UmaiBox is a Japan-based monthly box from NihonBox that is filled with the best treats from JAPAN! Each box includes 13-18 items of the best snacks and products from Japan plus a Gachapon to collect each month. Bonus items are placed in boxes at random!
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.)
The Subscription Box: UmaiBox
The Cost: $21.49 a month + $8.90 shipping
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $2 off your first box!
CODE: ILOVEUMAIBOX
The Products: 13-18 snacks + a Gachapon
Ships to: Internationally
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There is an info booklet included each month. Inside you will find a list of each item featured in the October box with a little description so you know more about each item! The back also tells you how you can purchase the NihonBox.
Onto the snacks!
Caramel Corn - Pumpkin Pudding - Retail Value $2.75
This is a limited edition Halloween flavor of the original Caramel Corn! The booklet notes that, to get that delicious pumpkin pudding flavor, the manufacturer adds a mixture of pumpkin, eggs, and condensed milk to their original recipe. Each corn puff is fluffy and crunchy, and the pumpkin pudding flavor makes this extra sweet. A very addicting snack that is perfect for this time of year!
Mini Poteko - Pumpkin Soup x 2 - Buy a pack of 4 for $3.60
These snacks are famous for their ring shape, according to the booklet. The flavor is another special edition for the Fall, but I wasn't able to find this type of packaging or size anywhere online. I wonder if that is a special edition as well? Overall, I didn't get a strong pumpkin soup flavor from this, just light hints here and there of pumpkin with some saltiness. A really simple and crunchy snack that I gobbled down very quickly!
Kit Kat - Caramel Pudding x 2 - Buy a 13 piece bag for $10
This is my kind of Kit Kat bar! The white chocolate coating is flavored with pudding, and the inside wafer is flavored with a caramel powder. This candy bar is sweet and creamy with a strong caramel flavor. A delicious and unique twist on an original candy!
Yuki no Yado - Pumpkin Pudding - Retail Value $6.99
I wasn't able to find the pumpkin pudding flavor for this snack, but the booklet notes that this is another special edition flavor for the season. This snack is a sweet and savory sembei that has been around for 40 years in Japan! The sembei itself is very light and airy which allows it to basically melt in your mouth. The pumpkin pudding coating didn't really have much flavor to it, unfortunately. While I enjoyed the texture of this snack, there wasn't too much flavor that made me want to dig in the bag for more.
Akabe Gum - Buy a 20 piece box for $16.65
This little piece of gum is cola flavored, but the real kicker is that it is meant to turn your tongue bright red! After chewing for a while, I checked the mirror to find that my tongue did turn the same color as the piece of gum. The treat itself did have a strong cola flavor that was delicious!
Chewing Gum - Spooky Tattoo - Estimated Value $2.00?
This is a fun little packet that would be great to give out as a treat for older kids! The temporary tattoo set comes with up to 20 spooky wounds that you can apply to scare your friends. The packet only came with one piece of gum that didn't have too much flavor, but the spooky tattoos are going to be so fun to use! I wasn't able to find this item online for purchase, but did a price estimate based on what all you receive in the packet.
Puchi - Nori-Wasabi - Retail Value $2.00
These little chips are flavored with seaweed and wasabi! The texture and flavors of this chip reminded me a lot of Pringles. They were crunchy and oh so delicious! While this is flavored with wasabi, I wouldn't say that it was an overly spicy snack, which can happen when using wasabi.
Chocolate Kapuccho Doraemon - Estimated Value $2.29? (value based on similar product)
This was hands down my favorite snack from this month's box! A very simple treat of a chocolate covered corn puff, so light and airy. The outer layer of chocolate is so thin, it makes this container very easy to finish in one sitting. As a bonus, you will find a sticker with Doraemon, a very famous blue cat in Japan.
Sour Seaweed - Buy a 1.76 oz. bag of dried seaweed for $3.95
While I wasn't able to find this snack anywhere to purchase, I did come across a lot of bags of dried seaweed that look really delicious! I was very anxious to try this unique snack. However, when I opened the bag I was hit with a very strong vinegar smell that was a little too overwhelming for me. The seaweed itself was chewy, so not like a crispy dried piece, which made it hard to get a piece off easily. The sour flavors are very strong, in a good way, but just felt like a strange mixture with the seaweed. I am always excited to try unique snacks, but this one had a bit too many flavors going on for me.
Habanero - Salami - Retail Value $1.22
According to the booklet, this is the last Habanero series chip available in Japan. What a treat! Another fun fact is that these are a spice level 6, but the normal flavor is only a level 5. If you notice in the detailed images, you can see pieces of black pepper which I think really add to the layers of spice in this chip. I do love all things spicy so I didn't find this to be overly hot, but I would say to eat with caution if you do not like spice. The chip itself was flat and crunchy with a really nice salami flavor. This was my second favorite snack of the month!
Ramen Kitakata
I wasn't able to find this ramen flavor to purchase online, which makes me so sad because I loved this bowl so much! According to the booklet, the broth is a soy sauce base and the noodles are flat and curly which makes this Kitakata ramen one of the top three most famous in Japan! The broth was very rich with a thick soy flavor that was perfect to enjoy on a cold day. The noodles soaked up all of that yummy broth making them so fluffy and creamy. I have never received a ramen bowl in a UmaiBox before so this was absolutely a nice surprise!
NeruNeru Wizard - Apple - Value $4.64 USD
This little candy DIY kit was really fun to make and even came with its own measuring spoon to help you make your wizard potion! Basically, all of the packets are used to make the candy batter so you will see it rise and fizz as you continue adding each mixture. The little candies crackle, pop, and fizz as you add them to your mixture and while you are eating them! While the candy doesn't look super pretty, it was actually really yummy with a strong sour apple flavor similar to a laffy taffy.
Bonus Snack - Umaibo x 2 - Buy a variety 20 piece pack for $6.97
The featured Umaibo bonus items are a corn soup and chicken curry flavor! These really are growing on me to the point that I get excited now to try the new flavors. I have had a few of the corn soup Umaibos so I knew that I would love that flavor before snacking on it. The chicken curry is a new favorite for me! You really get a strong chicken brother flavor with a light powder coating of curry. Both really fun flavors to enjoy in the fall!
Gashapon of the Month
The booklet notes that the Gashapon of the month was meant to be a sushi theme item. All of the products in the picture looked adorable so I am really sad that I didn't receive anything from that overall sushi theme. I tried to find who this little character is that I received, but I couldn't find his name anywhere. Do any of our readers know who he is? Even though I didn't receive a sushi item this month, this little guy is so cute and my son loved playing with him!
Verdict: UmaiBox is always filled with such unique snacks that are super fun to try! I normally find that each box is curated to have a nice variety of sweet and salty snacks, but this month was really focused on the sweets. Which makes sense since it arrived in time for Halloween! UmaiBox seems to take me out of my comfort zone at times, and always brings flavors and treats that I would normally not purchase for myself. The monthly cost including shipping comes to $30.39, which breaks down to $1.89 per item since I received 16 snacks this month. I think the overall value is totally worth the monthly cost, however, I would like to see less of the smaller snack items like the pieces of gum to bring the overall value up a bit more. Instead, I think larger sized items like the chips would really make the value that much more worth it!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will receive the November box. Boxes ship between the 5th and 9th each month, with a 20 day transit time.
Coupon - Use coupon code ILOVEUMAIBOX to save $2 off your first box!
Value Breakdown: This box costs $21.49 a month + $8.90 shipping, and I received 16 snack items inside. With the cost of shipping calculated in, that breaks down to $1.89 per item which I think is a fair price for what was received this month.
What was your favorite snack from the October UmaiBox?
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