Facebook PixelTeabox “The Advent Box” Review + Coupon – December 2018 | MSA
My Subscription Addiction
My Subscription Addiction
Our reviewers research, test, and recommend the best subscriptions and products independently; click to learn more about our editorial guidelines. We may receive commissions on purchases made through links on our site.

Teabox “The Advent Box” Review + Coupon – December 2018

Abby Holsinger
ByAbby HolsingerDec 24, 2018 | 7 comments

Teabox December 2018 - Box1

Teabox
4.4 overall rating
20 Ratings | 9 Reviews

Teabox is a monthly themed box filled with loose-leaf selections and easily-digestible, expert notes that provide background information and help compare flavor profiling with your own tasting experiences.

Teabox December 2018 - Box2

This gift-wrapped option would make such a perfect gift for any tea lover!

Teabox December 2018 - Box3

December’s theme is the “The Advent Box” From Teabox:

It’s that special time of the year. With the final month of the year the anticipation builds for celebrations and Christmas. The cold is truly here and the preparation for the big celebrations need fuel. And a lot of it. So, this December we’ve made you the Advent Box, an exclusive tea box of unforgettable teas including our all new Xmas blends - Sparkling Choco Black, Merry Marshmallow Black, Fruit Strudel Black. And what’s even more special is it includes not the usual 5 but 12 exciting blends for each of the twelve days of Christmas. Yes, ‘cause we want your Christmas to be as fun-filled and lively as never before. So, steep along and Merry Xmas!masters to sail you through. Or sip these strong brews in between your work routine and find your spirit energised and refreshed anew. And with these we also have for you a set of 5 special Finum paper tea bags to steep your tea perfectly. Happy Sipping!

Teabox December 2018 - Openbox

This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

Teabox December 2018 - Contents

About the Teabox

The Subscription Box: Teabox

The Cost: $29.99 a month + free shipping. $85.50 for a 3-month subscription, or $161.90 for a 6-month subscription

The Products: High-quality, loose-leaf teas and expert notes about each one.

Ships to: Worldwide

Teabox “The Advent Box” December 2018 Review

Teabox December 2018 - Info1

Teabox December 2018 - Info2

Teabox December 2018 - Info3

Each Teabox comes with a little booklet describing the theme of the month and listing the sampled teas with a brief description of each one. This month’s box is an advent box sampling 12 teas! At first glance this box seems like it is going to be a sweet, flavorful dream with teas like Merry Marshmallow Black and Mango Tumeric Tang - stay tuned!

Each blend in this box weighed 10 grams, and if you go by the serving recommendations, you can get up to 4 cups with each sample.

Teabox December 2018 - Tea1a

Teabox December 2018 - Tea1b

Teabox December 2018 - Tea1c

Spice Sparkler Chai, 10g – Retail Value $3

This tea was crazy! This spicy tea includes black and red pepper, and it left my tongue feeling a little tingly. I enjoyed a few sips of this, but after that, I really lost interest. I prefer non-spicy chai teas, but this was pretty interesting to test out.

Teabox December 2018 - Tea2a

Teabox December 2018 - Tea2b

Teabox December 2018 - Tea2c

Indie Spice Tea, 10g– Retail Value $3

When I opened this pouch, it smelled overwhelmingly like anise and fennel, but this blend ended up being a subtle and enjoyable earthy tea. I was actually surprised by how smooth and easy to drink this was since it seemed so overladen with spice, but it was one of my favorites this month.

Teabox December 2018 - Tea3a

Teabox December 2018 - Tea3b

Teabox December 2018 - Tea3c

Ember Spice Chai, 10g– Retail Value $3

Chai is one of my favorite teas, and this rendition was quite woody and spicy. I love it! What made this chai special was its persistent smokiness, which I typically don’t go for, but loved after adding a splash of milk.

Teabox December 2018 - Tea4a

Teabox December 2018 - Tea4b

Teabox December 2018 - Tea4c

Mango-Turmeric Tang, 10g– Retail Value $3

The look and taste of Mango-Tumeric Tang took me back to when I first started experimenting with loose leaf. This blend is so similar to one I loved from Teavana, and it fills a void I did not realize existed. I love the subtle ginger spice mixed into the bold juiciness of mango and pineapple, and it tastes great hot and cold.

Teabox December 2018 - Tea5a

Teabox December 2018 - Tea5b

Teabox November 2018 - Irish Breakfast Tea Cup

Lavender Earl Grey, 10g– Retail Value $3

Going into this tea, I wasn’t excited because floral teas can be so intense and overwhelming, but after a quick 5 minute steep, this tea brewed into a very lovely, fragrant cuppa tea. This easy to drink blend also features bergamot oil, which I think enhances the lavender taste.

Teabox December 2018 - Tea6a

Teabox December 2018 - Tea6b

Teabox December 2018 - Tea6c

Ginger Taffy Tea, 10g– Retail Value $3

I am loving ginger teas more and more every single day, this blend included. This bright, pineapple blend became an instant favorite after my first sip. It is perfectly citrusy and subtly sweet, making this the most perfect iced tea.

Teabox December 2018 - Tea7a

Teabox December 2018 - Tea7b

Teabox December 2018 - Tea7c

Sparkling Choco Black, 10g - Retail Value $3

What a fun concoction! I love the color in this loose leaf, and the almond, natural vanilla plus the chocolate candies make this a great dessert tea, curbing my need for chocolate after a mediocre lunch.

Teabox December 2018 - Tea8a

Teabox December 2018 - Tea8b

Teabox December 2018 - Tea8c

Merry Marshmallow Black, 10g– Estimated Value $3, buy a 100 gram pouch for $12.99 here

Every time I open a pouch of loose leaf, I always take a sniff to see what I am in for, and this does not smell like the marshmallow I love; it smells like a Miller Lite… haha! I am not a light beer fan, and I knew this was supposed to be a sweet, lightly spiced mellow blend--imagine my surprise! I don’t know where the disconnect starts between the expected notes and my experience, but what I tasted in this mixture was a bitter brew with a tinge of cinnamon. Unfortunately, I was most excited for this blend because I love marshmallows, but at least I got a laugh out of it. I’d like to note that I didn’t add anything to sweeten this tea, so maybe with a little honey, this tea would be a little less astringent, but it is not the marshmallow goodness I was expecting.

Teabox December 2018 - Tea9a

Teabox December 2018 - Tea9b

Teabox December 2018 - Tea9c

Fruit Strudel Black, 10g – Retail Value $3

Unlike the tea above, all of the notes I picked up were present in Teabox’s description. This sticky black tea is ripe with apples, pineapples, blueberries, cherries, and pomegranate, so it embodies a well-rounded blend with flavors like citrus, sweet fruit, and a subtle tartness to offset the sweet. I prefer this tea hot, but it is also great iced.

Teabox December 2018 - Tea10a

Teabox December 2018 - Tea10b

Teabox December 2018 - Tea10c

Kolkata Street Chai, 10g– Retail Value $3

This herby chai was a bit strong, so adding milk and a drop of honey really mellowed it out. I like the ginger infusion, which added a little bit of interest to this blend.

Teabox December 2018 - Tea11a

Teabox December 2018 - Tea11b

Teabox December 2018 - Tea11c

Caramel Spice Chai, 10g – Retail Value $3

This is a repeat tea from the October Diwali Box (see that review here), and it remains my favorite dessert chai. The butterscotch and caramel notes make this tea the best after lunch treat, filling that tea-for-dessert role perfectly.

Teabox December 2018 - Tea12a

Teabox December 2018 - Tea12b

Teabox December 2018 - Tea12c

Winter Spice, 10g– Estimated Value $3 (buy an undisclosed sized pouch here for $9.99)

The description of this tea from the Teabox website is absolutely their best (and most accurate) yet: “the deconstruction of vanilla nut pudding. I love that. Notes of almond and cinnamon come through this black tea, and after the first sip, I detected a little spice from the red pepper and a hint of ginger. I love the spice of this tea, and a little bit of milk made this a perfect treat on a cold day.

Verdict: Teabox really impressed me with the variety of teas they included for their special advent box this month! I was thrilled to sample 12 different teas, instead of the usual 5 pouches. This month I found a few staples, the Mango-Tumeric Tang, Ginger Taffy, Indie Spice and Caramel Chai are my absolute favorites! This box adds up to $36 retail, which is above the usual retail value of a Teabox. I like the theme and the curation each month, and I think the way they describe their teas and the thought that goes into each blend makes the experience much more meaningful to me. I also have a hard time shopping for new, different teas, so this monthly box is the perfect solution.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, as of publication, this box is still available!

Coupon – Use code TBMSA10 to save 10% off your first box!

Value Breakdown: This box costs $29.99 (including shipping) and you receive 12 10g pouches of tea, which adds up to around 48 cups, depending on your preferences. That gives an average value of about $2.49 per tea or about $.62 per cup, a great value!

Check out all of our Teabox reviews and more tea subscription reviews and the Drinks Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What did you think of the December Teabox?

Starting at $29.99
Subscribe Now
Teabox is a perfect blend of the old and the new; we brought much-needed innovative tea specific supply chain mechanisms and innovations for timely delivery of tea all over the world. This innovation has allowed Teabox to cross barriers and we are proud to ship over 5 million cups of tea to over 65 ... read more.
Abby Holsinger
Abby Holsinger
I’m a self-proclaimed “cool mom” who loves a little, who am I kidding, a lot of razzle-dazzle. I have been box-obsessed for over 10 years, and I am always on the hunt for new beauty, fun flair and trendy clothing boxes. A fun night for me includes an exfoliating foot mask and a bag of Dot's Pretzels while binging Rupaul’s Drag Race.

Join the Conversation

Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.

7 comments

Jody

Abby thanks for the review. I missed this Advent box. I might order if it’s still available. Miller Lite scent is not a tea I would like either! I love marshmallow too!

Reply ButtonReply

Zena

Hi Abby, great review! I have been looking for a tea subscription and really like this one. Out of curiosity, what is labeled on each pouch? I don’t drink caffeine and am allergic to cinnamon (such a sad combination for this tea junkie…) I’ve noticed a lot of tea boxes don’t list caffeine content, and sometimes they omit listing the specific ingredients in the blend as well. This makes it difficult for me to commit to a tea subscription.

I wouldn’t mind a tea sub box with caffeine and cinnamon, as long as I know what I’m consuming so that I can take appropriate precauctions.

Do they sell their monthly blends in an online shop, or are they exclusive to each month’s box?

Thank you for your time,
Zena

Reply ButtonReply

B

My grandpa is also allergic to cinnamon. You’re only the second person I’ve ever heard that had that allergy. Oddly challenging one, isn’t it?

Reply ButtonReply

Zena

Yes, totally! My favorite cookie is snickerdoodle and my favorite pie is pumpkin (if I’m ever on palliative care, I would want this as my last meal. How I miss them so!). I’ve basically given upon shopping for granola. I can’t eat ANYTHING pre-made from September to January. I went to my in-laws’ thanksgiving one year, and it ended in total disaster (I was told there was NO cinnamon in ANY of the food, so I piled up and chowed down, and then… I don’t even wanna talk about what happened afterwards lol). I’m limited to water and raw veggies at potlucks year-round. I am thankful that I am not as limited as someone with a cross-contamination allergy via processing plants. I can only imagine!

The worst part for me, though, is that legally cinnamon does not have to be individually labelled. It can be under the catchall, “spices”. Ack!!!!! I refuse to carry an epipen, though after what happened last Thanksgiving, I really should let up on being stubborn. I always thought that if I was cautious that would be enough. But I let my guard down as I thought my own family would never do that to me. Well, thank you for letting me rant 🙂

Drminniecooper

I’m not sure about teabox, but im currently with field to cup, and they print both ingredients and caffeine content on their pouches and you can subscribe to a low caffeine box. Before that, I subscribed to simple loose leaf tea, which printed the same information on each of their pouches, but didn’t have a low caffeine box available at the time.

Reply ButtonReply

zena

Thank you for the recommendations! Those are 2 that I have been eyeing. However Field to Cup does not state whether or not their low caffeine teas are decaf and therefore potentially chemically processed. Poking around it seems like their low caffeine teas are natural and not processed. I see they do allow substitutions, which I find really impressive because a lot of the ones I’ve looked into do not. I will keep these 2 in mind and hopefully I can commit to a tea sub soon!

Juliana

Turmeric, not tumeric. 🙂

Reply ButtonReply