Fun snacks are the ultimate pick-me-up after a busy day, and snack subscription boxes give you unusual snacks you might not have chosen for yourself. Snack Crate specializes in treats from other countries around the world, from Berlin to Colombia. If you’ve ever been curious about the packaged snacks other people reach for when watching TV or studying, this is the box for you.
This month, I chose the Mini Portugal Snack Crate. I received 5 different snacks: cookies, a chocolate bar, candy-covered chocolate, apple crisps, and chewy fruit-flavored candies. I like the idea of this box, but I didn’t love the specific snacks I received this month.
What’s In the Box?
Snack Crate comes with a selection of snacks from around the world. Usually, all the snacks are from one country, but occasionally they mix it up with a Road Trip box.
The box also comes with a few informational flyers about the snacks you receive. The box has a short overview of Portugal as a country and there’s also a QR code that leads to a playlist of Portuguese music, varying from traditional fado to pop songs. I like that they give you the feeling of cultural immersion, even if you’re just sitting at home.
There’s a recipe for a traditional Portuguese fish casserole, too. Even if you don’t take the time to make the recipe (I didn’t), you can learn a little about Portuguese food just by reading it.
I was supposed to get Vitalday Corn Cakes instead of the Maria cookies you see in the box, but they must have run out and replaced them.
The Signup Process
When you sign up, you can specify if you want sweet or savory snacks. You can also choose a mix of the two, which is what I chose. Sadly, they only sent me sweet snacks.
I wanted to try Portugal, so I chose the Mini box with 5-6 snacks. There’s also the Original with 10-12 and Family size with 18-20 snacks. If I had to choose again, I’d pick the Original or Family
Next, you choose your plan: one month, six months, or a full year. The longer you sign up, the cheaper each box is. I just wanted to give the box a try, so I chose one month.
When you choose only one month, you can pick the box you get. They offer you some of the most recent boxes. My options were Belgium, Portugal, Philippines, England, or their Road Trip edition.
Maria Biscuits
Maria cookies are a classic in Mexico too, so I’ve had these before! Marias are simple, light cookies perfect for eating with coffee or tea. These Marias are solid. They aren’t my go-to snack, but sometimes you want a plain, reliable snack.
My one complaint is that the package is kind of small!
Chipz by Fruut
These are freeze-dried apple crisps flavored with cinnamon. The box actually came with 2 little bags of these, which I appreciate. These are tasty, but nothing too special or unique. I like snacking on fruit chips, though, and I had some of these while taking pictures of the other snacks.
Sugus
These Sugus look just like Starbursts from the outside, down to the package color and branding. These are tougher than Starbursts, though, and they actually remind me of a different American candy: Now & Laters. Anybody else remember those? These are super-sticky taffies in different fruit flavors. I couldn’t really figure out what color signified which flavor.
Apparently, these were originally produced in Switzerland in the 1930s and available in plenty of countries other than the US, including Argentina, the Philippines, Romania, Namibia, China, and Belgium. Almost every continent has these!
Pintarolas
Pintarolas are candy-covered chocolate, and I got two tubes of these. They’re translated into English as “milk chocolate beans” on the packaging, which is pretty cute. These candy-covered chocolate beans are similar to M&Ms but have a pastel color palette. They’re made by the Portuguese chocolate company Imperial and first appeared in the 70s, long after M&Ms became popular.
I like the convenient resealable tube packaging! These have hazelnuts and almond paste inside, but I can’t really taste them. They’re less chocolatey than M&Ms, but I don’t get a nutty taste.
Regina Chocolate with Almonds
Regina is a well-known Portuguese chocolate brand. My box came with 2 of these almond chocolate bars. The bars came in sections that were easy to break apart, like Toblerones.
The chocolate is pretty good!
What We Like About Snack Crate
Snack Crate comes in cute packaging. The outer box is light blue and clearly labeled, so you know right away when it has arrived. This is a plus if you’re sending these boxes as a gift.
The mini box comes with a decent variety of snacks for a week. In my household, they won’t last much longer than that!
I like that the company provides a list of fun facts and a playlist of music from the featured country. That gives you a little context while you snack.
What We Don’t Like About Snack Crate
I didn’t like the snacks included, honestly! Most of them were slightly worse (to my palate!) versions of American snacks that I already know. They also felt cheap to me, but that’s more subjective. I just wasn’t impressed by this month’s box.
On the bottom of the box, they listed nutritional info for snacks I didn’t get, including pineapple soda. I’m assuming these were for the Original or Family boxes. Based on my experience, I’d rather spring for one of the larger boxes than the slightly cheaper Mini box I did get. Maybe they save their best snacks for those boxes.
I requested a mix of sweet and savory snacks, but all my snacks were sweet. This is a minor complaint, but I was disappointed there wasn’t more variety.
The biggest problem is that the snacks they sent weren’t worth the money. The packages were small, the snacks weren’t exciting or unique, and I didn’t like them all that much.
Is Snack Crate Worth It?
In theory, Snack Crate is a fun, easy way to try new snacks worldwide. The company curates snacks that best represent the country, so you get a sense of some of the signature flavors that residents enjoy.
Overall, I didn’t like the Portugal box this month. The snacks weren’t to my taste. Snack Crate Mini is a bit pricey for what you get in the box. The number of items and their size didn’t feel worth $20, even because the company curated them and put them into a special package for me.
If you’re looking for a snack subscription box, I recommend Universal Yums. It has a similar price point and specializes in snacks from around the world. I think they do a better job of curating unique, tasty snacks.
