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 starting at $16.00 per month, the Yum Yum Box starting at $26.00 per month, or the Super Yum Box starting at $41.00 per month (with an annual commitment).
This review is of the Yum Yum box.
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
The days are finally getting longer, and the temperatures are unseasonably warm, which makes it seem like spring is on its way! Jumping into February, I am filled with a renewed mindset and good thoughts. To top off my positive mood, I found the Universal Yums box sitting on my doorstep. Because there isn't enough snow for sledding or snowmobiling, the kids and I found checking out this box to be the perfect end to our Sunday afternoon. Not only were the treats delicious, but the pamphlet is educational too! Read below to find out what we discovered this month.
What's Inside the Box
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With every month of Universal Yums, we receive a fun, illustrated map that shows where our Yums are coming from. This month, our brightly colored map depicts France 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. Not only is this box tasty, but it's educational as well!
Pure Butter Sables
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The last time Universal Yums headed to France was in 2022, and we received a cookie very similar to this one. Light, buttery, and sweet, these shortbread biscuits are fantastic with a glass of cold milk. Created by rubbing cold butter into flour and sugar to form tiny particles of dough, these cookies are just about perfect. Lovely in design with crimped edges and embossed tops, these look really pretty on a cookie platter, though they are so tasty, I doubt they will make it that far!
Goat Cheese & Espelette Chili Potato Chips
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Chips are a staple in our home, so the kids were really excited to try these goat cheese and chili ones. With ripples, these crunchy chips are cheesy in flavor, with a tiny bit of heat. A little more sharp in flavor than my kids are accustomed to in a chip, they liked these, but not as much as their traditional Lay's. Coupled with a little Top the Tator, my husband was a huge fan, and was a little disappointed not to see these available in the Yum Shop.
Strawberry Chews - Buy a pack of 3 for $7.10
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Through this subscription, we've experienced a vast array of bonbons, and these ones are definitely a contender for our most favorite ever. With a sweet, chewy, tart strawberry flavor, these candies remind me of a sophisticated Starburst. With a powdery coating, these sweet candies are hard to resist and had the kids (and my husband) coming back for more!
Raspberry Roll Cake - Buy a single pack for $4.60
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The next item we received was a cake roll with raspberry filling. I tend to find pre-packaged cakes a little on the dry side, but this was not an issue with this particular version. With a perfect swirl of jelly, these light cake had a bit of a vanilla flavor, followed by a healthy dose of raspberry. Sweet and fluffy, this treat is typically eaten for breakfast in France, but made for a wonderful afternoon treat for our family. Yum!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles - Buy a pack of 2 for $4.60
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As I've gotten older, I have gained an appreciation for dark chocolate that I didn't have in my 20s. My kids took one look at these truffles and didn't want them, while I couldn't wait to eat one! Filled with bits of chocolate chip cookies, these truffles are rich and chewy with the best bit of crunch. Dusted in cocoa powder, these do have a slight bitter flavor, but it is well rounded out with the inclusion of the chocolate chip cookie bites. Overall, these were very tasty truffles that I was happy to have all to myself!
Fleur De Sel Caramels
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Seeing these plastic packaged caramels brought me back to my childhood days of the square caramels my mom would buy us from the grocery store. We would use them to make our own caramel for dipping apples, and it was a great memory! Because we only received 4 of these caramels, I couldn't melt them down for apples, but by themselves they were amazing. Featuring a buttery, smooth texture, these caramels were far from grainy and were utterly delicious. Each member of our family received one of these bad boys, and that just wasn't enough.
Popcorn Truffles - Buy a pack of 2 for $2.70
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While we hadn't experienced the chocolate chip cookie truffles before, we do have experience with this popcorn version. Again, smothered in cocoa dust, these bitter truffles are not only chewy and rich, but tasty in flavor. Featuring small pieces of popcorn, these truffles have a wonderful salty aspect that keeps you going back for more. Again, my kiddos aren't a fan of this mature flavor, but I sure am! Yum!
Sour Cherry Hard Candies - Buy a pack of 2 for $4.80
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After having such good luck with the strawberry bon bons, we were all excited to try these Sour Cherry Hard Candies. When I read "sour" my brain was thinking more along the lines of "tart". That is not the case - these are SOUR!!!! Like Warhead sour!! Maybe it was because I ate a strawberry chew right before, but holy moly did my face contort itself into some wild poses! After seeing my reaction, Charlie was too scared to try one, but Hank ate two and didn't have any problems. Must be an old person thing! Ekkk!
47% Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt - Buy a pack of 2 for $6.50
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With Valentine's Day fast approaching, I was curious to see if we would receive a fancy chocolate bar or not. Lo and behold one arrived and this version is 47% Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt. Rich and bitter in flavor, this dark chocolate is warm and earthy, with a slight salty accent. Again, because the boys find these kind of treats a little too mature for their palette, they steered clear, but my husband and I both really liked this inclusion.
Garlic Aioli Potato Chips
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The last item we received was this medium sized bag of garlic aioli potato chips. Like I mentioned before, we love chips at our house, but this package was a little too flavorful. When we opened the bag, we were greeted by a strong garlic odor. Now I love garlic, but after one taste of chip, I could almost feel the scent of garlic steaming out of my pores! While not bad in flavor, they were just a little too strong. What did you think of this flavor?
The Verdict
Universal Yums is one of our very favorite subscriptions. Our family looks forward to receiving this box each and every month, and are always surprised by the contents. Featuring a host of sweet and savory snacks from different countries, this French box was fun and delicious! Tasty and educational, this box is full of fun! We can't wait to see where we are headed in March! Any ideas?
Scorecard Picks:
- Favorite: Strawberry Chews
- Runner-Up: Fleur de Sel Caramels
- Worst Yum: Garlic Aioli Potato Chips
- Most Unusual: Sour Cherry Hard Candies
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? Yes, as of this review's publication, if you sign up now you can choose to receive the Poland, Spain, South Korea, or France box.
Value Breakdown: This box is $26.00 per month (including shipping). I received 16 individually wrapped snacks which average out to $1.62 per item.
Which Universal Yums snack would you most like to try?
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