February Jungle Stand Review

The Box:  The Jungle Stand

The Cost: $9.92/month

The Goods: A taste of 6 different foods, chosen around a theme.

February's theme was "the Horse's Bar" based on Chinese New Year.

The first look at what was included had me a little nervous.  I was admittedly a little relieved that I could use my vegetarianism as an out for a couple of these.

Japanese Mochi: I couldn't get behind the texture of this one.  It managed to be powdery and gummy at the same time.  J described it as being like you combined center of a gummy bear and the center of a fig newton.  He said that he'd probably get this again if he saw it somewhere.

Fish Snack: Ugh.  This smelled like a tackle shop.  J said it was kind of spicy and tasted familiar but couldn't quite place it.  Also, it gave him horrible breath, which he so kindly insisted on blowing in my face.

Sliced Squid: J said this was sort of like soft beef jerky.  There was a noticeable heat to it.

Roasted Chestnuts: During the holidays, J and I were talking about how neither of us had experienced "chestnuts roasting over an open fire."  Here again, I didn't enjoy the texture.  It was soft and crumbly and mushy. It was nutty (obviously) but there was a definite smoke taste to it too.

Garlic Flavored Tofu:  This stuff had the consistency of a fruit leather.  These were really garlicky and the tofu flavor was barely noticeable.

Japanese Wheat Crackers: Not a very appetizing looking snack is it?  I expected it to have the consistency of a pretzel, but it was actually light, crisp and flaky inside.  J said the taste reminded him of the top of creme brulee.

Even though this wasn't the most overall delicious tasting bar we've received, it was definitely the most interesting.  I don't think we would have ever tried any of these things on our own.  Jungle Stand is taking a break to plan and build the future of their tasting bars, so we won't receive any more boxes for a while.  I'm sad about the break, but I can't wait to see what direction they go in when they come back.

January Jungle Stand Review

The Box:  The Jungle Stand

The Cost: $9.92/month

The Goods: A taste of 6 different foods, chosen around a theme.

This month's theme - if you can call it that - was "Professional Tasters vs. You."

The idea was that two of the items were award winners and we, as tasters, were supposed to pick which ones we thought they were and decide whether we agreed or not.

Tiramisu Wafer: These weren't bad but they weren't a favorite of ours.  I never would have guessed they were tiramisu flavored, they just tasted like chocolate to me.

Cafe mocha wafers: Easily the least favorite of the box for both me and James.  The coffee notes overwhelmed the entire wafer.

Key lime shortbread: J's favorite.  We both thought they tasted more lemon-y than key lime-y though. 

Raspberry shortbread:  Blehhh, this one was one of my least favorites.  Granted, I tend to hate pretty much everything raspberry flavored though.

Coconut patty:  Pretty standard stuff - chocolate and coconut.  Totally delicious though.

Key lime coconut patty:  My favorite.  SO good.  J hated it though - he's not a fan of key lime flavors.  It was like a perfect tropical party in my mouth.  I need to find where to buy more.

We're still having fun with Jungle Stand, but I'm getting bored with all the sweets.  Hopefully they'll venture back into the sour, bitter, salty and unami flavors soon.

December Jungle Stand Review - The Santa Claus Bar

The Box:  The Jungle Stand

The Cost: $9.92/month

The Goods: A taste of 6 different foods, chosen around a theme.

This month's theme was Santa's Favorite Sweets!  

The description card of all the goodies.

Chocolate Truffles: J is a weirdo who hates truffles, so he only took a tiny little bite of one.  I was happy to have the rest to myself.

Pfeffernusse:  Neither of us had ever had pfeffernuse before.  J was pretty neutral on them, but I loved them.

Shortbread Cookies:  These were tied for J's favorite.  J usually buys the plain shortbread cookies, so adding the chocolate made these a bit more special.

Dark Chocolate Acai:  These were J's other favorite.  I've actually bought these before - they're from Brookside and pretty dang tasty.  I'm sort of sad that J's realized he likes them now...I'll have to fight him off of mine. ;)

Peppermint Waffle Cookies:  These weren't anything special, but we saved them for last so they did make a nice refreshing end to our tasting.  

Chocolate Orange Sticks:  These were my favorite.  I love orange/chocolate combinations.  J hates it, so again he only ate a tiny bite, but I was super happy to not have to share as much with him.

J and I both guessed that December was going to be cookies.  Predictable, but certainly not unwelcome.  I do hope that we get something other than sweets for January.  I don't mind all the sugar, but J doesn't have much of a sweet tooth so it would be nice to mix it up.

November Jungle Stand Review

The Box:  The Jungle Stand

The Cost: $9.92/month

The Goods: A taste of 6 different foods, chosen around a theme.

November's tasting bar was a "Taste Match" game.  

The bar contained six dried fruit tastes, two of which were the same fruit, and you were supposed to figure out which two were the same.  (There was also a card with the answers on it.)

Dried Mango: J thought this was apple.  At first, I thought it was peaches, but then I ate another piece and had no idea.

Dried Coconut: J and I both figured this one out pretty easily.  

Dried Strawberry and Kiwi:  This one was also super obvious.  J and I both liked this taste the best, though.

Dried Apple: Since J thought the first sample was apple, he thought that this was the "match."  I realized that I don't like dried apple unless it's covered in cinnamon.

Dried Mango: I guessed that this one was the match to the first one, but still couldn't figure out what fruit it was.  J knew it was mango.

Dried Pineapple:  Another one that we both guessed easily.

 We've come to love the Jungle Stand.  We turn it into a "date night in" activity - dinner, Netflix and sitting around a box of unknown foods, guessing and laughing about what they are.

October Jungle Stand Review

The Box:  The Jungle Stand

The Cost: $9.92/month

The Goods: A taste of 6 different foods, usually chosen around a theme.

This month's theme was "the Witches' Halloween Challenge" and, obviously, all the tastes were different candies.

All of the candies were fruit flavors, and 4 of them were cocktail flavors, so your challenge was to pick out the drink or fruit for each one.

Champagne Bubbles:  Texture-wise, these were good - chewy with a crunchy outside...but the flavor was very subtle and not a favorite of either mine or J's.

Strawberry Caramel Cream:  These were J's favorite.  It's a strawberry flavored chew with a milky cream center.  I've had regular caramels like this but never flavored.

Strawberry Daiquiri Jelly Belly:  I mean, really, is there anyone who doesn't like Jelly Belly jelly beans?  If so, they're wrong. 

Margarita Chewy Sour Balls:  These weren't very sour, but they were pretty tasty.  They were also super juicy, like you almost felt like you were drinking a margarita.  

Pina Colada Sour Chewy Balls:  Same as the Margarita ones, these weren't sour but they were juicy.  They were my absolute favorite.  I'd totally buy these.

Caramel Apple Creams:  These were a close second favorite for me.  The apple cream in the center was a little tart and the caramel outside offset it perfectly.  Super tasty and perfect for Halloween.

 J wasn't crazy about this box since he isn't the biggest sweets person.  The info card does mention that it's a "Tasting" box and not an "Eating" box, so they suggest taking a bite and spitting it out if you feel like you're overloaded on sweets.  Personally, I ate every bite...plus all the left overs.  I'm a pig sometimes.  I can't help it.