Mantry always has interesting products in their boxes. And they all tend to be very appealing to men, hence their tagline of “The Modern Man’s Pantry.” As the man of the house, my husband has always enjoyed what we’ve received.
One of the cool things about Mantry is that they send all their stuff in a wooden crate. It’s not a super sturdy or well-built crate but once you hammer all the boards in the way they should be, it’s a fun extra shelving unit. I have three now and I’m using them all. All of them were falling apart when I got them so they all required some TLC to actually be usable but those ten minutes were worth it.
The Cost: $75/month.
What You Get: A new and exciting food experience every month. The monthly crate allows you to discover and eat 6 full-size, super premium foods from around America, with little commitment.
Mike’s Hot Honey– This is wildflower honey from New Jersey and New York hives that also includes chilies and vinegar. It suggests using this on pizza, chicken, ribs, biscuits, salads, fruits, cheeses and ice cream. Apparently, it can also be good in cocktails.
I tried it and it is SPICY! I put it in the Spicy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry I made and it was really, really good. I’m just sad I can’t use it in my tea!
Value: $10
Owl’s Brew “The Classic”– English Breakfast tea with a tart twist. Fresh-brewed and ready to pour. This artisanal mixer, handcrafted in small batches, is a blend of English Breakfast and lemon peel, with lemon juice and lime juice. Just add your favorite liquor!
This smells like Lipton but is very tart with lemon juice and lime. I don’t have anything to mix it with yet but I’ll find something.
Value: $10
Aurelia’s Chorizo– 9oz of dry cured Spanish Chorizo. It can be sliced and served as a tapa or appetizer. It can be added to beans, stews or egg dishes. It’s made with pork shoulder and no fillers. It’s very flavorful and I think I may serve it the Superbowl party. DH might eat it all before then, though, so I’m not counting on it.
Value: $9
La Esquina Smoky Black Bean Dip– This is probably my favorite thing. I love bean dips! La Esquina is known in NYC for serving up classic Mexican street food using fresh ingredients and bold flavors. Smoky, yet sweet, this dip features black beans, fire roasted tomatoes, serrano peppers and cilantro. Hopefully it won’t be too spicy for me. This can definitely be served for the Super Bowl.
Value: $6
Bacon’s Heir Pork Clouds in Rosemary and Sea Salt– I’ve had this brand before in Love With Food and I wasn’t impressed. They were hard and crunchy and not like clouds at all. Those were the Salt and Pepper flavor. These are different and are actually nice puffy clouds. They really taste like rosemary and all I could think about was turkey dinner while I was eating one.
Value: $4
Molly and Me Pecans in Sweet Heat– I hate pecans. It’s really sacrilege to admit that because my dad is from Texas and they have pecan trees growing in their backyard. Every Christmas I get a pound of shelled pecans from Grandma. Luckily, other people love pecans so it all works out. DH loves these. They’re cinnamon and sugar coated with cayenne pepper.
Value: $9.75
VERDICT: Everything in this box will be used and (hopefully) enjoyed. The products are varied and interesting and besides the Pork Clouds are new things I’ve never tried. I can hardly wait to dig into that bean dip. And figure out what else I can use that spicy honey for.
Now, while the products are fun and great, the pricing for Mantry is not great. This box costs a regular subscriber $75. Seventy five dollars. Included in the crate is $48.75 worth of product. I just don’t find that to be a value at all. What happened to that $26 leftover? That’s a lot of pocketlining for the owners for sure because I guarantee you they didn’t pay full price for the products that were chosen for the box. Not that pocketlining or making money is bad! It’s not but like this? Not okay. But maybe not everyone cares about the value or even realizes that it’s totally not $75 worth of product.
The other problem is that this is a regular occurrence. It’s not just this one box. In fact, I think every box I’ve ever received from Mantry has been very low in value to cost. The only reason I got this box was because I got a voucher on Gilt City for it. I paid $39 for this box so while the box is worth it for me, it’s not going to be for someone paying full price.
It is, however, a fun gift to send to someone who will just be able to enjoy the products and not think “OMG, I paid $75 for this?!” Haha! Although, if you are going to do that, you might was well spend $45 and send a Bespoke Post box of awesomeness.
If you want to sign up for Mantry, you can do that here. But wait!!
There’s good news! I just realized that Mantry is on sale for $40 on RueLaLa! So if you *do* want to try Mantry but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg, you can get it for $40 for the next four days (through Feb 1, I guess)! I do think it’s worth $40 because they do pick interesting products. They’re all very manly items, my husband has liked them all (but he doesn’t know how much they cost irl). So you could do it for Valentine’s Day if you wanted.
You will have to sign up for a Ruelala account if you don’t have one already. That’s annoying but they do have subscription box deals pretty regularly so if you love subscription boxes but you love deals, too, it’s a good resource. Then look under MEN or search for Mantry and it will pop up for you.
