Zingerman's Delicatessen Reviews

I ordered from Zingerman's for the first and last time. I purchased only mail order products from Zingerman's...the Nosher Coffeecake Sampler, the Food Coma Gift box, the Praise the Lard gift box, the Big Bakehouse Bonanza and the Reuben Sandwich Kit. Most were gifts. The verdict from all the recipients is that the products were mediocre at best. I read quite a few reviews online prior to ordering. Most of the reviews raved about the deli and the bakery. While I can not attest to the products in the actual deli and bakery (fresh is usually always better) the products I ordered were NOT even close to delicious and were NOT WORTH the price. The recipients are foodies (one is a former restaurant owner and chef) and the consensus from everyone was that we would not order from Zingerman's again. The bread was good (but overpriced...if you have a decent bakery in your grocery store the Zingerman's bread was comparable to fesh artisan loaves). My husband was extremely disappointed in the rueben sandwich kit...he made two sandwiches and threw one out. My brother said the Palmiers were excellent, but everything else was only okay. I ordered the coffeecake sampler and I thought they were good, but not worth $100...they just didn't taste fresh. Overall, I am extremely disappointed. Either the cold has dulled the taste buds of Michegan food connoisseurs who acclaimed Zingerman's or no one who wrote a review ever ordered anything online. Overall, I would not recommend ordering any products online from Zingerman's.