Coffee and a Classic is a monthly book subscription that want you to curl up with a classic. Every month, you’ll received a box curated around a theme and will contain a classic book, a beverage, a treat, something to sip from, and bookish goodies. When you subscribe, you have three genre choices (children’s classic, classic literature, motivational classic), book preference, and beverage selection (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, surprise me!). The box is 38$ per month, and shipping is 12$.
This review is for the classic literature with a surprise me! beverage!
Right away, I knew a lot of care went into this box. This sturdy black Photo Box was wrapped in brown paper before being put in the shipping box. The extra details of the brown paper made it so much special to received this box! On the side, there’s a metal slot to put an identifier for the box. Already, I know I will reuse this box for different things as it’s nice and classy.
The first look inside the box is amazing! Lots of packaging meant that nothing could move in transit. And there’s POPCORN!!!!
Before indulging in the popcorn, we have a nice handwritten note welcoming us to “The Night Circus” themed box. Ouh, that explains the popcorn! Sip. Snack. Read. That’s their motto! I’m ready!
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ($8.92).
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.
I had heard about this quite recent book (2011), but I never got around to reading it. And now that I’ve read it, I wish I had done it sooner. It’s such a great book, beautifully written, with a magical and dream-like atmosphere. This is not a story about the protagonists. This is a story about the circus itself and it’s amazing! Please, go and read it! You won’t regret it!
Kettle Corn Popcorn by Popcornopolis ($1.62). This is a sweet and salty gourmet popcorn with only four ingredients : popcorn, pure cane sugar, coconut oil, and salt. It’s more sweet than salty, and packs a lot of crunch. My husband and I shared it and we both loved it. And with this, you can feel like you are a part of the circus. You smell it, you taste it. Such a great item to go along the book!
Night Circus handpainted mug. Look at this gorgeous mug! This is a slighly taller mug than I’m used to, but it only means I can pour more coffee in my morning cup!I love that the tent design is exactly how it is described in the book. Only black and white. No colours. But then, the red glaze reminds us of the “Rêveurs” in the book who wear something red to go to the Night Circus. I love everything about this mug and it’s a perfect one to to drink mulled cider (like at the circus) while reading the book!
Carnival Cotton Candy herbal tea in a tin by Adagio teas ($5). This smells divine, and delicious, and sweet. I’m not sure if it smells like cotton candy, but it sure is a close contender! It’s a mix of wild strawberry, honeybush vanilla and raspberry patch. It’s like opening a bag of candy. Just the smell makes me smile and I’m thinking of carrying it in my purse so I can smell it when I get grumpy!
Silver painted small mason jar and Night Circus Bookmark. I’m not sure what’s up with the jar, but the bookmark was hiding in it among more wiggles. But the silver brushed colour is reminiscent of the colours in the Night Circus : White, Black and Grey/Silver. My husband already grabbed it to hold his pens, but I was thinking of using it to hold straws at our next party (maybe Night Circus inspired? Yes!!!!)
I love bookmarks, but I only have paper bookmark. This one is great, with antique silver style circus tent and black glass beads. I used it while reading the book and I’ve got compliments on it.
Book Lovers Soy Wax Tarts – Le Cirque des Rêves (Dream Circus, $6.75) Caramel Corn, Roasted Chestnuts, and a hint of Bon Fire. It smells soooo sweet, like caramel corn sweet. But the smell goes so well with the atmosphere of the Circus. In the book, the scents are an important part of the atmosphere, and often described in details. So it’s great to own our own piece of the Circus with these soy wax tarts.
Carnival Hot Cocoa by Brooklyn Bean Hot Cocoa ($2.19 for 4, based on packets of 40 on Amazon). I’m not sure what to think of the packaging. I like the thought of the flavor (Salted Caramel flavored hot cocoa), but they’re k-cups. I don’t own a machine and I don’t know anyone who owns one, so I find this item quite… niche. If they had been coffee, I would have to get rid of them. But I tried one by dumping the content in a mug and adding hot water to it. Works fine, so I’ll do that for the others as well. The flavor is great and is a nice tie with the chocolate mice, the hot cocoa and the caramel popcorn you can find in the Night Circus.
I love love love this box! This was lovely and well curated. Every item fit perfectly with the theme, were nice, enjoyable, and useful (have you seen my new mug? And the bookmark?). I also appreciate that the items were not specifically geared toward woman. Actually, I was able to share everything with my husband, except for the mug. (He wants my brand new mug. Not happening.)
Even though there were no information sheet, I can’t complain about it. Everything is pretty self explanatory with this box. You have a great book, something to snack, something to drink, something to sip from, and bookish goodies. Just by opening the box, I was living an experience, and I couldn’t wait to read the book and really be at the carnival. The best part was while reading the book, I could totally see where each item can into play and how well thought of everything was. Everything was there for a reason, and it was awesome. Little touches like the inside of the mug being red so as to keep the pure white and black circus tent on the outside. The addition of the wax melt tarts. The flavours of the hot cocoa.
At the moment, their classic subscription has the romance, adventure, gothic, or surprise me! options (I had the suprise me!), but seeing the quality of this box, I wish they would add sci-fi or horror option as well. This box would be such a great subscription to give to the book lover person in your life, there’s an option for everyone, and everything is lovely!
Did I mention how much I loved both the book and the curation on this box? Go get your box!
Visit Coffee and a Classic to subscribe or find out more!
The Description: We are avid readers and while we always appreciate reading the next great new book, we feel there is something magical about the classics. Our personal favorites, best-sellers and recommendations from our mentors and trusted advisors contribute to our book selection for each box.Classic is a big word and a broad genre as it relates to books, so we give you the option to personalize your interests by choosing a category of classic books that interests you most: Classic Motivational Books, Classic Literature/Novels or Classic Children’s Books.Also included in your classic box box is something to sip on, something to sip out of, something to snack on, and other fun bookish items, usually beginning with a bookmark.SIP • SNACK • READ
The Price: $38.00 per month
The Categories: Book Subscriptions, Kids Book Subscription Boxes. Book Subscriptions for Men, Book Subscriptions for Women.
Comments
This is a really great box, but is a five year old book a “classic” yet? I listened to that this summer and loved it though, but I don’t think I’d need a copy.
Catherine actually asked me this, and I said yes. I’ve actually mentioned this book multiple times on the blog. It’s an amazing book with auto-classic status. You should read it. I proactively recommend reading very few books, this is one of them!
As Brandy mentioned, I was at first surprise to see such a recent book in a “Classic book” subscription. But while reading it, I was totally fine with its classic label from the curator. I felt it was a great book to sit down, relax and taking the time to enjoy the moment spent with it, like with any good classic book. Not every month will feature such a recent book though. Books from previous months brought Jane Austen, Life of Pi, Atonement, Memoirs of a Geisha, Catch-22, so a bit of old classic with some more modern one. And I would take my time with each of them!
What I’m saying is this book might not be the best piece of literature out there, but it felt right, it felt good to read it. It felt like what a classic should make me feel. A book you want more of. A book you want people to notice.
Love it!
(Sorry about the long answer!)
This box looks AMAZING !!! What a good price too. I hate it when I see boxes from the previous month lol. Beautiful review. Thanks
Not only was it amazing, it was lovely and on point with the theme. The book was delightful (I want to shove it in people’s face and say “READ IT”) and I was very lucky to have received such a great box! The price was great, and everything was of good quality, so no complaints!