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The 18 Best Food and Drink Subscriptions to Gift in 2023 – CNET

I’ve said this over and over, but it’s worth repeating: The only thing that’s better than a food gift is a food gift that keeps on giving again and again — a delicious déjà vu. You can find food subscriptions for just about anything — coffee, bread, wine, cheese, chocolate, fish and premium cuts of beef — and there are even wallet-friendly choices starting at around $15 a month. Best of all, a food subscription won’t clutter up the space of someone you suspect already has all the tech, trinkets, art and jewelry they need.

Everyone loves to nibble and sip something, which is why food and drink subscriptions make an ideal gift even for those who are difficult to shop for. If you’re having a hard time choosing a gift for someone on your holiday list, consider a membership to one of these excellent food or drink clubs. We’ve been testing up a storm to find the best.

This story is part of Gift Guide, our year-round collection of the best gift ideas.

These are the best food and drink clubs and subscriptions to gift this holiday. And, yes, we’ve sampled everything on this list before giving them all our full-bellied stamp of approval.

Best food and drink subscriptions to gift in 2023

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Blue Apron delivers everything you need to make amazing home-cooked meals. Choose from 80-plus weekly options, including meals designed for easy prep and quick cook times. With an ever-changing menu offering a variety of cuisines, there’s always something new to try. Looking for a last-minute gift? Treat friends and family to the joy of home cooking with a Blue Apron gift card. Get 50% off right now.

David Watsky/CNET

Chocolate and snacks are a welcome indulgence but some folks might just want a little boost putting dinner together or appreciate a way to find new recipes to add to their routine. Green Chef offers some of the best meal kits for mid-level cooks with wholesome organic ingredients and a flurry of interesting weekly recipes.

The best way to give meal kits is with an e-gift card so the giftee can set up their own account and shipping dates and choose recipes for themselves.

Bokksu

The 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.

Inside the unmistakable 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 info-packed literature explaining a bit about each, including historical and cultural significance. Bokksu boxes start at $40 a month for subscriptions and $50 for a one-time send.

Read more: The Best Snack Subscription Boxes

Butcher Box

For a meat-eating foodie, a box of high-end meats is never a bad call and your gifting options abound in 2023. We’ve tried ButcherBox several times and it stands out as the best service for gifting a meat box or subscription for the griller 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.

Bonus: When you sign up to try ButcherBox they often reward you with free steaks or a year or free bacon for life. You can pause or cancel if you’re not loving it.

The Waves

Just ask CNET contributor and certified sommelier Pamela Vachon: This wine club is a shelf above the other subscriptions she’s tried. The Waves specializes in natural, organic wine and curates monthly sends to you or your giftee and the quality is extraordinary.

Subscriptions start at about $33 per bottle. While the cost is significantly more than some other bottle clubs we’ve looked at, The Waves chooses wine of a caliber to match someone ready to take their habit to another level. You can also skip the subscription and buy three-bottle bundles for around $105.

Read our full review of The Waves wine club here.

RawSpiceBar

Spice is the backbone of any great food I’ve ever had. As a person who cooks often but doesn’t have great access to fresh spices, I can say I would personally love getting these. 

Raw Spice Bar sends 2 ounces of a single spice or a spice blend such as Indian garam masala or Japanese furikake. Plus, you get chef-tested recipes to make with each one, all for just $15 a month. The best part is the spices come freshly ground, unlike that stuff you get at the supermarket. And believe me, they will be able to tell the difference. 

Wildgrain

Baking bread may be trendy, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Wildgrain understands and will send a monthly drop of expertly baked sourdoughs, multigrain, baguettes, croissants and quality pasta to a carbivore on your list. The bread comes frozen with specific instructions to reheat. I found that most of the loaves in my box turned out better than the grocery store selection and unless you live near a good bakery, Wildgrain may be the next best thing.

Boxes range from $69 to $109 (shipping included) and include as many as three loaves of bread, two boxes of pasta, four pastries and 10 small desserts like apple pie bites or tartlets.

Read more: Best Seafood Delivery Services

This is one for someone you really like. Or for someone who really likes tasting new whiskeys — and hopefully both. Flaviar sends include tastings and full bottles. Flaviar starts at $51 a month for the Basic membership and goes up from there.

You can also nab Flaviar’s limited-edition whiskey advent calendar with 24 1.7-ounce pours of whiskies and whiskeys from all over the world. It’s on presale now for $250 and typically sells out every year. 

CurdBox

There are dozens of cheese subscriptions but Curdbox has consistently been one of my favorites. The service sends monthly deliveries of three kinds of cheese (4 ounces of each) along with three pairings including fancy crackers, preserves, nut mixes and sweets from other small producers. 

I think it’s well worth the $50 since you can easily spend that on three hunks of cheese at a gourmet cheesemonger. Choose a three-, six or 12-month plan for you or a special cheese-loving someone. Curdbox even curates a special Spotify playlist for each month’s box so you can rock out with your cheese block out. 

Murray’s Cheese

While Curdbox gets my pick for most people, hardcore cheeseheads looking for rare and intense creations might prefer Murray’s cheese subscription.  Iconic New York cheese shop Murray’s has a few subscription options to choose from if you want to hook someone up with impossibly good bries, blues and manchegos each month. 

While we’re not talking about budget cheese here, you can prepay for three months of cheese deliveries for $175 total or go month-to-month for $58 every 30 days. Each shipment will include three to four expertly selected cheeses from the masters at Murray’s. I’ve personally tested the melty wares from Murray’s subscription and can confirm this is a choice food club to join.

Bar & Cocoa

Chocolate is about as safe as it gets, making this a great gift for someone you’re not sure what to buy — or a known chocolate lover, of course. Bar & Cocoa chocolate club will send some of the best bars in the biz (four full bars per month, to be exact) and we’re not talking mass-produced Hershey here either. Some of the premier chocolate producers include Amano, Chocolate Madagascar and A. Morin. All are ethical, sustainable and eco-conservative. Like I said — the good stuff.

A three-month subscription starts at $135 total but you can spring for a six or 12-month run and any of them can be canceled at any time. 

Shaker Spoon

Shaker Spoon sends all the ingredients (minus the booze) packaged for you to make interesting cocktails. What’s included would be really tricky to find anywhere locally so you’re having drink-making fun with some truly unique ingredients. We’re talking artisan cherry-vanilla bitters, pineapple shrub and a spritz bottle of white sage hydrosol. 

There are recipes for each themed box including Fall for Mezcal or All Eyes on Rye but you can freestyle with the ingredients too. Each box is about $59 (cheaper if you gift more than one month or subscribe). Either way, it’ll lend plenty of cocktail inspiration to the budding bartender on your list.

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