What is it? Pantry by Try the World is the younger sister service of the parent Try the World food subscription service, and specializes in gourmet pantry items such as snacks and condiments from around the world in an effort to upgrade your grocery essentials.
How much does it cost? The first trial box is free, but all boxes afterward are $29.99/mo.
Sign-up and ordering: It was fairly easy to sign-up and order my box as I'm still subscribed to Try the World's newsletters, which is how I found out about the trial offer. I just signed into the site, signed up for the trial and updated my credit card information.
Delivery and cancellation: Delivery is listed as being around 4 weeks after placing your order, but I didn't get mine for 7 weeks. I ordered the box back on November 30th but didn't get it til the 18th of January. Since I ordered it around the holidays, maybe that was the reason for the delay. The box arrived with the regular mail and was in fine condition but one of the products had a bit of damage at the bottom of the box (which you'll see in a minute) which appeared to have happened during shipping. I would have liked the box to have been sealed or secured on the outside somehow because anyone could have just opened the box while it was en route and I didn't like that at all, but fortunately all of my products were intact and appeared to not have been touched. Cancellation is one-click and you get a confirmation email following the cancellation of your subscription. If you're only interested in the trial, I would suggest cancelling around three weeks into your subscription so that you don't get charged for a second box and avoid cancelling your first.
Customer service: Throughout the time I was waiting to receive my box, I had to speak to customer service once, but it was a painless experience. I hadn't cancelled my subscription yet because I was still waiting to receive my box but because of that, I was billed for a second month of service. I wasn't about to pay for a second month when I had yet to receive my trial box so I emailed customer service about it. I got a response within 24 hours along with an explanation as to why the box was taking so long to arrive. The customer service rep I spoke to, Kaylee, was very helpful in explaining the shipping times to me and reversing the transaction. I got my money back by the next business day, and that was that. I don't recall needing to speak to them again after that, but I enjoyed the fast and friendly response.
Purchasing received products:
Everything I received in my box was easy to find in the shop, easy to purchase, and the prices were reasonable. There's no difference in sizes between what you receive in your box and ordering the product from the shop. Some might be sold out or unavailable, but everything else is easy to find.
So what came in the box?
This is how the box came, minus the grassy material that came on top. As I mentioned up in the 'Delivery and Cancellation' section up above, there was a bit of damage to my box of lemon and dill sauce from the toffee spread next to it, although it's likely that it happened during shipping with the products being pressed together en route. They could have been shoved into the box during assembly but either way, this was the only damage I saw. Fortunately, it was just the container that was damaged; the product inside of it was fine. Per usual with my food boxes, I asked my family to try everything out along with me so I could give you more than just my own opinion. Let's get to the products.
(Canada) Canadian Maple Shortbread Cookies by Sprucewoods, $6.40
When I first bit into these cookies, the taste of the maple hit my nose and tastebuds very strongly. I can't recall having had actual maple syrup many times (if at all) so it tasted a lot stronger than it probably would if I was used to it. I wasn't sure I'd like it but surprisingly, the taste of the syrup mellows out and melds with the texture of the shortbread very well. Choosing shortbread for the cookie was a good choice, as I think it was solid enough to handle what can be a very overwhelming taste in the maple syrup and the two complement each other very well. I think a softer type of cookie would have made the maple too strong. The taste of the shortbread itself was usual shortbread, buttery but drier than a regular cookie. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to eat the cookies as a regular snack but after getting used to the maple flavor, I realized I quite liked them. Loved them, actually. I'd like some more. lol
The family agreed; the syrup taste is rather strong and can be a little overpowering, and it was unanimous that the cookie overall is an acquired taste. They wouldn't grab for it for an everyday sort of snack because more than a couple at a time would be too much, but for a random, "Hey, you want a cookie?" kind of thing, it's alright.
(France) Lemon and Dill Sauce by Christian Potier, $6.90 for 3/1.7oz. packets
The directions on this sauce recommend using the dill sauce with seafood and while lemon dill sauce is excellent for fish and shrimp, I don't eat seafood. lol I used it on chicken instead, which lemon dill sauce also happens to complement quite well. The instructions for usage were clearly labeled and easy to follow. I first used this as a marinade for a chicken breast, then I used it as a topping for the chicken and pasta after it was done. I hate leaving negative reviews, I really do. But this sauce was not good. At all. It smells like a hollandaise sauce, but it tastes like hot plastic. You don't get a good taste of either the lemon or dill, and the taste you do get from it just isn't pleasant. It didn't really leave a lasting taste from when I baked the chicken with the sauce on top but it did make it a bit softer. It does leave a bit of a film on the tongue afterward and the aftertaste also isn't appealing. Overall, I was really disappointed in this sauce. I didn't like it at all.
(Morocco) Orange Zest Cookies by Orientines, $6.40
When I first bit into these cookies, the taste of the maple hit my nose and tastebuds very strongly. I can't recall having had actual maple syrup many times (if at all) so it tasted a lot stronger than it probably would if I was used to it. I wasn't sure I'd like it but surprisingly, the taste of the syrup mellows out and melds with the texture of the shortbread very well. Choosing shortbread for the cookie was a good choice, as I think it was solid enough to handle what can be a very overwhelming taste in the maple syrup and the two complement each other very well. I think a softer type of cookie would have made the maple too strong. The taste of the shortbread itself was usual shortbread, buttery but drier than a regular cookie. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to eat the cookies as a regular snack but after getting used to the maple flavor, I realized I quite liked them. Loved them, actually. I'd like some more. lol
The family agreed; the syrup taste is rather strong and can be a little overpowering, and it was unanimous that the cookie overall is an acquired taste. They wouldn't grab for it for an everyday sort of snack because more than a couple at a time would be too much, but for a random, "Hey, you want a cookie?" kind of thing, it's alright.
(France) Lemon and Dill Sauce by Christian Potier, $6.90 for 3/1.7oz. packets
The directions on this sauce recommend using the dill sauce with seafood and while lemon dill sauce is excellent for fish and shrimp, I don't eat seafood. lol I used it on chicken instead, which lemon dill sauce also happens to complement quite well. The instructions for usage were clearly labeled and easy to follow. I first used this as a marinade for a chicken breast, then I used it as a topping for the chicken and pasta after it was done. I hate leaving negative reviews, I really do. But this sauce was not good. At all. It smells like a hollandaise sauce, but it tastes like hot plastic. You don't get a good taste of either the lemon or dill, and the taste you do get from it just isn't pleasant. It didn't really leave a lasting taste from when I baked the chicken with the sauce on top but it did make it a bit softer. It does leave a bit of a film on the tongue afterward and the aftertaste also isn't appealing. Overall, I was really disappointed in this sauce. I didn't like it at all.
(Morocco) Orange Zest Cookies by Orientines, $6.40
I'm not very fond of these cookies, to tell the truth. They're small and hard, with little pieces of the hard orange candies baked into them. I'm not that crazy about orange, so maybe these will be great for someone who loves the orange candies. For me personally though, some of the cookies were a bit too hard and the orange was a little too strong. Since they're supposed to complement tea, the texture makes sense. When you just eat a couple of these, the orange comes through really heavily but I've noticed that the more you eat, the more subtle the flavor becomes.
The family wasn't quite as into these cookies either. My sister agreed with me that the hard pieces of candy sort of threw everything off, while my brother's main complaint was more with the cookies being dry rather than the orange, which he said wasn't very strong. My niece didn't have much to offer on the cookies, we asked her if it tasted like oranges, she said no, then a few seconds later said, "I no like it." Three minutes later, she was asking for another cookie though so I guess her jury's still out on it. lol
(Portugal) Gourmet Honey by Casa de Prisca (I couldn't find these on the site, but their Honey with Chestnuts was there--unfortunately, you can't purchase that either bc it's sold out. lol)
The first thing I noted about this honey was the glass jar it comes in. The jar is very weighty and for me, it made the product feel all the more special and more gourmet. I know that probably makes no sense but considering that I usually eat honey out of a plastic container shaped like a bear, I clearly don't have high standards. lol
As for the taste, it wasn't like any other honey I've had before--which should be evident by the fact that I've only had honey from bear-shaped containers lol--and at first, I wasn't sure what to make of it. This honey isn't quite as thick as store-bought honey, but it's no less rich. It's not as sweet, either, but I tasted this bit of spiciness towards the end that I definitely wasn't expecting. I hope that doesn't mean I got a bad batch. lol It's a lot smoother than store-bought honey and I was surprised that I liked the difference so much. For my first experience with pure honey, I was pleased. I'm not in love with it yet because I'm still trying to acclimate myself to the differences in taste, but I'd be down to try it again.
As for the taste, it wasn't like any other honey I've had before--which should be evident by the fact that I've only had honey from bear-shaped containers lol--and at first, I wasn't sure what to make of it. This honey isn't quite as thick as store-bought honey, but it's no less rich. It's not as sweet, either, but I tasted this bit of spiciness towards the end that I definitely wasn't expecting. I hope that doesn't mean I got a bad batch. lol It's a lot smoother than store-bought honey and I was surprised that I liked the difference so much. For my first experience with pure honey, I was pleased. I'm not in love with it yet because I'm still trying to acclimate myself to the differences in taste, but I'd be down to try it again.
The family's opinions varied on the honey; one of my brothers said it wasn't as sweet as store-bought honey, my sister said it was as sweet as store-bought, and my sister-in-law said it was stronger. Everyone agreed that it has a little kick to it, the aftertaste wasn't very strong but the flavor lasts longer, and the consistency wasn't as thick, which was nice. For the most part, everyone said they'd have to get used to it excluding my sister-in-law, who said she's good on it. This opinion was not shared by my niece, who may have had a couple spoonfuls too many. lol
(South Africa) Honey and Salt Toffee Spread by Darling sweet, $8.40
This spread says you can eat it as topping for breads like pancakes or toast, or you can eat it by itself for a snack, and I was too lazy to make either pancakes or toast when I first got the box so I tried it alone. lol At first, like the honey and shortbread cookies, the taste can be a little intense. It's very heavy on the toffee and I didn't taste much of either the honey or salt. I think I was expecting a bit more of a sea salt taste since I often see that with toffees, caramels and chocolates. I think the honey makes the toffee a bit smoother, but neither the honey or salt are particularly strong, which puts the toffee taste front and center. If you're on the fence about toffee at all, this may not be the product for you. By itself, I can only handle a couple of spoons at a time. I tried it on toast a few days ago and even though I only spread a thin layer on the bread, the toffee taste still overwhelmed the bread somehow. Maybe I should have used a thicker cut of bread.
When I had the family try this out, the opinions were a bit more similar than they were for the honey. My brothers and sister-in-law agreed that the spread wasn't super sweet, had a thick texture sort of like peanut butter, and reminded them all of caramel lollipops or cubes. They also agreed that the honey and salt flavors weren't noticeable. My sister said she could have the spread in moderation and wanted to try it on toast rather than by itself next time, but my sister-in-law (and niece, who determined she wasn't about to be left out of the tasting lol) liked it enough to eat it by itself as a snack.
My thoughts:
As I believe I said during my initial Try the World review in late 2015 (I'll always remember doing that review because the week I received my products and was starting to put the post together, I broke my toe. lol), I love the attention to detail that the company pays to ensuring that their products really do come from places around the world. I love the concept of putting different pieces of the world into one box and allowing me to taste the things that people in those countries may snack on or eat for dinner. It exposes me to new products and companies without having to leave my room, and I love that about the company as a whole. As you can see from the list, I got products from a bunch of different places around the world and I like that I was given a well-rounded taste profile with the products that I tried. I'm also glad I got to try this box with my family; I love trying out food boxes with them but my youngest brother says he's still traumatized from the health-conscious boxes I used to try because he always got the gross stuff. ha
Since the regular Try the World service is the same price as the Pantry service, though, I don't know that it allows for a new consumer to mentally separate the two services, despite the boxes catering to different taste profiles. There are smaller things in the Pantry box so it would make sense to me for the Pantry box to be a bit cheaper than the parent service but because it isn't, anything beyond the trial box may be out of the budget for a perma-broke consumer like myself. I think that would be my primary complaint with the box, or with the Pantry service as a whole. I also think the shipping times should clearly be stated somewhere on the order page because they wasn't there when I ordered mine and it got frustrating as the weeks went by and I hadn't received anything or had any communication from the company about where the box was. To try to keep it fair and not go so hard, I had to remember that the Pantry service is still in a stage of relative infancy so it's safe to assume the team is still feeling things out in terms of how the service will function best. Try the World, however, is not in its infancy, so I guess I was expecting something a bit more concrete.
So do I recommend the box?
Despite my complaints about the shipping and price, yes I would recommend this box. I would recommend it if you consider yourself a foodie, if you like being the one to say, "Try this!" to your friends and shove something new in their faces (or is that just me?), or if you just want something outside of your regular snack choices and preferences. I wasn't sure 5 smaller snacks was worth $30, but when you consider that each of these are considered to be gourmet snacks, that ramps up the individual price of each snack from about $3 to around $5 or $6. So while it makes sense from that standpoint, it would also make sense to me that it costs a few bucks less than the parent box. Honestly speaking though, I don't know if I'd pay $30 every month for a few snacks. Maybe a couple of times a year for some treats, but not every month. Pantry is a great service though; it exposes you to different sweets, condiments and foods from around the world, just like its parent box Try the World. A lot of attention goes into each box, which gives you a well-rounded look at a number of international places and the treats offered there. Another thing I really appreciate about this box and its products is that it's not hard to repurchase them, provided they aren't sold out. I've had that issue with quite a few subscription boxes; I can't find the products anywhere else and they aren't always available on the site after the box comes out (which makes no sense to me). The prices are affordable, which is a big factor to me because duh. I'm broke. So if you'd like to treat yourself (ha) to something special and gourmet every so often, give Pantry a go.
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