Friday, December 9th
2022 Dessert Club Reviews
Chocolate Maven
- Choose between Essentials (one dessert) and Deluxe (two desserts)
- Treats may include brownies, pies, muffins, cookies and more
- Pay $36 for Essentials and just $6 more for Deluxe
- Shipping is always free
- Can substitute other desserts if desired
Chocolate Maven is the dessert club with a homemade touch. This bakery and cafe is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and their Monthly Maven subscription takes some of their customers' favorite sweets and treats and delivers them right to you. Chocolate Maven has been featured in Conde Nast Traveler and on the Food Network, renowned for using "natural ingredients and old-fashioned artisan baking in an atmosphere of charm, delight and integrity." We can see why this bakery has been voted Best of Santa Fe for almost 20 straight years.
More is better
You're going to have a hard time resisting all of the treats featured in this dessert club. Chocolate Maven lists everything you can expect month by month, and we were very impressed with the variety: how about chocolate cherry brownies in January, strawberry rhubarb pie in July, or chocolate pecan pie in November? The Essentials Box will come with one full-sized, delectable dessert to enjoy, and it's priced at $36. For just $6 more per month, you can get a second dessert: the Deluxe Box takes the main treat and pairs it with a slightly smaller (but no less delicious) one. For example, September's Deluxe Box has Belgian chocolate brownies as the primary dessert with cherry almond granola as the second, while May pairs a Morning Glory bundt cake with a box of chocolate espresso cookies. Even better, shipping is included for free on every delivery.
Membership Overview:
- Dessert Selection: One or two desserts (depending on whether you select Essentials or Deluxe) which may include brownies, granola, cookies, muffins, pies and more
- Duration: Month-to-month
- Frequency: Monthly
- Shipping: Included in the price of your dessert club
Only month-to-month subscriptions here
You won't have any huge decisions to make with this dessert club, other than whether you'd like the Essentials or the Deluxe (we say go for the Deluxe because two is always better than one). Your subscription automatically goes month-to-month until you cancel it, so no long-term commitments or prepayments required here. That's a nice change of pace compared with many clubs-of-the-month, where you pay for 3-12 months upfront.
Not many gift-giving features
Also, be aware that Chocolate Maven's dessert club isn't really set up for gift-giving. Yes, you can have the Monthly Maven Subscription sent anywhere you like, but other than specifying in the order comments that it's a gift, you won't find anything related to gifting (no announcements to send via email, no way to schedule the subscription to start on a particular date, and so on).
Smaller business = more personal attention
However, because of the mom-and-pop nature of this establishment, we think there's a lot of possibilities for getting a personalized touch. We called and spoke with someone at Chocolate Maven (all while hearing the sounds of happy restaurant-goers in the background) who said that if there's a month with a dessert we didn't like, we could email or call in advance and ask for a substitution from any of the treats featured on the "shippable" section of the website. We imagine the same goes for any other tweak you might like to make (such as including a note for a gift or specifying a desired arrival date for your first delivery), so be sure to include that in the order comments when you place your subscription order online.
People love this bakery
It's not really a big surprise that Chocolate Maven doesn't have thousands and thousands of customer reviews, being a smaller establishment based out of a bakery in a single location. But, if the feedback on their Facebook page alone is any clue, you're going to love everything you get from their Monthly Maven subscription. People go well out of their way to visit the restaurant and bakery, and it's hard to find anyone with a bad thing to say about any of their goodies.
Delicious, affordable, and made with love
Even though the dessert club at Chocolate Maven isn't set up like most of the providers we checked out, that's okay. Not only is it more affordable than many competitors, but it also gives you the flexibility of a month-to-month membership that's easily modified by a phone call or an email to a friendly employee. Chocolate Maven is the newest addition to our dessert club reviews, and we think you'll be delighted by the love and quality that go into every sweet they send out.
More Dessert Club Reviews
The 8 Best Dessert Clubs
Where Can You Get the Most Delectable Dessert Clubs?
You've seen it all when it comes to subscription boxes, from makeup and spa products to arts and crafts - but sometimes with mixed results, right? If you're looking for a monthly delivery that will have just about anyone smiling from ear to ear, check out the options for dessert clubs! After all, who doesn't have a sweet tooth?
Most dessert clubs start out the same. Choose if you want a plan with deliveries for three, six, or twelve months, decide which month it should start, enter the shipping address and off you go. You or your gift recipient are now slated to get mouth-watering treats on the regular. But, there's a lot of variety when you compare one provider to another, and that's where your own unique personality can come through a little.
Dessert Club FAQ
Continued from above...
Are you more of a "give me one big treat I can share" ? Or more of a "let me taste lots of smaller sweets" kind of person? You'll find dessert clubs that cater to either one.
Would you like to have some say-so over what gets included in each box, or would you rather let the bakery make those decisions? That's another good way to choose among the available dessert clubs: while almost all of them tell you in advance what to expect from month to month, some let it be a total surprise and others give you the chance to skip any upcoming shipments that aren't to your liking - or even request a substitution. Whether your style is "surprise me" or "follow my lead" can determine which dessert club is your ideal match.
The last factors influencing your delicious decision are schedule and budget. Most dessert subscriptions come in at a monthly price of around $40, give or take. That doesn't always include shipping, so don't forget to keep that in mind. Most require you to pay for all of your deliveries upfront, but a few let you pay as you go. Also, the majority of dessert clubs have fixed plans ranging from three months to a year, though there are options that can be set up as month-to-month for as long as you choose to subscribe.
You're almost ready to pick the perfect dessert club. Just watch out for a few more things as you decide:
- Types of Desserts. Most clubs consist of baked goods, but a few specialize in chocolate-covered berries or include breakfast foods like bagels or waffles. What do you have in mind?
- Reputation. What do previous recipients of your dessert club say about the experience? Were their deliveries consistent in quality and delivery timeframes?
- Customer Service. When shipping perishable items like cheesecake and pie, it's inevitable that there will be issues from time to time. How does the dessert club provider handle problems? Is there a good satisfaction guarantee in place?
To help you satisfy your sweet tooth, TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked today's most delicious dessert clubs. We're sure this information will make it possible to get some amazing treats delivered right to your doorstep - or to your lucky gift recipient's. Bon Appetit!
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