Tenth & Hickory August 2016 Subscription Box Review + Coupon – Vintage

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Tenth & Hickory is a monthly subscription dedicated to helping its subscribers live better by sending out quality goods for the kitchen and dining room. Their motto is: “Live Well. Do Good.” Each month subscribers receive a curated box of tools and ingredients fit for foodies to share with their friends and family. On the first of each month, Tenth & Hickory will send out an announcement stating the theme and contents of that month’s box. Subscribers have until the 10th of the month to opt out of that month’s selection. Subscriptions cost $35 a month, and each month’s box will have a retail value that exceeds the box’s cost. While subscribers can pick up additional past boxes for $35 each month, boxes cost $45 each for those who don’t subscribe.

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For each box sold, Tenth & Hickory donates one day worth of food to a hungry child through their partnership with Share the Meal, an initiative of the UN Food Program.

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Each box arrives packaged in cedar shavings and wrapped in tissue paper that is secured with a sticker.

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The cedar shavings offer a lovely aroma. If you’d prefer not to receive cedar shavings in your box, Tenth & Hickory understands. When you sign up, you can specify whether or not you’d like to receive them and whether or not you’re allergic to them. I will say that although they smell great, they get everywhere. They’re also probably not the best choice if you have pets (unless they’re the sort that require them!) or young children in your home (my young daughter tried to ingest them immediately). I do, however, think they’re an interesting choice for a foodie box. Perhaps sometime Tenth & Hickory will switch over to hickory so subscribers can use the shavings in their smokers. That would be pretty cool!

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The theme for August 2016 was Vintage! This box contained an assortment of items designed to help you enjoy your wine to the fullest!

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I liked this reminder of Tenth & Hickory’s commitment to Share the Meal. When I read it, I was fascinated that El Niño affected Malawi so much. I’ve always thought its biggest impact was more localized to Central and South America and the Pacific region.

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Private Preserve’s Wine Preserver ($9.69) a can of non-toxic, inert gas that you can use to replace the oxygen in a wine bottle. When sealed with a bottle stopper, your opened bottle of wine will retain its flavor and aroma for your future enjoyment. Each can contains enough gas for 120 uses. It’s easy to use: simply affix a long thin straw (included) to the spray nozzle; spray into your bottle of wine for about a half second; then follow up with three quick bursts, and immediately place a bottle stopper into the wine bottle.

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True’S Monarch Chrome, Zinc Alloy And Natural Cork Bottle Stopper ($5.49) was very attractive. I couldn’t wait to use it!

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My mom happened to be visiting when my Tenth & Hickory box arrived, which was great timing! Having Mom in town always results in sharing some delicious high-end wine, and this trip was no exception. Luckily, now we could preserve it properly! Our Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ 2012 Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignon tasted just as wonderful the second day as it did on the first, thanks to my new wine preserver and bottle stopper.

Host’s Tilt Mini Variable Aerator ($11.19) is compact and easy to use. I like that you can control how much you want your wine to aerate with this tool: for more aeration, just increase the bottle’s angle when pouring; for minimal aeration, hold your bottle closer to parallel with the table.

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The included aerator stand was very convenient. It was extremely easy to go from aerating and pouring to preserving the wine, and the wine tasted great without having to let it sit in the glass.

If only because I hadn’t seen anything like it before, of all the great items in this month’s box, De Long’s Wine Tasting Notebook ($7.95) had me most excited! It’s a wine tasting notebook designed for beginners and experts alike. The idea is that the more you sit down to analyze and record what you’re drinking, the better a taster you’ll become!

The book arrived with an extremely helpful reference chart that defines terms, describes flavors typically found in different varietals and offers examples of how to fill out the tasting sheets. I studied this intently for about a half an hour and can’t wait to put it to good use!

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As if there weren’t enough wonderful items in this month’s box, the curators also included three delicious dessert recipes, each of which would pair beautifully the your choice of wine!

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This maple baked brie couldn’t have been easier to make. Simply pour your favorite maple syrup and pecans over a wheel of brie or camembert and stick it into a hot oven.

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The result was delicious! I used my favorite triple cream, namely Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam, and it was divine. I served it with sliced honeycrisp apples since I didn’t have any french bread at home, and I’m embarrassed to say that I actually ate this whole thing in one sitting by myself.

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I was excited to make the Red Wine Cake, as I had never made a bunt cake before!

img_9724It turned out well! Next time, I’ll use a little less butter and flour on the pan, but since it was a new pan, I wanted to be sure my bundt cake didn’t stick!

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Given all of the butter and flour I used, my cake popped out quickly and easily!

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This decadent chocolate cake was perfectly moist and fluffy! While it had the consistency of the best devil’s food cake I had ever had, it tasted of Ehlers Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Mmmm!

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About 15 years ago, I made poached pears regularly. I was excited to return to an old favorite while also trying a new recipe!

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These poached pears were so much better than the poached pears I made years ago! The spiced wine permeated the entire pear, and the reduced liquid syrup was a nice touch! As an added bonus, this dessert made my kitchen smell like mulled wine, my favorite!

I loved my first box from Tenth & Hickory! As a wine lover, I found all of the items in this box extremely useful and fun. All three of the recipes turned out beautifully, and I can’t wait to make them again! Knowing that my purchase provided one day worth of meals to a hungry child in Malawi was an added bonus. I highly recommend this box for new or seasoned foodies alike!

Visit Tenth & Hickory to subscribe or find out more! Save 20% on your first box. Use coupon code  HELLO20.

The Subscription: Tenth & Hickory
The Description: We are a subscription box dedicated to providing quality living through quality goods. We believe that good food and drink are central to a satisfying life. It’s our mission to bring you the tools and ingredients you need to cook/grill/bake/mix/drink/pour/brew your way to better living.
The Price: $35.00 per month

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