Taste Trunk - July 2013 BBQ Trunk (Review and Coupon)

I'm really excited to share a new subscription service with you all today!  After much deliberation, I finally decided to cancel my GLOSSYBOX subscription (I'll probably share more details of why in a future post).  I had been seriously considering canceling GLOSSYBOX for a few months, and when I discovered Taste Trunk at the end of June, that was the last little push I needed to seal the deal.

Taste Trunk is a brand new foodie subscription service.  From what I can tell, they just launched in June.  From their website, Taste Trunk allows you to order individual products through their online store and also to sign up for their monthly trunks.  Taste Trunk offers 4 different trunks each month to subscribers: The Gourmet Trunk, The Health Trunk, The Sweet Trunk, and The BBQ Trunk.  Each trunk caters to a specific theme and "includes 5-10 products, discount coupons, backgrounds on companies and amazing recipes."  The service allows you to cancel or switch to a different trunk theme at any time.  For $29/month (which includes shipping - my box was sent via Priority Mail and arrived incredibly fast) you'll discover new products to enjoy and share with others.

My July BBQ Trunk came carefully and beautifully packaged.  The exterior and interior of the box were beautifully branded with a wax seal.  Recipe and information cards were wrapped in a lovely old-timey bag and tied with a raffia bow.

A lovely and thoughtful welcome from Mike and Dawn Shipley, the founders of Taste Trunk, "Our goal is to introduce you to amazing products, many of which you might be seeing for the first time.  As part of that, we'll tell you the stories of how these products ended up in your trunk.  We'll also show you the inspiring people working hard to bring each brand to life.  We hope to make Taste Trunk a monthly voyage of discovery that will take you from small farming towns in California to vast olive trees in Tuscany.  Thanks for giving us a try and cheers to discovering what's out there!"

What I received in my July 2013 BBQ Trunk:

Bone Doctors' - Original Barbeque Sauce
Retails for $6.99 on BoneDoctorsBBQ.com

afire - Northern White Cedar Mini Grilling Planks
Retails for $12.99 on afireinc.com

México Lindo - Habanero Green Hot Sauce
(Couldn't locate this exact product for sale online.)

Community Spice Company - Tale Gator spice rub
Retails for $5.00 on communityspiceco.com

Miners Mix - Salmon Marinade
Retails for $5.49 on MinersMix.com

Total value: $30.47 + value of the hot sauce

The beauty of Taste Trunk is that you get to try unique products from brands that you may otherwise never have been introduced to.  Every brand and item in my July BBQ Trunk was a completely new experience for me.  I am incredibly happy with the variety of the products I received in my BBQ Trunk!  My husband and I really enjoy grilling and I can't wait to put these items to use.  The only item that I'm not over the moon about is the hot sauce, only because my husband and I tend to prefer our food on the mild side.  However, this hot sauce smells divine and I think it will add a lovely flavor and subtle heat when used in moderation.  I already have plans for how I'm going to use several of the items and I hope to share the recipes with you in the future.

Overall, I think the value of the July BBQ Trunk was great.  Assuming the hot sauce retails for around $5.00, the total value of the box would be around $35.00.  Each Taste Trunk costs $29.00, however, I purchased mine with a 25% discount code and paid only $21.75.  While I may not have received a huge excess of product value beyond the price I paid, I truly think this service is a great value and worth the investment.  For the sheer uniqueness of the products you're receiving and the attention to detail, Taste Trunk is providing a fantastic service at a reasonable price.

I wholeheartedly recommend this service if you're a foodie and like trying out new products.  Even if you're not a brilliant cook, the recipe ideas provided in the trunk along with the products take the guesswork out of what to do with the items you receive.  I think Taste Trunk would make a fantastic gift as well!  I really love that the service offers four different Trunk varieties so there is truly a Trunk for everyone.  I really loved the July BBQ Trunk, but I'm very curious to try the Gourmet and Sweet Trunks in the future.

If you'd like to try Taste Trunk, you can save 25% with the discount code "winsomegirl25" which will bring the cost of the Trunk of your choice to $21.75 (including shipping)!  If you would, kindly provide me as your referral by listing my full name (Amy Kelly) in the "Special Instructions" box during checkout!

Visit the Taste Trunk website to learn more and sign up.
Become a fan of Taste Trunk on Facebook.
Follow Taste Trunk on Twitter.

*Full disclosure: I paid for the Taste Trunk subscription with my own money.  I receive no commission or any other benefit if you use the discount code that Taste Trunk kindly provided me to share with you.  I will, however, receive a 10% discount on the purchase of future Trunks if you decide to enter my name as a referral during checkout.

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UPDATE as of 7/16/13: Taste Trunk will begin charging new members a $5.99 shipping fee (in addition to the $29/month charge for trunks) to insure they are able to continue including premium (and often heavy) items in the trunks.  Considering how large and heavy the trunk I received was and the fact that it was sent via Priority Mail, I think this a fair and reasonable charge.

Additionally, I wanted to share the following details:

• After you have signed up to receive a monthly Trunk, you will be charged each month thereafter on the 1st and trunks will ship during the first week of the month to arrive by the 15th.
• In order to change your Trunk theme, fill out and submit this form by the 25th to receive your newly requested theme for the following month.
• If you wish to cancel your subscription, you should do so by the 25th of the month to avoid being charged for the next month's Trunk.