Superlatives for the Latest Universal Yums Indonesia Box

Image via Universal Yums Facebook Page

I love a theme party that incorporates fun food. I've had a Dolly Parton Appreciation party (fried chicken and Armadillo cake were on the menu). I even have a yearly Halloween "sleepover" that involves grilled cheese and taco soup (it's delicious, just trust me). So, with the spirit of being social and my Universal Yums box arriving just in time, I decided to enlist the help of some neighbors to hold a snack tasting gathering, poolside.

If you're not already familiar with Universal Yums, it's a subscription-based snack box that quite literally takes you around the world. Depending on your hunger level, you can choose the size of the box (starting at $15), and every month you get to travel to a new destination via candy and yummy treats. This month's country happened to be Indonesia.

The Loot

Opening the decorative blue and white box felt reminiscent of a toy treasure chest.  You know the kind that held rings and stickers at the dentist's office?  I love nostalgic touches.

Inside we found a detailed booklet on the history of Indonesia, snack descriptions and nutrition, a map highlighting some fun facts, even a snack-rating sheet (which my friends and I were VERY into). It's the little things that make me happy.

Snacks Superlatives

We decided to take the rating of these snacks very seriously. Similar to an Oscar viewing party (where things can get heated), we put on our discerning taste tester hats and debated which snacks were worth a reorder.

Here are the top five picks from our Indonesian tour:

1. Most Likely Not to Share: White Chocolate and Coconut Wafer

This was a resounding "why aren't there more?" To me, coconut and white chocolate are an iconic duo, much like PB&J. Interestingly enough, two of my neighbors (who happen to be a couple) aren't fond of either ingredient, but loved these. The consistency was what everyone raved about. Melt in your mouth but with a slightly addictive crunch (softer than Kit-Kat).

2. Most Likely to Binge: Sugar Coated Coffee Cookies

I'd describe these as a more friendly biscotti. Very light, delicate, and dangerously easy to consume. Some of my neighbors (not naming names) said it paired well with their rose wine.  That's debatable, but I will say that these were a delicious addition to my hot chocolate the next morning. The coffee flavoring is light, and the crystallized sugar is certainly sweet but not overbearing.

3. The Biggest Surprise Hit: Banana and Coca

This snack got the most skepticism from everyone (but me, of course). Apparently, bananas or banana flavoring is controversial; who knew? After some coaxing, everyone tried one, and then another. Now, you can certainly taste the banana, but that didn't seem to bother the earlier naysayers.

4. Most Likely to Replace Your Regular Cheese Puffs  BBQ Satay Corn Puff Balls

I was iffy about this consistency at first (it felt a little more rigid than a traditional puff), but I enjoyed the BBQ flavoring once I got used to the crunch. Some of the taste-testers said they thought they'd only want a few of anything BBQ flavored but were proven wrong when there was complaining about the bag being too small. Also, no unsightly cheese fingers, so win-win.

5. Best Movie Snack: Indonesia Peach Ring Gummies

I've often had a love/hate relationship with Sour Patch Kids. I love their chew and tart qualities, but hate what they do to the roof of my mouth. These peach gummies are slightly tart but still have a chewy consistency (maybe even slightly softer than traditional chews). There was also a resounding agreement to them not destroying the roof of your mouth either.

Overall Consensus

Normally my group of taste-testers wouldn't gravitate towards a snack subscription; we all tend to stick to our old faithfuls, but making it a social-distanced gathering where we could rate new snacks made it fun. This month's subscription to Universal Yumsshowed us that we need to branch out a little, and honestly, we'd reorder our top fives again.

This is also the perfect time of year to try out a subscription like this since we are approaching Halloween and the holidays (this is also a great novelty gift for a kiddo in your life as well!). As mentioned before, each month a new country is featured, you can pause, skip or cancel your subscription at any point.