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 $17.00 per month, the Yum Yum Box for $29.00 per month, or the Super Yum Box for $45.00 per month.
This review is of the Yum Yum box, which is $29.00 per month.
Author's Note: I did notice a price hike this month....I'm not sure when this occurred, but this particular box did go up $2.00.
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
March was a rough month. After a quick count, my family was sick more than 25 days out of the month, leaving less than a week without illness, so this Israel Universal Yums box couldn't have come at a more opportune time. After losing our taste, having stomach issues, not leaving the house in weeks, and just feeling like garbage, we all were excited to rip open this box and enjoy the goods. Read below to see what we thought of this month's treats.
What's Inside The Box
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Every month we receive a fun, illustrated map that shows where our Yums are coming from. This month, our brightly colored map depicts Israel with a variety of trivia. The backside hosts the usual Yum Scoreboard and scavenger hunt. Also included in this box is a lovely pamphlet that guides you through each country via trivia, recipes, photography, and activities, along with a cool sticker. Not only is this box tasty, but it's educational as well!
Bissli Falafel Sticks - Buy a pack of 3 for $4.20
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I have to be honest here, these little wheat snacks were garlicky and oniony in the absolute best ways. I thought dipped in a little almond bark, these would make some really cute Easter desserts in the shape of a bird's nest with the little Robin Egg candies in them, but my son went in a little bit different direction and mentioned they looked a bit like mealworms. Either way, these crunchy delights were tasty and unique!
TikTuk Chili Lemon Hot & Sour Corn Snacks - Buy a pack of 4 for $5.20
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Looking sort of like a naked Cheeto, these hot and sour corn puffs were actually quite tasty. Though I feel they might be more appetizing described as "sweet and sour" flavored, we didn't feel the spice factor was too hot to handle, and the slight hint of lemon was both delish and unique. Both kids and I thought these were yummy little puffs and ended up splitting the remainders into baggies for their school snacks.
Pesek Zman Milk & White Chocolate Caramel Wafer - Buy a pack of 2 for $4.60
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When I hear the words caramel, white chocolate, milk chocolate, wafer, and milk cream, you can bet I will be the first in line to eat the said treat. Pairing fabulously with a glass of milk, this decadent bar is everything you could ever want in a candy... plus more! Partitioned off into 4 squares, I had a really hard time sharing this one in the kids, but they too appreciated the deliciousness of this particular bar.
Honey Mustard & Onion Pretzel Bites - Buy a pack of 2 for $5.00
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You know how some people are addicted to ketchup and put it on everything? Well, I happen to hate ketchup, but have that feeling towards honey mustard. From salads, to burgers, to any sort of potato, honey mustard is my condiment, so obviously I liked these smash pretzels. Firm, crunchy, and sweetly mustardy, these little smashed bits had me going back for more. Infused with onion, I really enjoyed the well-rounded flavor of these treats, and though good on their own, would have made for epic croutons on a chicken salad!
Strawberry & Vanilla Marshmallows - Buy a pack of 3 for $4.50
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When Charlie caught a glimpse of these strawberry and vanilla marshmallows, he couldn’t wait for our tour of Israel to close in on Rishon LeZion (where these treats originated from), just so he could try them. Soft, sweet, and gooey, we enjoyed the sweet strawberry flavor a lot as it was a bit more unique than the vanilla flavoring. We did set a few aside to try a strawberry marshmallow s'more... though I'm not sure how I feel about that combo...thoughts?
Grape Toffee Sticks - Buy a single pack of 50 for $10.80
Strikingly similar to a grape Laffy Taffy, I didn’t really get a toffee feel from these Tootsie Roll shaped candies. Sweet and sugary, they were decent, but nothing to really write home about. What did you think about these grape toffee sticks?
Strawberry Banana Swirl Soft Candies - Buy a single pack of 98 for $36.40
These strawberry banana swirl soft candies were the prettiest items in the box. Donning an almost translucent sheen, these red and yellow candies have a perfect swirl with a delicate dusting of large granule sugar. Almost too pretty to eat, these candies are soft, chewy, and very, very sweet. While I picked up more of a passionfruit type flavoring than strawberry and banana, my entire family enjoyed these pretty little candies.
Manamim Lemon Creme Wafers - Buy a pack of 2 for $6.60
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If you have read any of my previous reviews, you know I am a sucker for wafer cookies, probably because they were a staple in my late grandma's house. This particular package was of good size and the wafers themselves were pretty darn good. Not overly lemony, but just enough to keep the vanilla wafer interesting. These went over well in our household, and left me wanting more.
Elite Milk Chocolate Bar with Popping Candies - Buy a pack of 2 for $7.00
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Pop Rocks were hugely popular when I was growing up, so I couldn’t wait to give this giant milk chocolate candy bar with popping candies a whirl. Incredibly, the popping starts happening as soon as this chocolate hits your mouth. Sweet, creamy, and fun, my kids were obsessed with this bar and were wishing for more.
Bamba Peanut Puffs - Buy a pack of 2 for $4.60
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Typically, I love peanut butter- like "I have my own special jar to dip my spoon in" kind of love. Seeing the packaging for these puffs had me craving those Captain Crunch Peanut Butter cereal balls, so I was excited to bust them open. While crunchy, yet melt in your mouth, I found the peanut butter to be a little too salty and not quite sweet enough. A little disappointing, but not so terrible that my family didn’t finish off the bag. Maybe these would be tastier mixed with some chocolate chips in a trail mix type snack?
Salted Corn Cones - Buy a pack of 4 for $5.20
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Seeing this little package of Bugle-type corn snacks reminded me of my youth when I would pretend these were my “fancy” fingernails. Preferring the typical cheesy flavor, I found this lightly salted Israelian version bland for my liking. Pretty much tasting like a plain wheat snack, I was left unimpressed- also because there were only like 10 triangles in that big bag!
The Verdict
This month we felt Universal Yums was pretty solid. With a wide variety of different sweet and salty snacks, we thought the curation was well rounded and included some different and fun snacks. Though a couple of the treats weren't as tasty as we had hoped, it was fun to give new flavors and textures a go. Paired with the pamphlet, playlist, and trivia, our family had a great time traveling through Israel via the snack route, adding a much-needed level of excitement to our germ-filled month! Where do you think we will be headed in April? Any guesses?
Scorecard Picks:
- Favorite: Pesek Zman Milk & White Chocolate Caramel Wafer
- Runner-up: Elite Milk Chocolate Bar with Popping Candies
- Worst Yum: Salted Corn Cones
- Most Unusual: Bissli Falafel Sticks
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Sign up now and choose to start with either the Israel, France, Scandinavia, or Russia box.
Value Breakdown: This box is $29.00 per month (including shipping). I received 17 individually wrapped snacks which average out to $1.70 per item.
Which Universal Yums snack would you most like to try?
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