New Hobby Box – October 2015 Review

New Hobby Box
$30 Per Month
Gift Subs Available
Ships Mid-Month

OKAY, I HAVE A SEMI-WORKING KEYBOARD AND THE WEBSITE’S BACK UP, SO LET’S GO BREW SOME STUFF BEFORE I HAVE TO RETRACT THAT STATEMENT.

New Hobby Box is a subscription meant to help you explore a new hobby and learn a new set of skills each month. A monthly subscription costs $30 per month, a 3 month sub costs $28 per month, and a 6 month sub will cost you $26 per month. The box’s themes vary from survival skills to candle making. October’s theme was coffee/tea brewing, something I’m pretty familiar with.

The first item I pulled out of the box was this perfectly functional little red mug. It’s got a nice and cozy feel to it (if that makes any sense at all). There is a tiny negligible chip in the paint, but judging by how much bubble wrap this thing came packaged in, it wasn’t damaged in packaging.

PORTUGAL IS NOT A SIZE. GO HOME, HOMEGOODS. YOU’RE DRUNK.

EEEEEEE, loose tea in an itty bitty mason jar! The fragrance on this is absolutely wonderful. It’s Earl Grey, which is personally not my cup of tea (*insert sitcom laugh track here*). Even though I usually hate the flavor, I had to try this anyway, simply because of the aroma. While I’m still just not that fond of Earl Grey, it’s probably the best I’ve ever had. Also this tea infuser is super handy. The cage’s mesh is fine enough to prevent any little tea bits from escaping into your tea and causing you to choke on them. Does that happen to anyone else, or is it just me? Prooooobably just me.

Though I’ve reviewed tea a few times for this site, I actually prefer coffee. The coffee included in this box is a Guatemalan dark blend, and somehow manages to smell even more amazing than the tea. I prefer my coffee to be pretty strong, and this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s smooth and delicious! Included in this box was a large mason jar and a nut milk bag for cold-brewing your coffee. New Hobby Box has posted instructions on how to do so here, so check it out. I’ve tried cold-brewing before, and while it is quite tasty and much less acidic, I just am SUPER not interested in waiting 12-24 hours to throw my coffee into my face. If you happen to have that kind of patience, then definitely give it a try. New Hobby Box recommends blending cold-brewed coffee with vanilla bean ice cream, which I need to make happen RIGHT NOW. SERIOUSLY, HOW HAVE I NEVER TRIED THIS?

New Hobby Box also included a mason jar lid and straw, so you can drink your cold-brew directly out of the jar you brewed it in. Nifty! Mine had quite a bit of lint on them, probably from the box itself, but a good scrubbing made them fit for use.

While this box certainly contained everything you’d need to brew a good cup of coffee or tea, there was one thing I found strange about it. The box itself had no indication on the outside as to what it was, and inside there was no info card. In fact, if it weren’t for the little bag of coffee, I would’ve had no clue that this was New Hobby Box. Minor gripe aside, I really do think it’s nice to see a sub mix it up to such an extent each month. Wanna learn new skills? SURE YOU DO. Check out New Hobby Box here.

PR Sample. No compensation was received. All opinions are my own. 24 hours for a cup of coffee? Pffft, I can barely wait 5 minutes.