Universal Yums is a snack subscription box that sends out snacks and candies from a different country each month. Choose from the Yum Box for $14 a month, the Yum Yum Box for $25 a month, or the Super Yum Box for $39 a month. This month’s box takes us to Ukraine!
This review is of the Yum Yum box, which is $25 a month.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Universal Yums
The Subscription Box: Universal Yums
The Cost: $25 a month + free US shipping
The Products: The contents of the boxes change each month as they to highlight the best snacks from each featured country. However, you can always expect a mix of flavors: salty, sweet, spicy, fruity, and more. Only authentic snacks from the featured country.
Ships to: U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and Israel
Universal Yums "Ukraine” March 2019 Review
I love being at home. That being said, I don’t travel much, so I haven’t had a lot of experience with other cultures. Universal Yums has been a great way to try new foods and learn a little bit about different countries. This is a great experience for my family and has been so much fun. Let’s dive in and see what Ukraine has to offer!
The first thing you see when you open this box is a map of Ukraine with fun clip art and facts about the country. On the backside, you will find “The Official Yum Awards” sheet. This is where you can cast your vote for your favorite and least favorite yum in each box. If you upload this ballot on social media and tag @Universalyums, you’ll have a chance to win more of your favorite snacks! It also includes a recipe and a secret puzzle to solve!
This box comes with a detailed guide that takes you on a mini-tour of Ukraine. It includes information for each of the included items, ingredient lists in English, a trivia quiz, recipes, and even a clue to next month’s box!
Let’s experience Ukraine!
Minky Binky Assorted Fruit Caramels with Fruit Fillings
I like to start small, so I tried the Minky Binky assorted fruit filling candies first. I received 1 blueberry and 3 peach flavored candies. The blueberry candy was soft and milky with a sweet blueberry center. It was easy to chew and very sweet. The peach filled toffee was also soft and milky, but with a peach center. I preferred the peach because it had just a slight tartness to compliment the sweet toffee. I also love the cute monkey on the packaging!
Barberry Karamelkino- Barberry flavored hard candy
I have never heard of barberry, but learned in the booklet that this is a unique fruit cherished by Ukrainians! These hard candies are deliciously sweet and taste a little like “Luden’s Wild Cherry Drops” which I used to eat like candy when I was a kid!
Roshen LadyBird - Assorted Fruit Gummies - Buy a 2.2lb bag for $22.99
Look at this packaging! These are so cute! And when you open the packaging you see these slightly translucent gummies with the red juice filling! These are chewy and yummy with the perfect amount of filling. The booklet notes there are 5 flavors: pear, raspberry, grapefruit, apple, and strawberry. My kids LOVED these!!
Golden Chips Aspic (Meat Jelly) & Horseradish
The next item in the box was this rectangular box of Golden potato crisps. These are a savory chip that reminds me of a meat flavored pringle. I would have felt a lot better about these if they didn’t have “meat jelly” in the label - that just doesn’t sound appetizing to me. I did try them and they were salty, meaty, and pretty tasty. They do smell a lot like cold roast beef!
Shou’de Dark Chocolate with Candied Fruits
Look at this beautiful dark chocolate candy bar! I don’t think I have ever seen a chocolate bar that is so pretty! They use a 70% cocoa blend, and it is sprinkled with dried oranges, lemons, and raspberries. The lemon and orange rinds are a pretty good size, so it is slightly bitter, but the flavor goes with the chocolate so well I found myself going back for more!
Salute Ham and Mustard Puffs
This next snack is an interesting one. These little tater-tot looking puffs have the consistency of puffcorn, but with a ham and mustard flavor. I am all about puffcorn, but I wasn’t a fan of this flavor combo. Cheddar would have been a better flavor for me!
Creamy Deluxe Toffee Squares
I love toffee, and these squares are delicious. I did notice this toffee has a slight sugary texture and didn’t pull apart like other toffees I have tasted. They are very good, and our family enjoyed them.
Shoud’e Cinnamon Caramel Chocolate - Milk chocolate with cinnamon caramel filling
This is an interesting combination I have never had before. It is a milk chocolate bar filled with cinnamon and caramel filling. It reminded me of a carmello with added cinnamon. It was very good and unique!
Veal & Adjika Potato Boom - Roast veal and adjika flavored crisps (Does not contain meat)
When you open the package of these you get hit with a cold roast beef sandwich scent. These crispy fry-like potatoes are crunchy with a savory meat flavor. I didn’t care for these, but my husband liked them!
Caramelized Peanuts with Puffed Rice Bar
This was the only item that wasn’t in the booklet. I’m not sure if I accidentally received it, or if they just forgot to put it in the guide. It is a delicious mix of puffed rice with caramelized peanuts. It tastes similar to my grandma's peanut brittle, and I am in love! I definitely would like to eat more of this!
Potato and Onion Potato Boom - Potato and onion flavored crisps
These crisps had a very strong onion flavor to them! They were like an extra crunchy onion french fry. They were very tasty and I enjoyed these a lot more than the meat jelly flavored package we received!
Dill & Sour Cream Golden Chips - Potato crisps with dill and sour cream
These chips are very thin and crunchy, like a Pringle, but with a slight dill and sour cream flavor. These were really tasty. I liked this flavor much more than the meat jelly flavor, and will have to hide them from my husband!
Slasti Curd Waffles - Wafers with chocolate and cheese
Yummy! I love wafers, but these take the ones I’ve had to another level! They are chocolatey with a slight cream cheese flavor. And look at the beautiful layers- more filling for more deliciousness! This is one of my favorites of the box!
Roshen Creme Brulee Milk Chocolate Bar - Buy a box of 30 bars for $34.95
This bar was soooo good! These little squares were perfectly creamy and smooth with a gooey creme brulee filling. Definitely my favorite item in the box! I wish there would have been more!
The Verdict: Universal Yums is an awesome box. While I didn’t love every snack, it was so much fun to read about Ukraine, learn about a new culture, and try authentic snack foods that I cannot pronounce! My family had so much fun with this! We can’t wait to see where the next box will come from!
Score card picks:
- Best Yum: Roshen Creme Brulee Chocolate
- Runner-up: Slasti Curd Waffles
- Worst Yum: Veal & Adjika Potato Boom
- Most Unusual: Salute Ham & Mustard Puffs
To Wrap Up:
Can I still get this box if I sign up today? No. Each month they ship your box no later than the 15th day of the month. The first month you will receive a box varies based on availability and may depend on the size that you order.
Value Breakdown: This box is $25.00 a month (including shipping). I received 23 individual snacks, which averages out to $1.09 per item.
Check out all of our Universal Yums reviews and find similar boxes in the Snack Subscription Box Directory!
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