The 15 tastiest subscriptions to gift for Valentine’s Day this year – CNET [CNET]

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CurdBox

This is an excellent cheese subscription service with a name that probably could have used some workshopping. Membership to the Curdbox club nets you a monthly package of three different cheeses and three specially curated goodies to pair with them. The cheeses they choose are in the crowd-pleasing zone and not overly intense, so this makes an excellent gift for even a novice cheese taster.

My first Curdbox delivery included 4 ounces each of an incredible Paraire Breeze cheddar, a creamy cow’s milk Toma by Point Reyes and a slightly crumble cow and goat milk cheese from Central Coast Creamery. Plus, a jar of cherry spread, positively addicting sweet potato chips and a bag of crunchy craft popcorn. All this for $50 a delivery (or $48 if you prepay for three months) is a solid price considering everything you get.

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Goldbelly

If it’s too late to plan a cross-country road trip to try the best eats in the land, Goldbelly has a backup plan and you’ll spend way less on gas. The Best of Goldbelly three-month subscription includes curated monthly boxes featuring truly legendary food like southern barbecue, pies and baked goods from iconic purveyors around the country including Magnolia Bakery and Russ & Daughters. Each delivery is different and can’t be modified, but that’s really the fun of it and Goldbelly does a great job of making sure everything is packaged safely and securely. Three months of the Best of Goldbelly is $249.

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Trade

When it comes to coffee, some folks are creatures of habit, while others like to try new roasts. If your mom happens to be the latter, Trade sources some of the best beans in the biz from indie roasters and will ship her new varieties at a frequency of your choosing. 

This is another one we’ve tested firsthand and the results were great. Expect a nice variety in flavor profile, but it’s also easy to update and customizable in case you want something different. Communication from the brand is also clear and concise and, best of all, the beans are fresh as heck, with some arriving as soon as two days after roasting. 

Gifting a subscription — which starts at $13 for 12-ounce bags and goes up from there — is not the only option. You can sort through Trade’s a la carte gift options, including individual bags or bundles that start at $48. 

Read more: The best coffee subscriptions for every type of drinker

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Bar & Cocoa

There are chocolate subscriptions aplenty, but few are more geared toward a serious chocolate lover than Bar & Cocoa’s monthly club. Each shipment includes four bars of unique craft chocolate from some of the top producers in the chocolate-making world (see a full list of producers here). Three months of fine chocolate subscription packages will run you $129 and six months is $249.

Note, that four full bars is quite a lot of chocolate. If you’re not sure there’s an appetite for that much, you can order one-time gift boxes and single bars.

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RawSpiceBar

As a person who cooks a lot but doesn’t have a market nearby with particularly good spice sections, I can say I would totally love this gift. If your Mom or the mom-like figure you’re shopping for has an affinity for cooking with bold and interesting spices, this is a no-brainer. 

Raw Spice Bar will send 2 ounces of a spice or spice blend such as Indian garam masala or Japanese furikake. Plus, she’ll get chef-tested recipes to make with each one all for $10 a month. The best part is your spices come freshly ground — unlike most everything you get at the supermarket — and believe me, Mom will be able to tell the difference. Even if she ignores the recipes and simply tries each one sprinkled a piece of grilled chicken every month, it’ll make cooking — and eating — more fun.

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Murray’s Cheese

Varieties of cheese are seemingly endless, which makes this cult food the perfect subject for a subscription. Iconic New York cheese shop Murray’s Cheese has a few subscription options to choose from if you want to hook Mom up with some ridiculously good cheddars, bries and manchegos every month. 

While we’re not talking about budget cheese here with subscriptions starting at $63 a month. Each shipment will include three to four expertly selected cheeses from the masters at Murray’s. I’ve personally tested the melty, creamy and crumbly offerings from Murray’s and can confirm this is one cheese subscription that’s whey better than most. 

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Bokksu

The Japanese have snacking down to an art form. Bokksu knows this better than anyone, which is why it took the top spot in a ranking of best snack boxes I wrote earlier in the year. Bokksu collects some of the best snacks from Japan and compiles them in a one-time or recurring monthly curated tasting box.

I’ve both given and received a Bokksu and it is always a hit. The best part about these high-end snack packs is that if you’re not familiar with them, almost none of the Japanese treats remind you much of the snacks more common in the US.

Inside the unmistakable bright orange boxes, you’ll find eats like seaweed tempura, green tea and lemon cakes along with Japanese candy such as yuzu gummies and matcha-strawberry Kit-Kats. What’s more, Bokksu includes some slick literature explaining a bit about each treat, including historical and cultural significance, where it applies. Bokksu boxes start at $40 per month for subscriptions and $50 for a one-time send.

Read more: The best snack subscription boxes in 2022

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The Sill

First and foremost, let’s be clear that this is not an edible subscription. But if your Valentine is the plant-obsessed sort, a gift of monthly plants will definitely nourish their soul. The Sill is our top pick and has various types and levels of greenery subscriptions. Small house plants start at $50 a month and medium plants are $60. There are also pet-friendly plants, and each one comes bedded in a ceramic planter, ready to go.

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BloomsyBox

Flowers aren’t food, per se, but they’re so entangled with Mother’s Day gifting we thought it best to include an option we’ve personally tested. Flower subscription services are becoming increasingly popular, ensuring delivery of beautiful blooms month after month, and that’s exactly what BloomsyBox specializes in.

We tried BloomsyBox recently and appreciated the high-quality flowers that arrived fresh held up for nearly a week. BloomsyBox subscriptions start at $40 a month, but you can spring for the deluxe and premium bouquets as well. The more expensive plans have more flowers per delivery. The selected flowers will vary each month and often include favorites like roses, orchids and sunflowers.

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Joff Lee/Getty Images

Everything I’ve ever ordered from Fulton Fish Market online has been fresh, and when you’re talking seafood that’s about as important as it gets. For someone without a good fish market in their neighborhood, some quality fish by mail from this trusted fishmonger based in New York City is a total treat. 

You gift your Valentine a seafood subscription aka “The Fish Drop” and Fulton will send a monthly, bimonthly or weekly curated box of fish starting at $65 per month for four fresh 6-ounce portions.

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Wine may seem like the fallback gift with a, perhaps rightful, reputation as impersonal. Winc, like a few of the other flashy new wine clubs, is hoping to change that by delving deep inside your palate and making ordering wine by mail an engaging experience. If there’s someone on your list you suspect would love to learn more about wine or their own preferences — strange as that may sound — a Winc subscription is a great place to start. The company starts you off with a profile and palate analysis, and then sends wines it thinks you’ll like. Each time you rate them so the shipments from various producers start to jibe better with your taste. 

Winc monthly memberships start at an affordable $39 (plus $9 shipping) for three bottles per month. You can buy a gift card for as few or as many months as you’d like to bequeath, or just send a one-time shipment of wine. Who doesn’t love that?

Read more: The best wine subscriptions in 2022

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Mouth.com

The best thing about Mouth is the seemingly endless options for gift boxes, baskets subscriptions and more. I’d venture to guess that even if you’re not sure what food gift you’re looking for, you’re still bound to find it in the sprawling online marketplace of quality eats. 

Mouth has monthly subscriptions for nearly everything including pickles, cocktails and general snacks. You can also peruse the gifts, where there are even more options like a Backyard Bonfire Bites box or a Bloody Mary Cocktail Kit.

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ButcherBox

If Mom is a mistress of the grill, a box of high-end meats is never a bad call and your gifting options abound in 2021. We’ve tried ButcherBox a few times and it stands out as the best service for gifting a meat box or subscription for the grilling gal in your life. 

Other online butchers specialize in niche beef such as KC Cattle Co‘s stock of 100% American wagyu. Another newcomer, Porter Road, has some interesting cuts and holiday bundles, while old standby Rastelli’s will let you curate a box of meat and seafood to send. See our favorite online butchers to find a little something meaty to gift to your favorite carnivore.

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For fans of whiskey, Flaviar is the way to go. This fine booze membership club entitles your giftee to one premium bottle along with a themed tasting box every quarter. Plus you’ll get access to rare, exclusive bottlings, tailored recommendations and invitations to unique members-only events. 

Flaviar is $190 for six months or $300 for a full year, which amounts to four bottles along with four themed tasting flights housed in cool little vials along with the aforementioned member perks.

For a tequila drinker, try this Tequila Taster’s Club. We’ve yet to try this one but for $54 a month, your Valentine will get a full bottle of craft tequila to ship or shoot to their heart’s delight.

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Fuego Box

Fuego Box isn’t new but it is a great idea and makes a perfect gift for the mom who is also a bit of a hothead (when it comes to food, that is). Fuego Box’s hot sauce subscriptions start at $18 per month — although $30 per month for three bottles is a much better deal. 

There are also plenty of one-off gift boxes like this one with hot honey, peach habanero hot sauce and spicy garlic seasoning. Plus, Fuego Box is a small business that supports other small businesses, so you can feel good about that.