Coffee and a Classic is a monthly book & beverage subscription box curated by founder Ashlee Doherty. Ashlee’s mission is to create a complete escape each month for lovers of literature, providing a thought-out and curated experience where readers can curl up with the book, a beverage, and other bookish items to retreat from everyday life.
There are two different subscription levels available.
- The STARTER BOX ($29.99 / month + shipping) provides you with a classic book, something to sip on, and 2 bookish items each month.
- The STANDARD BOX ($40.99 / month + shipping) provides you with a classic book, something to sip (your choice of coffee, tea, hot chocolate) & snack on, a bookmark, a coffee mug, and 1-2 bookish items based on a theme. This book box is also packaged in a high-quality photo box.
With each level of subscription, you can select from three genres: Classic Literature, Children’s Classics, and Classic Nonfiction. You can also choose your preferred beverage type: coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or a surprise!
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This review is for the Starter Children’s Classics Box.
About Coffee and a Classic
The Subscription Box: Coffee and a Classic Starter Box, Children's Classics option
The Cost: $29.99 a month (you can save 5%-15% with longer pre-paid subscription) + shipping (varies)
The Products: A classic book, something to sip on, 2 bookish items + a bookmark
Ships to: US + Internationally (shipping costs vary)
Good to Know: Boxes ship between the 19th-23rd of each month. You can cancel your subscription at any time (recurring billing happens on the 1st of the month). Each month, a sneak peek is available, and you can change genres if something catches your eye.
Coffee and a Classic (Children’s Classics) Starter Box Review - March 2019
This month’s selection is Heidi by Johanna Spyri
“I’ll always say my prayers…and if God doesn’t answer them at once I shall know it’s because He’s planning something better for me.” – Johanna Spyri, Heidi
Like most subscriptions, the first item you see when you open the box is an info card detailing the products inside. The contents listed include the book itself, a package of hot chocolate, 2 bookish items, and a bookmark.
Heidi by Johanna Spyri (B&N Collectible Edition) – Retail Value $10.00
From Barnes & Noble:
Heidi is the timeless tale of the orphan girl Heidi, who lives with her grandfather in the mountains of Switzerland and who brings cheer and comfort into the lives of all who know her. This edition of Johanna Spyri's classic novel features illustrations in full color by Jessie Wilcox Smith. Heidi is one of Barnes & Noble's Collectible Editions classics. Each volume features authoritative texts by the world's greatest authors in an exquisitely designed foil-stamped binding, with distinctive gilt edging and an attractive ribbon bookmark. Decorative, durable, and collectible, these books offer hours of pleasure to readers young and old and are an indispensable cornerstone for any home library.
This is a beautiful story of friendship and faith. This book was written in 1881. It’s so interesting to sit in the time that we live in and read a tale this old and realize how both complicated and simple life used to be. I look forward to sharing this story with my son when he’s a bit older--at 3, this story is still a bit mature for him.
I am a huge fan of the B&N classic collectible edition books themselves. They're beautifully illustrated, feature gilded edges, and I love the built-in bookmark. For $10, I think they are a great value.
Exclusive! “Swiss Miss” Hot Chocolate from McStevens – 4 oz (buy in bulk of 5 lbs here for $35.00)
Almost every month, we see a delicious McSteven’s hot cocoa! This month, the package was a rich and delicious Swiss chocolate. I’d estimate that this 4 oz pouch is probably enough for about 3-4 servings depending on how much cocoa power you like to add to your cup. My only complaint is that I wish that the custom pouches contained nutrition information.
Goatmeal Honey Bubble Bath from Steele Family Farm, 2 oz – (buy a 16 oz bottle here for $14.00)
This handcrafted bubble bath is created using goat milk, almond oil, and a few other ingredients that help to generate a rich, luxurious, and soothing lather. I love the smell of almond, and my skin felt super soft and nourished after a soak in this formula. I think that the goat milk is totally on point with the Heidi theme of the box, so kudos to this subscription on this smart curation!
Copper Plated Goat Bell Keychain
This copper goat bell is from The Goat Shop, AK and was turned into a keychain exclusively for this box by the C&C subscription team. I think that it’s a really cute, fitting keychain. Practically, however, it's a little too noisy for actual use! I'm going to let my son play with it until the dogs and myself are adequately annoyed and then "gift" it to my niece. 😊 Sorry, sister!
Handmade Goat Book Clip - Retail Value $2.02
I love the adorable bookmark and the little linen pouch it came in. It is just so fitting for this box! It's something that looks pretty simple to make using some felt and a paperclip – it just might inspire me to do some crafting myself!
Verdict: Another month yielding another adorable, well-curated children's box. Because of the exclusive items, I couldn’t really calculate value – but given that the box itself costs $37.99 ($29.99 + $8 shipping), I think that the value itself remains in the curation and novelty versus the high cost of the retail items. I think that if I was to sum the items using like products online, I wouldn't be able to hit the $37 mark. While I do really enjoy this subscription, I feel that I would rave about it for $20 a month, but at almost $40 I wish there was at least 1 higher value item in each box.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No. Your first box will be the April selection. From Coffee and a Classic:
We ship out the book boxes between the 19th - 23rd each month. If there is a significant change to this date for a particular month we will notify you via email.
Value Breakdown: At $37.99 ($29.99 + $8.00 for shipping to my home) for this box, you’re paying about $7.60 per item.
Check out all of our Coffee and a Classic reviews and the reader-voted top book subscription boxes for 2019!
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What do you think of Coffee and a Classic? Which box type do you prefer?
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