RawSpiceBar March "Afghan" 2016 Spice Subscription Review and 50% Off Coupon Code

RawSpiceBar sends freshly toasted and ground spices along with recipes to your door every month. The nice thing is that they also send recipes to use the spice blends with! I've had so much fun experimenting in the kitchen with the blends I've received. We've eaten all sorts of interesting things that we never would have had otherwise.

This month features spices and blends that feature heavily in Afghan cooking. Everything smells unbelievably delicious. Freshly toasted and ground, redolent with cumin and peppercorn, I'm looking forward to cooking with these!

The Cost: $6.40/month

What You Get: Three spice pouches, which are enough to create 3 individual dishes serving 4-6 people. The total amount of spices will typically weigh between 1-1.5 ounces each month. Plus recipes!

Afghan Lamb Rub- This spice rub consists of cumin, coriander, turmeric, black peppercorns and green cardamom. It makes my mouth water, it smells so good. This would typically be created into a paste with oil and garlic and spread on lamb before searing and cooking it. I don't like lamb much but this should be tasty with beef.

Afghan Pulao Spices- It's recommended to use this blend to make pulao, a rice dish with basmati, onions, carrots and raisins. The blend is made up of green cardamom, black peppercorns, cinnamon, cumin, cloves and ground bay leaves. I'm definitely going to use this in rice, it's going to be fantastic.

Saffron Threads- These precious threads are very expensive and a little goes a long way. These are harvested from a specific kind of crocus that you can grow in your garden here. Although I tried to grow them here, I planted them in a place that didn't get enough sun but I'm thinking I need to try again. My own personal saffron.
Interestingly, the recipe accompanying this spice is for tea. A ginger saffron tea. I love ginger tea already and I've never thought of putting saffron in it. Since I just used up the last of my ginger, I'll need to get more in order to make this. It's going to be refreshing on ice.

VERDICT: The spice blends sent this month are both timely and versatile. I like that the recipes they include are easy enough and made with things normally found in a kitchen. They also have a bunch of recipes online, too, beyond what's included in the shipment. That's one thing I love about this subscription. It introduces so many new foods and recipes.

I still wish they'd go back to resealable packets, though. I'm glad to see they properly labeled the amount of spices included this month although it still doesn't come close to the "about 1-1.5oz" that's promised. It's at .7oz only. That could be due to the saffron, though.

If you would like to sign up for RawSpiceBar, you can do that right here. Use code FRESHSPICES to get 50% off your first month. It really is a fun subscription, especially if you love to cook (and eat).

*affiliate links were used in this post.