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 $15 a month, the Yum Yum Box for $25 a month, or the Super Yum Box for $39 a month.
This review is of the Yum Yum Box, which is $25 a month.
This month’s box takes us to Colombia!
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 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 “Colombia” June 2019 Review
Like I have said in previous reviews, I am not much of a traveler, so Universal Yums has been the perfect way for me and my family to experience different cultures, and learn about different countries, all from the comfort of our own home!
When you first open this box, you are welcomed with a beautiful, colorful map of Colombia with facts, clip art, and information pertaining to some of the items in the box. On the back, they include a ballot for “The Official Yum Awards.” On this chart, you are able to rank each snack and post your results on your social media page by tagging @universalyums to win more of your favorite snacks! I like that they also include a secret puzzle to decipher, as well as a Colombian game to play! They really pull out all the stops with this box!
Next, we have a detailed pamphlet including all of this month’s snacks, ingredient lists, fun trivia, a recipe, and a clue to next month’s box!
Let’s experience Colombia!
Turbana Garlic Plantain Chips
I have to admit, I have never tried a plantain, but was delightfully surprised with how tasty these garlic flavored chips were! They look slightly like dehydrated bananas (FYI a banana and plantain are VERY different; bananas can be eaten raw, while plantain must be cooked for they are far too bitter to be eaten uncooked.) I would never have thought about them as chips, or to pair them with garlic for that matter, but they were crunchy and delicious! While I see they can be purchased in many stores in the US, I couldn’t find this particular variety online. I did find the sweet version here for purchase. A 7 oz bag is $2.99. (We received a 1.05 oz package.)
Bianchi Bar with Carmelo and Mani
All I have to say is thank you Universal Yums for sending 2 of these delicious treats! These chocolate-coated caramel and peanut wafer bars are amazing! My son and I taste tested these together and I always let him have the first taste; I barely got a crumb of this one because he devoured it so fast!
Rizadas Mayonesas
Honestly, I am more of a Miracle Whip gal, but I must say these mayonnaise flavored potato chips were a hit in our house! I loved the fact that they were ripple chips, with a great crunch, and a surprisingly tangy mayo flavoring! We found ourselves reaching for more and more of these chips until they were gone! I would definitely be happy to receive these again!
Trululu Chocolores
I love gummy candy, pastels, and white chocolate, but I would never have thought to incorporate them all into one! The pamphlet states that these candies are used to celebrate a quinceañera (a girls 15th birthday) and I can definitely see why! These beautiful candies are delicious and just fun to look at! These definitely didn’t taste like anything I have ever eaten before, but my son and I enjoyed them! I did notice the pamphlet does state that excess consumption may have a laxative effect, so beware!
Maxcoco - Buy 2 packs of 3 each for $16.99
Another hit for my family were these coconut cream filled wafers. My grandma always had the traditional pink, brown, and yellow wafers on hand for visits, but these coconut wafers were next level! They are perfectly crispy, with a light chocolate and coconut flavor in each bite.
Tocineta Limon
I didn’t realize that Universal Yums has visited Colombia in the past (2015, 2017, and 2019). And it looks like each time they have included these bacon and lime flavored chips. The pamphlet also stated that every time they have been voted the “Top Yum!” I found these chips very interesting, and my son and I really enjoyed them. Hank really loved that they looked like little bacon pieces! The lime and bacon ratio was just perfect too!
Galletas Maduritas
These sweet little plantain cookies were really a tasty dessert after the savory plantain chips! It really shows how versatile plantains can be! We found these cookies to taste similar to graham crackers, and my kids gobbled them up! (They also really enjoyed the monkey astronaut clip art on the packaging!)
Tosti Arepa
I lllloooovvveee these cheese and butter flavored corn tortilla chips! I didn’t notice the cheese flavor as much as the butter flavor, but these were tasty! They have the perfect crunch with an almost movie theatre popcorn butter flavor! Delish!
La Nina Papitas Limon
Holy smokes do these pack a lime punch! These lime-flavored potato chips are perfectly crunchy and salty, but are a little too “limey” for my liking. My son said they should have put 2 scoops of lime flavoring in the bag. I asked him how many scoops of flavoring he thought they added and he said “over 50!” It was nice to receive such a large bag, (70 grams) I just wish we liked them more!
Trululu Gomitas Fresitas - Retail Value $1.06
We usually follow the order of the pamphlet when trying our treats, so my son was disappointed these gummies were so far in the book because he wanted to eat them right away! When we finally got to them, he could hardly wait! These strawberry and cream gummies are coated in sugar and purely delicious! We were happy to see the package was large enough to share!
Caja de Dulces Surtidos
I must say, this little box of specialty candy was what I was looking forward to trying most! It included milk caramel, coffee, guava, panela, orange, and coconut candies. I noticed all of these candies were VERY sweet- and have a slightly granular texture. My favorite was actually the coffee candy, while my son didn’t enjoy any of them. I tried finding these online, but couldn’t locate the exact assortment. A slightly different assortment can be found here for $8.59.
Passionfruit Bon Bon Bum - Buy a pack of 24 for $9.59
We really enjoyed these passion fruit lollipops! Not only do they have a varying color/texture pattern throughout the sucker, but they also are filled with bubblegum! These were really sweet and delicious- a definite hit in our house!
Supercoco Tirudito
If you are a fan of coconut, you will be a fan of these! These long, chewy coconut candies start with a hard texture that slowly becomes soft. I found these to be really delicious and very addicting! I just love the roasted coconut and caramel flavor! I was going to save one for my dad to try, and well, that didn’t happen!
Cafe Gurme
I am not the biggest coffee fan, but these coffee-flavored chews were pretty darn good! These soft chews melt in your mouth and have the perfectly balanced coffee flavor to be a tasty treat for even a non-coffee drinker!
The Verdict: We really enjoyed this month’s Universal Yums box! I can’t say enough about how well of a job they do curating this box. Between the pamphlet, the map, and the actual snacks, everything is tied together so well creating an entire experience for my non-traveling family! And although we didn’t love every snack, it is fun to try all these different items. We can’t wait to see where next month’s box will come from; the clue involves noodles, melons, and tamarind rinds!
Scorecard picks:
Best Yum: Bianchi Bar
Runner-up: Trululu Gomitas Fresitas
Worst Yum: La Nina Papitas Limon
Most Unusual: Tocineta Limon
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 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 29 individually wrapped snacks, which averages out to $0.86 per item.
Check out all of our Universal Yums reviews and the best snack subscription boxes!
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