Tag: specialty snack subscriptions

Today’s box review features specialty snacks. Hawaiian Snack Box graciously sent me a box to review for you all so we’re going to get a chance to dive in to the “best box for people who love Hawaii.”

“Hawaii Snack Box is your fly-free destination to paradise. Our subscription snack program allows you to sample local Hawaiian treats every month while receiving a taste of the culture, along with a fun word, phrase or recipe that teaches you about our beautiful island… Each monthly box contains a variety of 5-7 different snacks from Hawaii businesses.”

Paradise is a big promise, so this little box has a lot to deliver. I’ve never been to Hawaii and I’d love to go, so I’m hoping this box will give me a little taste of the islands.

A adorable box arrived on my doorstep.

Inside, we have some inserts that give us info on the box contents.

Now onto the snacks!

Hawai’i’s Local Buzz Natural Sea Salt Macadamia Nuts

(Estimated Retail 3 oz: $3.00)
Description: “These are Hawai’is most popular nuts at their finest. Hawai’i’s Local Buzz dehydrates their macadamia nuts to keep the taste fresh, as if you just cracked the shell open. A slight hint of Hawaiian sea salt helps round out the flavor of the crunchy treats”.
Verdict: Like!
I don’t think you can have a Hawaiian snack box without Macadamia nuts. I know people adore Macadamia nuts and they are super expensive but I’m pretty ambivalent about them in general. I like nuts overall and these are an excellent addition to the box. I’m not a connoisseur of macadamias but these seem like they are high quality.

Hawai’i’s Local Buzz Mango Mac Tropical Shortbread Cookie

(Estimated Retail: $1.00)
Description: “You’re in for a treat with this Mango Macadamia Shortbread Cookie! It’s made with two signature local ingredients; macadamia nuts give it a buttery, salty cruch and mango coordinates perfectly with its tangy sweet flavor. This is just one of many melt-in-your-mouth cookie flavors by Hawaii’s Local Buzz.”
Verdict: LOVE
Why have I never thought to put mango in a shortbread cookie before? This cookie was so very delicious and I wish there were more included. I’m definitely going to try out some recipes using macadamia nuts and mangos.

 Hawaiian Natural Tea Passion Fruit Orange Tea

(Estimated Retail: $5.95 for a 20 bag box)
Description: “These certified organic Hawaiian teas are infused with the tropical flavors and specifically formulated to be rich in antioxidants and low in caffeine. Passion fruit 9lilikoi) and orange flavors give this tea a playful and refreshing essence.”
I love both passion fruit and orange flavors so this was right up my alley. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, but I’m looking forward to it.

Big Island Bees Macadamia Blossom Honey Sticks

(Estimated Retail 47 oz jar: 38.00)
Description: “Enjoy this honey cultivated on the south side Hawai’i Island (The Big Island), from bees which pollenated flourishing macadamia nut trees. This is a great sweetener for your tea, or a yummy snack by itself for a sweet pick –me-up”.
Verdict: Like
It’s always interesting to try out honeys from different regions so I think this another great item for the box. I couldn’t find the honey sticks on the Big Island Bees site but they have an amazing selection of honey products (including honey caramel). If you know a foodie, this might be a great site to grab them a gift.

The Jade Company Li Hing Mui Cotton Candy

(Estimated Retail $1.39)
Description: “Li Hing Mui is a popular treat in Hawai’i, which has roots in Asian culture. It is a dried salty plum rolled in a flavorful, sweet powder. For this snack, the Jade Company has creatively mixed a popular fairground staple with the sweet and salty flavors of li hing mui by adding the powder topping to cotton candy.
Verdict: Interesting
I’m not huge on cotton candy, but I thought it was a lot of fun to try something I wouldn’t otherwise. The taste itself wasn’t very strong and it just sort of tasted like plain old sugar to me. It was an interesting item to include and something you won’t find in your local grocery.

Hawaiian Host Dark Chocolate Mac Nuts

Description: “This simple yet tasty treat is one of my favorites! Dark chocolate covered Mac Nuts, simple and delicious.”
(Estimated Retail – 7 oz box/18 pieces: $8.99)
Verdict: Why didn’t you fill the whole box with these?
These were so so so tasty. The chocolate was excellent quality and it paired perfectly with the macadamia nuts. It’s probably a good thing that I can’t get these at my local store because I’d probably gain 5 pounds of solid chocolate and nut weight.

OVERALL

Verdict: Love for the Products, Miss for the Value

I loved the whimsy of this box and the idea of trying out foods from Hawaii. I have a sweet tooth so I enjoyed the plethora of sweet snacks, but the box probably could have used a bit more salty or spicy items. My big issue with this box is the value. You don’t need to pay for shipping which is a big consideration when you are getting a bunch of local products from Hawaii, but when I added up the estimated value of what I received it came out to only $8.12. With a monthly cost of $19.95, that’s just too low a value for me to justify the expense of this box or to recommend it others. If the items included were larger in size that would help a great deal. A four pack of cookies, a larger bag of nuts and a small box of tea would have gone a long way in making this box worth the expense.

That being said I thought all the snacks themselves were great, so the Hawaiian Snack Box company did an excellent job with curation. I’m guessing the low value is to offset the high shipping costs to the company, but it’s just way too low. If this was a $12 monthly box, then it would be a win.

What are the most unique snacks you’ve ever tried and where were they from?

THE BACKSTORY
“Hawaii Snack Box is a subscription box company that sends you delicious local treats from Hawaii every month!…Things you can’t find everyday outside of Hawaii such as li hing mui, arare, macadamia nuts, lilikoi butter and jams, and so much more! We also send cultural information each month so you can learn a little more about Hawaii! Each monthly box contains a variety of 5-7 different snacks from Hawaii businesses. All of the snacks have been hand selected, and taste-test approved by our team of snackers!…”

Monthly Cost:
1 Month: $19.95
3 Months: $18.95
6 Months: $17.95
12 Months: $16.95

Shipping within the United States is Free, and only $5.99 to Canada and $13.99 to the rest of the world.