It’s no secret that my day starts with a cup of coffee … followed quickly by another cup of coffee. I love the stuff, particularly when it’s swirled with caramel and topped with whip. But it can be expensive to maintain a habit like that. And in this fragile economy, people are doing everything they can to cut back.
That includes cooking — and drinking coffee — more from home. So with the emphasis on cutting back and doing more at home, a sampler that gives the gift of an at-home experience is a fantastic idea. Enter Vivabox. From coffee or tea or gourmet meals, Vivabox lets the recipient try out a variety of things and then place an order to customize the rest of the gift. I recently got to check out the Vivabox Coffee Talk.
The GOOD: The Vivabox Coffee Talk comes with a sampling of coffees, as well as a mini hazelnut syrup and a fun Jazz CD. That alone made my day. But when I learned that I could go online and choose from a selection of options to personalize my gift, I was elated. I selected my coffee and ordered three syrups to go with it, including my very, very favorite syrup of all time: caramel. YUM! Also, the customer service is fantastic. The person handling my order was friendly and followed up in a timely manner — in a personal email.
The BAD: Unfortunately, when I ordered my customized gift, the system was partially down so it was a little confusing. I couldn’t select the exact coffee and syrups I wanted when ordering. However, the aforementioned Vivabox representative emailed me almost immediately to get my selections and followed up with additional information. And I have been assured that the glitch was a temporary one.
MONEY MATTERS: The Vivabox retails for $45, but is available on the Vivabox website for $40 right now.
The MOM VERDICT
Sarah says: This box was one great surprise after another. When I opened it, I oohed over the CD, coffees and syrup. Then I saw the gift card and booklet and was elated. I couldn’t wait to get online and place my order. With a choice of syrups, coffees and a number of ways to mix and match the choices, loved that. I can think of several people in my life who’d appreciate something like this. This is a great gift idea.
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February 7th, 2009 at 8:43 am
[...] the perfect mix of present and gift card. You might remember that around Christmas, I reviewed the Vivabox Coffee Talk Box, a cool gift that includes several samples and a special giftcard for the Vivabox site that lets [...]