Culture Carton is a monthly lifestyle box for men. Each month you’ll receive 3-5 curated lifestyle items and a book they think "every man should read," selected to enhance your gentlemanly status. They have three subscription options:
- Standard - Lifestyle items and a book for $45/month + shipping
- Essential - Just the lifestyle items for $35/month + shipping
- Book Club - One book sent monthly for $16/month + shipping
This is a review of the Standard Culture Carton for $45/month + shipping.
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.)
About this Men's Lifestyle Subscription
The Subscription Box: Culture Carton
The Cost: $45 a month + shipping. Other options available.
ACTIVE DEAL: Free shipping on all orders over $100
CODE: FREESHIPPING
The Products: A curated selection of 3-5 men’s lifestyle items and a book “that belongs on every man’s bookshelf.”
Ships to: The US for a varied cost.
Culture Carton Review July 2020
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Culture Carton came with an info card that lists the items in the box this month. July's items were selected to get you cooking and outside to experience the great outdoors!
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The Cuban Affair by Nelson Demille - Retail Value $17 (found here for $10.29)
This book sounds like a great summer read! My husband decided to dive into this book first since it was more his cup of tea than mine, but he said that it is moving a bit slow to start. There is a lot of setup and buildup with the characters and the overall setting, which is still in Key West right now. The story sounds like a thrilling suspense novel that takes you into Cuba, where our main character might have to risk his life to make some money. While my husband said there isn't anything too heart-stopping yet, he is enjoying the build of the main character and hopes that it will get a bit more suspenseful as it goes on!
From Amazon:
Daniel Graham MacCormick—Mac for short—seems to have a pretty good life. At age thirty-five he’s living in Key West, owner of a forty-two-foot charter fishing boat, The Maine. Mac served five years in the Army as an infantry officer with two tours in Afghanistan. He returned with the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, scars that don’t tan, and a boat with a big bank loan. Truth be told, Mac’s finances are more than a little shaky.
One day, Mac is sitting in the famous Green Parrot Bar in Key West, contemplating his life, and waiting for Carlos, a hotshot Miami lawyer heavily involved with anti-Castro groups. Carlos wants to hire Mac for a ten-day fishing tournament to Cuba at the standard rate, but Mac suspects there is more to this and turns it down. The price then goes up to two million dollars, and Mac agrees to hear the deal, and meet Carlos’ clients—a beautiful Cuban-American woman named Sara Ortega, and a mysterious older Cuban exile, Eduardo Valazquez.
Mac learns that there is sixty million American dollars hidden in Cuba by Sara’s grandfather when he fled Castro’s revolution. With the “Cuban Thaw” underway between Havana and Washington, Carlos, Eduardo, and Sara know it’s only a matter of time before someone finds the stash—by accident or on purpose. And Mac knows if he accepts this job, he’ll walk away rich…or not at all.
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Lime Fresco Sea Salt by Sutter Buttes, 2.6 oz - Retail Value $8.00
My Dad has been on a margarita-making kick this summer, which means my husband is now on a margarita-making kick as well. A salted glass is key for a good margarita in our house, but he was just saying the other night that we needed better salt. So obviously my husband was so excited to see this lime sea salt! Unlike a lot of flavored salts, you get a ton of lime flavor in this blend—super tart! We will be using this on our next batch of margaritas, but the Sutter Buttes site recommends using this to season chicken, fish, or to sprinkle over a salad. This is the perfect item to find in a summer box!
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Salsa Verde Simmer Sauce by Sutter Buttes, 12 oz - Retail Value $12.00
I can't keep salsa in my house for very long because my husband eats it all the time! The great thing about this sauce is that you can use it for cooking or as a salsa with chips. The description says that this sauce is mild and tangy, but I have to say I got a bit of a spicy kick to it when I tasted it out of the jar. Nothing too overwhelming, just a nice spicy tang that really woke up my tastebuds! I am going to be using this to marinade some chicken that I plan to cook in my crockpot for tacos, but I am really excited to try this with enchiladas as well. The possibilities for this simmer sauce are endless! Another great product for summer!
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Gerber Flatiron Micarta Knife - Retail Value $57.00 (currently out of stock)
My husband is obsessed with this knife! He said the handle is super comfortable, making it really easy to hold and grasp while using. It was slightly tricky to fold at first, but once he got it to lower the first time he didn't have any issues again. This clever blade is 3.6 inches, making it perfect to use to cut smaller things. My husband has already used this a few times when prepping food to grill and tried using it to get a fine chop on an onion (which was really cool to watch). My husband doesn't hunt or camp, but he really enjoys collecting unique knives like this one and is excited that he can use it when cooking and grilling!
The Verdict: Culture Carton was the perfect summertime box this month! While the book isn't sizzling just yet, the reviews for it are pretty good so my husband is hoping it will pick up once he gets further into it. For him personally, the simmer sauce and lime sea salt were just what our kitchen needed right now! He is so excited to make margaritas this weekend and try the new lime, but he already knows that this new salt is going to make his margs way better than my Dad's. We shall see! The simmer sauce is going to turn my ordinary every week tacos into a tangy and spicy hit when I use it on some crockpot chicken. It is also serving as a great chip and salsa snack for my husband so I might have to buy more if I want to use it on a few different recipes. I saved the best for last here because let's be honest, my husband was blown away by his new knife! He thought the clever blade was really cool and has been using it a lot already when prepping meats to grill. So not only does it look cool, but it is comfortable, easy to use, and I know he will get a lot of use out of it! The total retail value of this box is an estimated $93 which is pretty amazing for the $53.27 cost. While the value was a bit lower than last month's box, we both really loved the vibe that this month's curation was giving! It was all about summer cooking and being outside. This box is such a fun little gift for my husband to receive each month, and we have even talked about ordering this box as a gift for my brothers!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you'll receive the August box as your first box.
Orders placed before the 15th of the month will be shipped on 15th-17th of the month. All orders placed after the 15th will ship the following month.
ACTIVE DEAL: Free shipping on all orders over $100
CODE: FREESHIPPING
Value Breakdown: The box costs $53.27 ($45.00 + $8.27 shipping to Pittsburgh), which means that each of the 4 items in the box has an average cost of $13.31.
Check out all of our Culture Carton reviews and see what the best men's subscription boxes of 2020 are, as voted on by our readers!
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