Universal Yums is a snack subscription box that sends out snacks and candies from a different country each month. The contents of the boxes change each month as they highlight the best snacks from each featured country, but you can always expect a mix of flavors: salty, sweet, spicy, fruity, and more. Only authentic snacks from the featured country are included in this box. Choose from the Yum Box for $16.00 per month, the Yum Yum Box for $27.00 per month, or the Super Yum Box for $41.00 per month. In addition to monthly subscriptions, the Yum Shop offers Limited-Edition type boxes every so often as a one-time purchase. Just in time for April Fool's Day, a Yum or Yuck Tasting Game has become available in family size for $24.00, or party size for $39.00.
This review is of the Yum or Yuck Tasting Game (Family Size), which is a single box available for $24.00.
Note: Orders for this Universal Yums box need to be placed by 3/22 in order to guarantee arrival for April Fool's Day!
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
When it comes to subscription boxes, I have to say Universal Yums is one my monthly favorites. Getting to share the experience of trying snacks from all over the world while learning random trivia is honestly one of my favorite ways to spend an evening with my family. That being said, when I heard a game of "Yum or Yuck" was up for grabs in the Yum Shop, I just couldn't resist. Packaged in a black and white square box, the boys and I couldn't wait to dig in and play this tasty (or not so tasty) game!
What's Inside The Box
Scoreboard
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In the monthly box, we receive an illustrated map showing where our Yums are coming from. Because this is a game, with treats from all over the world, we instead received a scoreboard listing all of the included snacks, instructions for each game mode, and social media info to share your game faces.
Rule Book
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Along with the scoreboard, we also received a rule book. With three different ways to play, you choose how you will proceed and head to the designated page for full instructions. We opted for the "Yum (and Yucks) for All" version but found the Minority Rules and Trivia Challenge games to look fun as well. Not only does this rule book give you instructions on how to play, but it also gives you summaries about each of the treats, where they came from, and nutrition facts. Finally, the back page has a fun "What Yum are You?" game, where you use your first initial, last initial and birth month to come up with what kind of "Yum" you are. I was Chocolatey Almond Chips, Dustin was Caramelly Almond Toffees, Hank was Spiced Almond Fudge, and Charlie was Peachy Almond Toffee. We voted we were all "Yums!" Too funny!
Spinner
Our last game piece, besides the treats of course, was this multi-colored cardboard spinner. I have to say, the quality is fantastic, being similar to most actual game board spinners, though the arrow itself could use a little WD-40 to get it whipping a little faster.
Play
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Now on to the exciting stuff - how to play! Because we chose "Yum (and Yucks) for All!" we followed page 4 in the rule book. Drawing lines down our scoreboard, we wrote each of our names at the top. Because I was player 1, I spun the spinner and landed on Sweden, then read the candy's flavor description from the rule book. Each player then guessed whether the Chocolately Cookie Dough Balls would be a "Yum" or a "Yuck". The game ended after all eight candies had been eaten. Whoever had the most "Yums" on their scorecard won - hooray for mom! A really neat concept and fun way to divulge in a delicious box.
Spoiler Alert! - Below are descriptions of each snack in this box - if you are purchasing this box and want to be surprised, you may want to scroll past.
Hot Chili Fruit Gummies - Buy a pack of 2 for $6.00
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I like a little spice in my life and find the pairing of fruit and chili pretty tasty. That is definitely a must if you put "Yum" down for these hot fruit gummies. A round, sticky gummy flavored with orange, mango, peach, and pineapple would be fantastic on their own, but are taken to the next level with the infusion of real chili. I happened to love these little candies from Pakistan, while my little boys ran to the garbage to spit them out, and my husband wrinkled up his nose. Interesting start to an entertaining game!
Salty Licorice Candies - Buy a pack of 2 for $8.80
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Mama isn't a fan of licorice in the first place, so salty licorice just didn't sound appetizing to me in the slightest. Add that to the fact that it's a hard candy and I said "Yuck". Being the brave gal I am, I tried it before all of the rest of my family did (they were a little gun shy after the hot chili gummies) and I have to say I tried my darndest to finish this one out just to see my kids' faces trying it for themselves, but I just couldn't do it. I spit this despicable treat out ASAP - bleh! Super salty and just plain weird I can't even describe the taste, but we all decided The Netherlands can keep this one.
Milk Chocolate with Strawberry Pop Rocks - Buy a since pack for $6.40
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Now here is a treat we all know and love. Having received these Italian milk chocolate truffles with strawberry pop rocks in the past, all of us agreed this would be a "Yum" and our memories stood strong. Chocolatey and smooth, with the surprising addition of strawberry pop rocks, all of the flavors meld well together and make for a fun, tasty treat. We were all very thankful for the large package as these were one of our faves!
Bergamot Orange Jelly Candies - Buy a pack of 3 for $6.00
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Charlie was so excited for these bergamot orange jelly candies; he was literally jumping for joy when he landed on Greece to tear into one. To his disappointment, they were no where near what he was expecting, finding a sort of floral and sour flavor instead of a traditional orange one. While I thought they were edible, Charlie ran to the trash can to spit it out, almost gagging on his way there. Hank wouldn't try it because Charlie scared him off, and Dustin took a small nibble of mine and said "nope!" It has been a rough game up to this point!
Fruit Juice Filled Caramel Toffees - Buy a pack of 2 for $6.50
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Another item we were familiar with were these Ukrainian fruit juice filled caramel toffees. Thankfully everyone agreed this one was a "Yum" and enjoyed the variety of flavors. My favorite was strawberry, and of course we only received one. The kids liked the blueberry version, and found the caramel to be extra smooth, spiked with that extra sweetness of fruit juice. Plus, how cute are the monkeys on the packaging?
Chocolatey Cookie Dough Balls - Buy a pack of 2 for $7.80
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Though I am not Swedish, I have discovered they know their candies after tasting these delicious chocolatey cookie dough balls! These truffles are absolutely decadent, taking what seems to be a traditional chocolate chip cookie dough recipe and adding just a hint of cinnamon, then dipping in more chocolate. I was such a fan of the warmth this truffle brought to my palate, and my kids and husband agreed. The only complaint we could think of was that we only received six candies.
Polish Milk Fudge - Buy a pack of 3 for $6.00
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Heading over to Poland, we were all delighted to try the Polish milk fudge. Being known as Poland's fluffiest, creamiest fudge ever, of course we all voted "Yum" on our scorecard! Though I found these really tasty, I did notice they were a little crumblier than I would have predicted. Wrapped in an adorable cow printed papers, these not only look the part, but have the taste factor too. We all agreed these were keepers!
Orange Delight Fudge - Buy a pack of 2 for $8.50
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The last country we landed on was The United Kingdom, and everyone but me said this was going to be a "Yuck". Lo and behold I was correct in saying "Yum" as all of us enjoyed the creamsicle like flavor, reminding my husband and I of the old Schwan's push-pops. Creamy, chewy, and the perfect amount of orange, we were all happy to have a few extras to add to our stash of after-dinner goodies!
The Verdict
Like I said above, Universal Yums is one of our all-time favorite subscription boxes. "Visiting" new countries from the comfort of our own home via food is one of the highlights of our month, so when we discovered this one-time purchase game set, we just couldn't wait to get our hands on it. The curation was definitely interesting, and while we were familiar with a few of the candies, some of them were brand new to us. We enjoyed the vast number of flavors this box was filled with, and though not all of them were hits, it was hilarious to see the faces of the kids when they found a candy they didn't like. As much as we enjoy our monthly subscription, we hope to see more boxes like this in the future, just to keep things extra interesting!
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To Wrap Up
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, the Yum or Yuck Tasting Game is still available in family and party size.
Note: Orders for this Universal Yums box need to be placed by 3/22 in order to guarantee arrival for April Fool's Day!
Value Breakdown: This box is $24.00 (including shipping). We received 8 bags of candy, which equals out to be $3.00 a bag.
Which Universal Yums snack would you most like to try?
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