This review is just for the online store, as I haven't visited in person yet. I purchased the Monks' Gift Box (four loaves of Monks' Bread and three jars of Trappist Preserves) online and had the box shipped as a gift for my husband.
We tried the Genesee Rye, Raisin Cinnamon, Maple Cinnamon and Cranberry. The breads reminded us a lot of Pepperidge Farm bread, soft and airy-not chewy or crusty like artisanal breads that are more in style these days. The three sweet breads tasted very similar to one another, so I couldn't tell that I was eating cranberry versus raisin.
For the Trappist Preserves, we got the Rhubarb Strawberry, Blueberry and Seedless Blackberry, but those are made by another monastery, not by the abbey in Genesee County, so I won't comment on those here.
The gift box was well packaged, so both the bread and the glass preserve jars arrived undamaged. There are other larger gift box options, which also include Monks' Biscotti and Fruit and Nut Bars. Shipping is included in the price of the gift boxes.
The website could be clearer about which days they ship bread, so you could plan ahead better, if you'd like your order to arrive for a special occasion. I placed my order and got an order confirmation very shortly after, but then I didn't hear anything for a couple of days, making me wonder if my order would arrive in time. I had a USPS tracking number, but per USPS tracking, several days went by between when the shipping label was created and when the postal service received the package. I eventually got two emails on the same day: when the order was out for delivery and when the package was delivered. We don't live very far from Genesee County, so the order arrived within a day of being shipped and ended up arriving just in time, but it'd be nice if the process weren't a guessing game.
Monks' gift boxes make an impressive looking gift, so if you know someone who would like their style of bread, I'd recommend them, but order at least a week ahead if you'd like it to arrive within a certain window of time. read more