RawBox Subscription Box Review + Coupon – October 2016

RawBox is a monthly subscription box of raw, plant-based snacks and clean lifestyle products. Every month, expect 10-12 products, most of which are full-size, single-serving packages.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

The Subscription Box: RawBox

The Cost: $39.95 per month on a month-to-month plan.  Save with longer subscriptions.

COUPON: Save 15% off your first box with code WELCOME15OFF

The Products: Raw, plant-based, gluten-free, soy-free, vegan snacks and clean lifestyle products such as beauty products and household supplies that are free of parabens, sulfates, etc.

Ships to: US

Good to Know: You can skip shipments by logging into your account.

Check out all our RawBox reviews and lots of vegan and other snack boxes in the Food Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

Included was a two-sided, full-color brochure containing information about the products. It was so big, I really couldn’t photograph the whole thing and have it still be readable. But it is a good, informative card – one of the best I’ve seen for a subscription box.

Barnana Organic Apple Cinnamon Chewy Banana Bites (1.4 oz) – Value $2

These are unsulfured so they are pretty dark in color, but they do have a simple ingredients list and are a great source of potassium. The apple cinnamon flavor was new to me (have had other varieties). These would be good in situations where you want fruit but it is inconvenient to take fresh fruit with you.

Simple Squares in Nuts, Ginger, and Honey (1.6 oz) – Value $2.80

I’ve had lots of Simple Squares before but this flavor is new to me. My husband and I had a little tasting party the night this box arrived (I had extra calories left over after dinner) and we both enjoyed the texture and the ginger flavor here.

Rawrev 100 Organic Live Food Bar in Spirulina Dream – Value $0.89

This is tiny, but that’s to keep it at 100 calories. Since I am counting calories, I appreciate that. This had an off-putting appearance (it was green from the spirulina, and a shade of green, at that, that had me thinking of nori or kombu). But it tasted just like a date and nut bar (in other words, pretty good). Spirulina has lots of vitamins and is also high in iron, which is important for vegans and vegetarians.

Eco Nuts Organic Laundry Detergent (0.5 oz) – Value $3.99

I have seen these before somewhere, but have never tried them until now. You put them in the little bag and throw them in the washing machine. So far they seem to be doing a good job, but I will note that my clothes rarely have any stains, grease, or serious dirt on them, so I wasn’t really able to put them through the paces. (Plus side: they seemed fine for my skin and I can normally only use All Free & Clear.)

Mychelle Dermaceuticals Refining Sugar Cleanser (0.25 fl oz) – Value $1.79

I know I have received this brand from other subscription boxes (Yuzen or Good Being?) and I am a fan. I am big into anything that exfoliates and this is gentle enough to use every day (for me anyway).

Laughing Giraffe Organics Pumpkin Spice Snakaroons (6 oz) – Value $7.99

I was so excited to see these. I’ve had other flavors before and love them. Sadly, when I opened the bag…

I did eat this with a spoon (after weighing it on my kitchen scale). And it tasted as good as I expected it to.  (There weren’t many pumpkin seeds.)  I would be leery of purchasing this online after this experience, truthfully, out of fear the same thing would be happen. But if you can find them (whole) in a store, they are good.

Organic Living Superfoods Raw Sprouted Pumpkin Cinnamon Pecans (1.4 oz) – Value $3.99

Maybe it is just me but the PCP/”trip” reference in the product name is a bit off-putting. That being said, these had a much more pleasant texture than most of the raw nuts I have had lately, and (names aside), this is a great flavor for fall.

Ecolips Pogo True Vanilla Bean Lip Balm (0.15 oz) – Value $3.99

I complain about lip balms in subscription boxes, but at least this one is fancy looking. (For the record, it’s about the same amount of product as a more traditional lip balm stick container.) This is fair trade certified and is not quite as gritty as a lot of other coconut-oil-containing lip balms I’ve tried.

Leap Red Power Organic Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie (1.8 oz) – Value $4.99

Leap Blue Zeal Organic Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie (1.8 oz) – Value $4.99

You will almost always get some powdered products of this sort in Rawbox. My standard practice is to incorporate a tablespoon or so of these into my normal morning smoothies rather than to make the whole packet as a single smoothie. I like all the different fruits and vegetables that are included. I wanted to note that the blue one is not *actually* blue, but more of a beige or off-white.

Disposable Paper Tea Filter Bags – Value $1 (?)

There was no brand name here so the value is an estimate. (The little cloth bag was holding them.) It is nice that Rawbox provided these when also providing a loose leaf tea.

Chad’s Chai CPR (Chamomile Peppermint Rooibos) – Value $3

The inclusion of tea brought up an interesting question for me. Typically tea water is boiled, so tea would not be considered raw. (You can dry leaves/herbs at low temperatures and many raw foodists would find that acceptable.) But looking around, it appears that many people who try to eat raw foods do not go for 100% raw diets. Anyway, if you are familiar with chamomile, peppermint, and rooibos, you can probably guess what this tea tastes like – you really can detect all the individual flavors in this, and they go together well.

Here’s a photo of the loose tea.  I love all the large pieces and identifiable ingredients.

Here is what it looks like when brewed. Pretty standard for an herbal tea. I like the lack of artificial colors.

Verdict: I calculated a value of about $41.42 for the October 2016 RawBox. That is slightly over the cost of the box, but for a box containing mostly food, it is an excellent value (since those often come in a little under the total subscription price). Plus, there weren’t many product repeats this month (or if there were, at least the items were different flavors) and the food was especially good. I’m sad about the macaroons, though.

What do you think of the October 2016 RawBox?