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.
DEAL:
- Get a complimentary bottle of Highspire Whiskey with New 3, 6 or 12-Month Subscription! Use coupon code HIGH.
- Get a Complimentary Breville Smoker with New 3, 6 or 12-Month Subscription at Robb Vices. Use coupon code SMOKE.
Want to start with one box? Just use coupon code TEATIME if you wish to get the Robb Vices Tea Experience box (see review) as your first box OR CELEBRATION18 if you want the Great Celebration box (see review) first.
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.
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. The styling of the booklet is very sleek and elegant, with tons to read. Tons of high-quality photography, too.
There’s also a page that lists the brands who contributed items to the box.
Emile Henry, Fixx Chocolates, La Birra Di Meni & D.L. & Co. are the brands we have in this box.
This month is all about Melted Romance. There’s a long message from Robb Vices founder, Daniel Curtis.
Everything in the February 2018 Robb Vices box!
Fondue started in Switzerland in the 18th century, when cruel winter months turning pliable fresh bread to hard croutons. The hard bread was skewered and dunked into the melted cheese.
Emile Henry Fondue Set ($125 on card) This Fondue set includes a 1 quart ceramic pot, and 4 stainless forks.
The pot has a solid coating which makes it scratch-resistant and won’t easily be harmed by forks, knives and other utensils. It’s so smooth, very easy to clean, by hand or in the dishwasher. I love this pot!
But something to note is that this isn’t a “real” fondue set – aka it has no burner. Although Emile Henry added the pot & fork set to their website after this box was released, this pot was formerly available as a sauce pot for $40-50. The fondue set with burner & 6 forks for $130 is clearly a better value. This sauce pot was repackaged as a fondue pot, and it would have been better to acknowledge the fact that it’s a pot and that fondue forks were included with this multi-use cooking pot. Unfortunately Robb Vices responded to questions and criticisms about the pot (there was questionable copy from Emile Henry regarding its suitability to be used on a flame) by deleting comments on social media, which was a bad call. As you can see below we made fondue with this pot on our gas stove with no issues, but we do believe that being honest about the products (this is indeed a high quality item) is the best policy.
These set of forks are designed specifically for Emile Henry’s regular fondue set and they pierce dippers with ease.
The fork is 9.5 inches long and is made of stainless steel. It looks so elegant and classy!
Each fork has a heat resistant handle that makes it easy to grip even while grilling!
The box includes 2 bags of creamy delicious chocolates made for fondue melting.
Fixx Chocolates Gavin’s Hickory Smoked & Chili Pepper Chocolate ($32) are 2 of the most famed product from Fixx Chocolates. They both balance sweetness and a touch of savory smoked sea salt and chili pepper, respectively. We couldn’t stop eating it!
On the left side is chili pepper chocolate and the other is hickory smoked chocolate.
They are 38 percent made of milk chocolate that makes it so creamy when melted but not overly sweet.
Fixx Chocolateswas inspired by the joy of candy bars. Owner Nikki Economides desired to create the ultimate filled chocolate bar reminiscent of the bars from her youth. Her love of chocolate combined with her unique vision for savory and thrilling combinations has resulted in an assortment of creations that will elevate your candy bar experience. Based in Boston, fixx chocolates makes hand crafted chocolate using the finest ingredients with no preservatives and great attention to quality and detail. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
The booklet included a great method for creating Chocolate Fondue.
La Birra di Meni’s name was taken from Brewer Domenico Francescon. He and his son Giovanni are known to be on top of the game when it comes to artisanal brewing.
La Birra Di Meni Runcis ($16.99) This high fermentation double malt amber beer is from the “Pilsener” and “Vienna” malts. It has an amber-color with a hint of caramel and hop flavor.
It is full-bodied and sweet, but with a bit of a bitter finish – perfect for snacks and strongly flavored meals.
There was a recipe for a rich and creamy Fontina Val D’Aosta Fondue with a smooth melt and intense earthiness. We skipped this recipe because we were eating with the kids – but we are looking forward to trying it!
D.L. & Co. was created in a need to bring objects of luxury and magnificence to those who desire for rare beauty. It’s not just about the scent and burn time of the candle, but the whole package, matching the look of the vessel/object with the scent.
D.L. & Co. Fireside Embers Scented Candle ($30) This candle is intended to be a smoky fall scent, but it made perfect sense (or “scents”) as a Valentine’s Day candle. The scent was romantic and seductive – and I swear there’s a whiff of cinnamon hearts!
It has a thick smoky vessel, simple & clean, with scents of your this rich, dark fragrance. A flawless way to relax!
Our cheese fondue is ready for tasting! We paired it with baguette, these amazing pretzel balls from Wegman’s, and apples. To make the fondue we used grated sharp cheddar and gouda and a bit of cornstarch. And some beer!
I am impressed by how easily the pot melted the cheese and using this faux-due pot had its benefits – it was way faster than a typical fondue pot, plus we can use it to make other sauces (really, the silly thing about the whole fondue pot issue is that this pot is better than a fondue pot so we don’t know why Robb Vices & Emile Henry were so reticent to just say yes, it’s a regular pot). We used it on our gas stove and served it using a cast iron trivet (which was not included in the box). Since I have a solid teak dining table, the trivet was a must.
The cheese is so melty, creamy and certainly delicious!
We also made chocolate fondue with the Fixx chocolates. For our V-day treat with the kids we used the hickory smoked chocolate. To match the cup of cream (we skipped the brandy) we had to add another chocolate bar, which I pulled out of the cabinet. We dipped with bananas & apples, strawberries, rice krispies treats (store bought), marshmallows, cream puffs, and ginger snaps.
We can’t recommend dipping your cream puffs enough – just put them out beforehand so they aren’t frozen.
We were disappointed in the response from Robb Vices regarding the pot (and Emile Henry’s adding the pot to their site after the fact didn’t help), but frankly as I mentioned above, this versatile pot is even better than a single purpose cooking tool. Everything was beautiful, delicious, and we had a luxury event with the products. The candle’s scent is so relaxing and is a perfect match for these lavish snacks. This subscription is a great way to indulge and it would make a perfect gift to anyone who has luxurious tastes, but make your own judgments about the products you get, just as you would with any subscription box.
Comments
Hey, Loved the well rounded review of good and bad about this box. Are you going to be doing a review of the march box as well?
Yes. We had an issue connecting the item via bluetooth and we have to dig it back out (we’re in the middle of a renovation so there are piles…) in order to test it before we can wrap it.
Thank you for bringing up the sauce pan that Robb Vices wants us all to believe magically has more than doubled in value from the moment they’ve touched it.