used to use. It totally brightened my day to open one.

Also, Memphis BBQ is a pretty disappointing theme… my favorite part of this subscription is trying new spice combinations (many that I’ve never even heard of.) The arrival of the package always inspires me to learn more about a new cuisine. Up to this point they’ve done a really great job of choosing cuisines I’ve never cooked before… like New Mexican Native American and Iranian.

If the themes continue along similar lines as the July box, I’ll probably unsubscribe. I have all of the ingredients of this month’s spices in my cabinet already, and I already know how to combine them. It’s not an expensive subscription, but without the value of learning/exploring, it’s just kind of clutter to me.

Hi all! This is RawSpiceBar! First of all, thank you all so much for your amazing reviews and feedback- we so very much appreciate it. We went through a lot of transitions last month with the packaging, new chefs, new design, etc.. We certainly had a few errors and omissions in the recipe cards that unfortunately went out. We’ve since fixed these on our blog and have put processes in place to make sure this doesn’t happen again in the coming months. We value all of your feedback and read every single one of your comments and notes so please don’t ever hesitate to let us know how we can be better. Thank you all so much for your patience this month!

RawSpiceBar

You can get a decent ice cream maker for as little as $15 at Target (not a device where quality = $$$). Of course as someone else said, the Kitchaid stand mixer attachment system (bowl and paddle) is also a great option. But, if you don’t have either and don’t want to get either (which I can understand – both take up space), chances are you know someone who has one and would let you borrow it. You’d be surprised how many people own things (ice cream makers, bread machines, soda machines…) but don’t regularly use them.

Lindsey, everything you make looks so delicious!

If you have a KitchenAid, you can get the ice cream kit – I have one and it works really well. You just need to put the bowl in the freezer about a day before you want to make ice cream so it gets cold enough. Since it’s just the bowl (and paddle), it doesn’t take up as much room as other ice cream machines.

This was my first month with this subscription and was definitely a bit disappointed to see so many errors in the recipe, but I was able to make the adjustments needed to still enjoyed the spices. I made my ribs in a pressure cooker, using half the spices as a dry rub and I finished them off under the broiler with the wet mop and they turned out great. The strawberry compote idea sounds great!

Dear RSB:

Your spice mixes are awesome. Love them, keep them coming!

Suggestion: Consider hiring MSA reviewer Lindsey Morse as a consultant to prepare your recipes in order to add real life suggestions and for quality control before you send them out in the future. This letter is not a joke. For reference, see https://www.mysubscriptionaddiction.com/2015/07/rawspicebar-subscription-box-review-july-2015.html

Thank you,
a regular RSB subscriber

I’ll deal with a few glitches – I still love this subscription – it is actually one of my favorites. But like someone said below – they do need a proofreader.

I am a horrible cook so I have to have a recipe. I’m sure I’d notice the discrepencies but not too sure I’d know how to fix/alter for them. When I deviate from recipes, they are a disaster. I’ve really been eyeing this subscription and as long as Lindsey does the reviews maybe I’ll try it..but if Lindsey stops, I’ll be doomed. Hopefully they will get a better proof reader for their recipes.

Did anyone notice that in the text of the recipe, it called for a smoked salt and pepper blend? I was wondering if we were supposed to receive this blend (but we only ended up receiving the smoked salt), and if that were the case, it would have made more sense to add the whole packet because it would have been half salt and half pepper. Anyway, since I’m an avid home cook, recipe errors don’t bother me. I can’t remember the last time I followed a recipe, anyway, and I don’t love spices in desserts, so I usually just do my own thing instead of the dessert recipe. With that being said, I could totally understand how these errors could be frustrating for others, especially those who view the recipe curation as part of the box value! I still love RSB, and I’m looking forward to using some of my stockpiled spices when it cools down enough for me to use my oven.

I really appreciate that you make these recipes and show us how they turn out! This is my third month of subscribing and I’ve also noticed they are sloppy with their instructions and their written materials, which is something that particularly drives me crazy since I work in publications myself, and I just don’t think there’s any excuse for that. Especially with recipes, which can be messed up so easily if one direction is off!

Anyway, I keep subbing because I love the variety of spices and I live in a small town where it’s hard to get these kinds of awesome flavors. Plus, spices are so expensive if you buy a whole jar only to try them out. So I think there is still a great value for people who like to cook and want to try new flavors and experiment. But for people whose goal is to follow each recipe to the letter each month, I can definitely see how this sub could be disappointing. Hopefully they get it together soon because I want them to succeed, for the sake of my belly! 🙂

We made ice cream with the spices so I can comment on that recipe – calling for the whole packet of the spices for the ice cream is a no no. We used 1/3 of the packet for our full recipe and that was plenty “spicy.” Cardamom is very strong and overpowering, so a little goes a long way. I loved the blend but my boyfriend said the ratio was off and as a result too licoricey tasting.

Thanks so much for including the compote recipe. I have a small ice cream maker, but the compote actually sounds even better, so I”m going to try it out!

Thank you for the review! I was waiting on your review before I made this meal because of the amount of errors. And I wanted to see what you could do with the ice cream spices since I don’t have an ice cream maker either. I’m a little annoyed by the inclusion of that recipe without an alternate for those of us who don’t own ice cream makers. Raw Spice Bar usually does a good job of offering alternate recipes for their spices, but I’m very disappointed there isn’t one for the ice cream, when it should have been added. Not being able to use a third of the box defintely decreases it’s value for me, and all the errors just show a real lack of professionalism on their part. That being said, I will find a way to use the ice cream spices, and will probably make the compote in this review. I will give them another shot, because u have loved most of the spices I have received, but I’m a little worried that every month there needs to be some correction to their recipes.

Thank you for the detail you provide in your reviews! And, I love the idea of a strawberry compote as an alternative! Even though I own an ice cream maker, I think I am going to try the compote.

This is the first month that I was disappointed in the spices. I am a vegetarian and usually am able to alter the meat recipes where I just substitute in tofu or another soy product and it always works out wonderfully. This month- I didn’t think that would work so well for a rub and then even the side had bacon in it.. and mayo really, really disgusts me.. And I do not have an ice cream maker. Anyway, I was just about to put the spices up on the swap site when the email came through with the quinoa burger and salad recipe. Both recipes happened to include veggies I had on hand from my CSA that I hadn’t decided how I would use yet. Made the burgers and they came out just fine, although I think there was something off with the portions (the recipe only called for 2 portobellos, but the burgers were REALLY big- I might have had 2 servings for each burger. The salad only called for a tiny amount of the salt mix, so I do have a bunch leftover. Besides not having an ice cream maker, I am way too lazy to make ice cream, so I think I’m going to try making whipped cream and mixing the spices in there- then use it on top of a cobbler. I have apricots this week from my CSA so perhaps I’ll use those (I have no idea if you can make a cobbler with apricots- going to google that now!)

I signed up for RSB right after last month’s review with the awesome Jamaican spice. I liked those recipes so much I contacted them and asked them if they’d send me those as my first month’s subscription. They did which was really cool. So perhaps it’s because of my love for the first month’s spices, but I was really disappointed in this months. Like others have said, the recipes were completely flawed. I knew what I was doing so I knew the brown sugar and salt were typing oversights, but still.

The recipes were okay, but wasn’t enamored by any of them. Though I’ve used smoked salt before, so yes if you’ve never tried it before, it’s awesome and everyone should have some on hand!

My previous comment never posted (apologies if this is a double!).

A couple of us posted on Facebook that they left out the strawberries and they corrected the recipe on-line (although leaving out how/when they would be incorporated into the ice cream). They didn’t acknowledge this on Facebook though so that meant someone else commented that there were strawberries (implying that those of us who said there weren’t were wrong). I’m annoyed that Raw Spice Bar didn’t acknowledge their mistake (as well as being unhappy there were so many mistakes!).

A couple of us commented on the Raw Spice Bar about the lack of Strawberries so they added them to the on-line version of the recipe although they did not say at what part of the recipe they came in. They also said on the recipe card that they’d have ways to make the ice cream without an ice cream maker on line but last time I checked I couldn’t find them.

I’m annoyed with the way they handled the strawberries. They added them to the recipe after we wrote our comments but didn’t acknowledge they had done that, which then resulted in someone else commenting that the recipe had a cup and a half of strawberries (making those of us who commented that it had none sound like idiots). This is my first month of Raw Spice bar and I was already annoyed that I got charged for two months before receiving my first set of spices (not a big deal when it is $6 but I dislike that on principle) so I really didn’t appreciate their lack of acknowledgement of their errors.

I love that you make all the recipes. So much fun to see the pictures and read your review.

I was confused by the rib recipe as well. The directions didn’t say how much of the spice rub to use in the mop (I assume it was the whole envelope) but then I was supposed to save some mysterious amount to liberally coat the ribs with at the end, after the final mop? My ribs came out ok, I ended up just chucking their recipe and using one from the awesome ribs website. I loooooooved the potato salad though, like you, I didn’t use the whole packet of salt. Thank goodness. I do have an ice cream machine so I might try out the ice cream recipe, but I was thinking I might do the “no machine” ice cream base instead, because yeah, I’m that lazy.