Robb Vices is a monthly subscription service that delivers a collection of “storied treasures.” The subscription costs $89.95 per month, and each box comes with incredible products and experiences that have been curated for your enjoyment.
The box is huge! It is the size of a padded laptop shipping box. The large size lets them ship fragile and really expensive stuff with adequate padding.
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Even the padding in the box is exquisite! It has a foam insert that cradles everything inside, and it even has a velvety surface. It all has a very high-end feel to it, and unboxing everything from the custom case makes you feel a bit like a secret agent selecting your gear.
Inside was a promo card showing the April 2017 box as an example of a fabulous corporate gift — that was an awesome box (see my review)!
Receiving one of these boxes would certainly win over the hearts of some customer decision-makers.
The story of the premium products is told through a giant, novella-sized booklet with multi-page featurettes on each selection. It is the most thorough exploration of products I’ve seen in a curation, as each one has the equivalent of a magazine article written about it.
This month’s box is dedicated to SMOKE. The title page of the booklet lists the vendors featured in this curation.
A short note from Daniel Curtis, Founder of Robb Vices, always starts off the content. The styling of the booklet is very sleek and elegant, with tons to read.
Everything in my October 2017 Robb Vices box!
Breville The Smoking Gun: ($119.95AUD, about $93USD)
The Smoking Gun allows you to infuse a variety of foods and drinks with natural smoky flavours like applewood and hickory without adding any heat. You can even use it before or after cooking for quick and easy results. Simply load the Smoking Gun with wood chips, light and blow smoke into a covered container of any kind. Get ready to enjoy smokehouse flavours that make your taste buds salivate.
Our booklet sets out the simple procedure for using the machine to smoke your edibles.
The variety of food applications is nearly endless — everything from ribs to fancy beverages.
Our kit included the Australian made smoke infuser, complete with all of the goodies included in the commercial packaging.
It included several recipes and a user manual.
The recipes go well beyond simple application of smoke to prepared foods, guiding you through complete preparation of tarts, ice cream, and savory dishes.
All the gear in the kit.
It includes everything needed to get started right away.
They even provided batteries and spare filters.
The unit features a very sturdy base and runs at two different speeds.
The top hopper pops in and can hold a very large pinch of wood chips.
We received Applewood (good for fruits, desserts, and cheeses) and Hickory (great for rich meats) chips.
They are specially ground and cured to burn easily with very little resin.
The booklet also provides some innovative recipes, such as this smoking rum punch — served with a head of smoke still billowing from the bowl.
There are also classics like pork shoulder. The smoker is a great tool, because it lets you impart some of the smoky character of authentic BBQ in a kitchen (or course, you won’t get smoke rings in your meat).
This Vermont caramel purveyor makes tangy, creamy, goat’s milk caramel from a traditional Mexican recipe.
Fat Toad Farm The Classic Caramel Jar ($14): This jar is absolutely huge! I’ve only seen this delicious product featured in other boxes in a 2 ounce jar. This caramel is smooth and creamy, with all the sweetness you’d expect, but the goat’s milk lends a whole other layer of nuance, making the sauce absolutely transformative.
It is made using only cane sugar, goat’s milk, and baking soda.
Even the color is fabulous, with more of a copper tone than cow’s milk caramel.
The booklet includes several shots of tasty applications of the sauce. Of course, it can also be smoked!
Wondermade Bourbon Marshmallows ($7.95): These tiny marshmallow cubes are like no marshmallow you’ve had before. They are creamy and feel more like a custard than the spongy sweet to which we are accustomed.
A bourbon infusion lends a slightly yeasty aroma with some wonderful malty depth.
The company began from a last-minute Christmas gift and subsequent experimentation.
The recipe incorporates Maker’s Mark as the second ingredient — not too shabby.
The pre-cut cubes come in a little box reminiscent of the boxes that made some taffy and chocolate purveyors famous earlier in the last century.
The texture is extremely light and moist, a far cry from the dry and chewy puffed variety.
You can see the influence of the bourbon in the color, imparting an off-white tone. The flavor is surprisingly mellow — it lacks a booze bite, with much of the presence appearing in the nose.
Ticket Chocolate Ticket Stubs ($7): Rich chocolate blocks attached to handy stirring sticks. These came in Belgian Milk and French Truffle varieties.
These could be eaten as decadent lollipops, but their true purpose is to make chocolate in the traditional French style, melting actual chocolate into hot milk or cream.
Each pop makes a 6-8 oz mug of rich cocoa.
The chocolate looks lovely, with a pleasant sheen and very smooth texture.
I am very tempted to glue some marshmallows on these with caramel and create some Halloween monster pops.
Our booklet includes some recipes for decadent drinks using the Ticket pops.
This one even uses a blast of smoke to accent the drink.
The smoker was incredibly easy to set up and use. They recommend using a match to light the chips, as torch lighters may prove too hot for the machine. The higher speed is good for getting the chips to ignite — it can be run on the lower speed once the bowl is lit.
I tested our smoker on a single marshmallow, comparing it to an unsmoked control. The machine put out quite a bit of smoke from the tiny pinch of wood, and the fragrance wafted through the entire house. Next time I’ll use a tighter sealing apparatus to trap my smoke!
Our marshmallow didn’t change appearance at all, but he smokiness was evident in both the scent and flavor. I was a bit surprised at how quickly it impacted the flavor. After just a couple minutes with light smoke, the marshmallow acquired a noticeable “bite” of smoke that kicks your palate right after first tasting. It works well with the bourbon marshmallow, and the caramel is also a fitting candidate.
This month’s Robb Vice was fun, and it took a bit of a Halloween Candy inspired diversion into sweets. The smoker is a very cool tool, and I am certainly going to use it to finish my next batch of BBQ the lazy way. The value was a lot lower in this box than in past boxes, coming in at about $132 by the listing in their booklet. While that is a good bit more than the subscription price, I’ve gotten spoiled with the astronomical value of past boxes (some well over $200)! One can’t expect outrageous box values for every box, and Robb Vices has certainly delivered enough to earn a reputation as a box worth subscribing to. It is always exciting, and the curation is incredible. The booklet itself is a better read than the vast majority of periodicals.
What do you think of this month’s box?
Comments
I ordered the gilt deal. I put my order in Sept and received Sept Robb Vice but no sign of the free past box. If I was getting the box every month it would be different but I’m not and it’s close to November and no sign. Won’t buy that again. I shouldn’t have to wait 3 to 4 months for my free box that’s nuts.