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.)
About UmaiBox
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
UmaiBox September 2018 Review
There is an info booklet included each month. The “map,” as I like to call it, guides you through the snacks and gives you added information on the goodies. The theme this month is “Natsu Matsuri,” which is a festival in Japan!
Lemon Petite Busse
Lemon is one of my very favorite dessert flavors, and these little guys were so bright and tasty! Surprisingly, I liked the little drizzle of chocolate on top, and though they had a really pleasing texture overall. The cookies were soft and the chocolate filling was a nice contrast. I didn’t think lemon and chocolate would work together, but these cookies made me a believer.
Takoyaki Naniwa
Takoyaki is my all-time favorite appetizer at a fantastic Japanese restaurant in my city, so I was excited to see how these guys would taste! They had a light puffy corn texture, and strangely, had a light octopus taste and the flavor of the sweet sauce that always comes with them. They were delicious!
Aerial yaki-tomorokoshi
I think I found a new obsession! These are four crispy layers in bites that taste exactly like roasted corn! They’re salty and satisfying, and the flavor is very true to life - just like corn on the cob. I love that it’s a nice big bag - my husband and I can share while we’re watching the hockey game.
Dondon yaki
These guys are surprising - the sweet and sour flavor really threw me! Their taste really finishes on a super-savory note; I love when these snacks are savory as well as sweet, and these ones are really, really crunchy, which I also appreciate.
Attack on Titans Chocolate Waffle
This was interesting since it came with a cool collectible card inside! The outside was pretty standard, vanilla waffle-y exterior, but the chocolatey filling in the middle was thick and pretty good.
Kurobo
This was an interesting snack - a cake coated in black sugar! This reminded me a lot of biscotti; not as hard, but a similar shape and a bit of a crumbly texture. The sugar on the outside made this really, really sweet, but otherwise, I didn’t detect too many other flavors.
Fue Ramune - Strawberry
I’m not a big hard candy kind of person, but the sour-strawberry flavor of these candies was actually delicious. Apparently, they can be used as a whistle, and I also thought it was neat that a toy came with them, too, which some people like to collect.
Kuromitsu-kinako warabi-mochi
Mochi is so interesting - it can take so many different forms. This was unique in that it had a powder, a jelly, and is meant to be mixed together with a sauce poured over top.
Umaibo - Lemon Squash
This is supposedly a super rare flavor of Umaibo, and I really liked it! It’s a bright lemon, almost lemon soda kind of flavor. I always think these corn snacks are so satisfying in texture, and I really like the chance to try other flavors, too.
Hie Hie Pine Gum
I knew this wouldn’t be a big hit with me going in - for some reason, I cannot stand pineapple! My friends all tease me about it because really, I know it’s a strange thing to dislike. Most people adore pineapple! That being said, I would think that pineapple lovers would be all about this gum! I can objectively say it tastes exactly like the fruit, and the flavor seemed to last a nice long time.
Suzu Castella
These are super common treats during matsuri festivals - they’re bell-shaped, and nice sweet little treats! I don’t taste too many other flavors besides their sweetness, but I could see munching on a bag of these at a festival and enjoying them!
Hokkuri Imokko
This treat is meant to look like a potato, and is also made from potato and white bean! I used to make potato candy as a kid, so I’m familiar with the potential the humble spud can have in sweets! I thought it was pretty good; it was sweet but also had a nice richness to it from the bean filling.
Ippei Chan Yomise no Yakisoba
Yakisoba is a matsuri must, and the sweet sauce, along with mustard and mayonnaise flavors, are all very traditional for this treat! I love noodles, and this was so fun to mix up and have as a little weekday lunch. I’m no stranger to ramen, so it was nice to have different flavors involved to keep things interesting. The mustard-mayo combo sounds strange - but it worked!
Melon flavored Ramune
I love that these boxes include a drink, too, but sometimes these sodas are painfully sweet! It might be because I’m a huge sugarless, flavored-seltzer kind of person, so I don’t drink regular pop, not even diet. I just don’t like my drinks very sweet! The melon flavor did come through nicely, though - this reminded me of Midori, which is basically the alcohol version of this soda.
Verdict: The treats in this UmaiBox box were a nice variety and put me in a celebratory mood! I really liked learning about the authentic flavors that are found in festivals or on holidays in Japan. I liked that I got to try a Takoyaki-flavored snack, I really enjoyed the lemon busse cookies, and the Aerial yaki-tomorokoshi were a super-savory delight. I love that these snacks are so unique and something I won’t be able to find here in the States, and it’s so great having things chosen for me that all have to do with a specific theme!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Nope, you’ll get the December 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 + $8.90 shipping, which means that each of the 14 items in the box has an average cost of $2.17.
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What was your favorite snack from this month's UmaiBox?
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