Sensploration Coffee Subscription Box Review – March 2016

Sensploration Coffee is a monthly coffee subscription box that endeavors to bring you the best, freshest roast coffee possible delivered once a month in two 5 oz bags (two flavors) along with a surprise that will enhance your coffee experience.

Meet the owners Abdullah and Natasha! Gotta love when you can put a face with the product!

Upon opening the box the contents are delicately wrapped in neatly folded orange tissue paper adding a certain elegance.

Under the paper was two 5 oz bags of freshly roasted Hawaiian coffee and a collection of cute artisan sugars along with a handy product information card.

Sensploration offers boxes in Light, Medium, Dark Roast or mixed.  You can subscribe to one month at a time (auto renewing) for $24.99 a month, a three month prepay for $65.00 ($21.67 a box), a six month prepay for $125.00 ($20.83 a box), or a twelve month prepay for $250.00 ($20.83 a box).  Shipping is free within the US.

The front of the product information card tells a little about the products included and the companies that make them, while the back of the card gives a more detailed description.  The coffee beans in this month’s box are from a local, small batch roaster, Koko Crater Coffee Roasters, based in Honolulu, Hawaii.  They provide beans to establishments in their local area and specialize in experimenting with flavor profiles to bring creative blends, and coffee experiences to their customers.  The coffee is reasonably priced on their site at $9.00 for a 8 oz bag, but since they are a small company based in Hawaii the shipping is a little steep ($29.41 to where I am in the Southeast US).  So, Sensploration is offering a huge savings here because of the difference in shipping (free).

The back of the card gives a more in depth look at the products.

These delectable Artisan Sugars by Denise Cook were in the box.  Each sugar is a one teaspoon edible handmade work of art infused with all natural flavor ingredients.  They range in price from $.20 apiece to $.56 depending on the quantity you order with the smallest quantity available being a signature box of 32 sugars for $18.00.

The flavors in the box were as follows:  Yellow Daisies – Lemon, Pink Roses – Vanilla, Fiori di Sicilia Blooms – Orange, Purple Dogwood Blooms – Lavender Vanilla, White Shells – Coconut, Brown Shells – Chocolate Hazelnut and the Sandal Shapes – no flavor added.       I added the Sandal Shapes to the coffee for review tasting (so the flavor of the coffee was not obscured).  The Chocolate Hazelnut Shells were a delicious addition to a later cup of the included House Blend.  And I am currently snacking on the Lemon Yellow Daisy all by its lonesome and it is so yummy.

They offer a multitude of other sugar cuteness that I never knew existed like sugar notches to serve hanging on the side of a cup.  These could easily go from want to necessity, especially with flavor offerings like Chai and Chocolate Hazelnut.

Sensploration has gone the extra mile to ensure that their coffee gets to you as fresh as possible and then stays that way.  Each batch is roasted 24 to 48 hours prior to shipping, shipped in sealed gusseted bags and then it comes with this handy little clip to reseal your bag of beans after you have opened it.  The clips included are a nice quality and kept the bags closed nicely.

The first coffee bag was Koko Crater House Blend.  The included product information card tells that it is a medium roast that features 70% Costa Rica and 30% Kauai.  The flavor profile is described as caramel, chocolate, juicy finish of red grape, herby chocolate, and milk chocolate.

This is the Koko Crater House Blend ground fine and then brewed in a french press.  Notice the lighter beans with a drier look.

The House Blend had a creamy smooth taste with natural brown sugar notes (I added one of the unflavored Artisan Sugars after the initial taste).  Not too bold and not too light it is a very satisfying coffee that even pleased my “picky butt” husband.

The second bag was Koko Crater Market Blend.  The included information card describes it as a dark roast made with a Colombian Supremo base blended with Sumatra and 10% Kona.  The flavor profile is described as a bold, nutty chocolate.

This is the Market Blend also ground fine and brewed in a french press.  I am not usually keen on dark roasts, but this one was surprisingly pleasing.  (Notice the darker beans and the slight oil sheen on the beans common in a good dark roast).  It had natural taste notes of caramel and chocolate with no bitterness.  It was also Picky Butt Husband approved.

Sensploration Coffee Box is small family owned business that is delivering a high quality coffee to your door.  You can follow them on social media and actually watch as they try out products for future boxes (like in this Facebook post.)  And, it is a great value for your dollar when you consider the savings on shipping.

Visit Sensploration Coffee to subscribe or find out more!