Taste-Testing The Snacks From NatureBox

By Sponsor in Food on Sep 9, 2014 5:00AM

Sriracha Roasted Cashews. Sweet, salty, and spicy is the Holy Trinity.

Chili Lime Pistachios. Spicier than we thought they'd be! But still tart and with all the savoriness of a pistachio.

Guacamole Bites. Imagine fried corn chips but with a dusting of avocado, lime, and garlic flavor.

Salted Caramel Pretzel Pops. Salted caramel is everywhere, but not like this!

Sweet Blueberry Almonds. So good! Should be in everyone's emergency desk stash.

Baked Sweet Potato Sticks. Like those Andy Capp fries you ate as a kid, but way better for you.

Banana Bread Granola. Sweet and cinnamon-y! There are raisins, though, so raisin-haters beware.

Apple Pie Oat Clusters. Remarkably like the real thing. Great with fresh apples.

Big Island Pineapple. Chewy but not soggy, and less cloying than the usual dried pinapple.

Carrot Strawberry Fruit Chews. Like licorice but not as dense. We could definitely discern actual carrot and strawberry flavors!

Cherry Berry Bonanza. This has cherries, cranberries and blueberries. We put this on top of Greek yogurt and totally nailed it.

French Toast Granola. Just a hint of maple. We didn't get to try this on top of oatmeal, but would love to.

Maple Habanero Pretzel Pops. These were very maple-y at first with a fiery finish. Definitely one of the most addicting bags in the bunch.

Italian Bistro Pretzels. Like Pizza Combos without the artificial cheese. Delicious.

Kung Pao Pretzels. These were gingery, savory and shockingly like the real thing.

Dried Mango. Classic for a reason.

PB&J Granola. Sweet, dense, salty, and full of those delicious dried strawberries.

Whole Wheat Raspberry Figgy Bars. Like, you know, those cookies. Just a little better for you.

Praline Pumpkin Seeds. If you like that earthy punch of pumpkin seeds, definitely try these. Great with maple syrup on yogurt!

Sea Salt Pop Pops. Salty and crunchy like popcorn.

Smoky Pumpkin Seeds. Good stuff! These are actually made with Tamari Shoyu.

South Pacific Plantains. You really can't go wrong with plantain chips. Crunchy and satisfying.

Sunshine Chips. Vibrantly colorful, these were fun to eat. The flavor of each chip really came out, and the taro was a nice touch.

Whole Wheat Strawberry Figgy Bars. Always fun to try this type of cookie in a flavor other than fig!

Yellow Curry Peas. Crunchy and salty like wasabi peas, but more interesting with curry.

This post is a sponsored collaboration between NatureBox and Gothamist staff. Start your NatureBox membership with a free sample box!

If you read Gothamist regularly, you probably already know about the Silver Table of Sin, our holding area for demo products, special occasion treats, and the diabolical holiday baking that so many people here seem to be into.

Now, obviously this is amazing, and no one wants to complain about endless gourmet treats and limited-edition junk food. But when the powdered sugar settles and you're wheezing a little louder up the stairs every day, things start to get real. The Silver Table of Sin is so named because of the obvious: nothing virtuous ever happens there. It's a first-world problem but dang it, it's our first-world problem.

Then vs. now.

Thankfully, there's a little thing called NatureBox. When you give NatureBox money, they send you snacks every month! They have tons of variety in their catalog: crunchy things, sweet things, fruity things, and other super wholesome things. If you have dietary restrictions, you can choose to sort by vegan, gluten-conscious, nut-free, dairy-free, and more.

The best part? You can choose exactly what you want or you can embrace the thrill of living by letting NatureBox choose your monthly haul for you! Oh wait, the even better part? You can kick off your membership with a free sample box.

They were kind enough to send us a mix to test out—and to see what it's like to not have to nap after lunch for once. Here's everything we tried.

Everything was good, but there really were some standouts.

Sriracha Roasted Cashews. These were an obvious frontrunner, and they didn't disappoint. A nice glaze kept them from being too spicy.

PB&J Granola. We had three different granolas, but this was the most novel. Sticky from peanut butter but still salty, it was great with fresh fruit.

Banana Bread Granola. This was cinnamon-y and awesome. In one colleague's words, it was "a damn revelation."

Pretzel Pops. We had two varieties here: Maple Habanero and Salted Caramel. It was an office divided for the best.

Kung Pao Pretzels. These are a victory in flavor powder technology. They tasted exactly like the real thing but with an extra ginger hit at the end.

Sweet Blueberry Almonds. A lot of the big brands are stepping up their flavored almond game these days, but these are top notch. Very blueberry and super satisfying out-of-hand for a 3pm boost.

Everything Bagel Stix. You know those sesame sticks that come in Asian snack mixes? You know, the best part? These are those plus all the Everything toppings. Think about that for a minute.

Italian Bistro Pretzels. A total office favorite, and so garlicky they were dangerous to eat before meetings. They're "like Combos, with no artificial cheese."

Clockwise from top left: Praline Pumpkin Seeds with maple syrup and cinnamon; Sweet Blueberry Almonds with Cherry Berry Bonanza and fresh strawberry; Apple Pie Oat Clusters with Fuji apple, cinnamon, pecan, and honey; PB&J Granola with fresh banana and strawberry.

And after an officemate's valiant attempt to inspire a healthy yogurt parfait renaissance, we thought we'd try again with the new snacks. It was great. Please try it. You owe it to yourself. And your waistline, and your blood pressure, and your cholesterol, and your productivity, and your mood, and your dating life, and your...

Smarter snacking has never been more delicious, or easy—start your free trial with NatureBox today! They'll send you five of their favorite snacks in their sample box, guaranteed to make you snack-happy.