Universal Yums “Israel” Review – April 2019

Universal Yums is a snack subscription box that sends out snacks and candies from a different country each month. Choose from the Yum Box for $14 a month, the Yum Yum Box for $25 a month, or the Super Yum Box for $39 a month.

This review is of the Yum Yum box, which is $25 a month.

This month’s box takes us to Israel!

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: Universal Yums

The Cost: $25 a month + free US shipping

The Products: The contents of the boxes change each month as they to highlight the best snacks from each featured country. However, you can always expect a mix of flavors: salty, sweet, spicy, fruity, and more. Only authentic snacks from the featured country.

Ships to: U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and Israel

Because I can count the number of times I have been on a plane, on one hand, you could say I like to be home. While I love the thought of experiencing different cultures, I am too big of a chicken to actually do it. That being said,  Universal Yums has opened my eyes to new places and cultures without even leaving my house!

When you first open the box, you see a large map of Israel with fun clip art and facts about the country. On the back, you will find “The Official Yum Awards” sheet. Here you are able to rank each snack and post it on your social media page for a chance to win snacks! There is also a secret puzzle to solve and a game idea. My son loved filling this out!

Not only do we get a map of Israel, but we also get this detailed guide that takes us on a tour of Israel. The guidebook features historical information, a trivia quiz, ingredient lists printed in English, information on each snack, recipes, and a clue to next months box!

Let’s experience Israel!

Kremli Nougat Bites

Oh my goodness! These peanut butter coated cereal bites are stuffed with hazelnut cream and are DELICIOUS! They are soft and crunchy with a sweet and salty taste. My snack helpers loved this one and we demolished the entire bag in about 5 minutes. I tried finding them online because I would love to purchase these again, but had no such luck.

Falafel Shashi Flavored Puffs

The next item we sampled was these corn and rice puffs. They are flavored with falafel (fried fritters made from chickpeas or fava beans mixed with herbs, spices, and onions.) I have never experienced this flavor before but I am a fan! These little puffs were the perfect mix of salty, spicy, and crunchy.

Strauss Popping Chocolate

Chocolate with pop rocks?! What?!!! This is awesome! The milk chocolate was so tasty, and the pop rocks start popping the instant they hit your mouth. This was definitely the most fun item in the box! I NEED more of this!

2 Mahroum Coconut Rolls

We received 2 of these pretty little coconut bars rolled in coconut flakes. Each bar was about 2” long, and very coconutty! The bar itself was soft and chewy and tasty. If you do not like coconut, you most likely won’t like this snack, but if you do, you are in for a treat!

Onion Bassli – Retail Value $1.49

These onion flavored wheat snacks are crunchy and delicious. They taste slightly like a crispier version of a Funyun without being too salty. My boys gave these two thumbs up, especially because you can wear them as rings!

Mini Pistachio Halva – Buy an assortment of 18 here for $5.19

Here we received two small sesame candy bars with pistachios. At first, the bar was sweet and nutty, but that was followed by a bitter aftertaste. I will let my husband have the other one!

Everything Chik Chak – Retail Value $1.00

These Everything Chik Chak wheat spirals were crunchy and salty, and kind of reminded me of a barbeque Frito spiral. I thought these were a very yummy treat, and my kids enjoyed them as well.

Pomegranate Turkish Delight – Buy a 12 oz box here for $6.99

This was a very interesting snack. It almost tasted like a pomegranate gummy bear. It was sweet with a yummy almond crunch. The powdered sugar on top made a big mess, and I would have maybe liked more almonds but it was pretty good.

Mahroum Handmade Baklava

Next, we have this fancy little package from Nazareth. These look expensive, and taste delicious! They are very sweet, flaky, and flavorful. They are packed with cinnamon and nuts. These were gone in minutes!

Baked Garlic and Onion Puffs

I love this huge bag we received! These cute corn balls are packed with a garlic, onion, and salt flavor. They are similar to the falafel puffs. Both of my kids enjoyed these, and want them in their lunch boxes for school!

Pesek Zman “Blondie” Chocolate Bar

This bar was soooo good! It tasted like a mix between a Carmello and a Kit-Kat bar. I am a huge fan of chocolate, and this bar was perfectly sweet, crunchy, and divine! Where can you go wrong with milk chocolate and caramel coated wafers?!

BBQ Bissli 

These barbecue flavored wheat snacks were so crunchy, and such a fun spiral shape! I love how smokey and packed with flavor they were. I say were because I may have eaten them all! Whoops!

Elite Egozi Bar – Retail Value $1.50

This candy bar features milk chocolate with caramel, nougat, and hazelnuts. It looks like a Milky Way, but has such a great taste. I couldn’t get enough of it. My kids loved it too. I wish they had these in the US!

The Verdict: We LOVED the Israel box! This was our favorite box so far. Universal Yums does such a great job creating a whole experience in a box. We love the map and guide and learning about the featured country along with trying all these yummy snacks. My kids wait for this box each month, and this one didn’t disappoint! We can’t wait to see where the next box will come from!

My scorecard picks:

• Best Yum: Strauss Popping Chocolate
• Runner-up: Kremli Nougat Bites
• Worst Yum: Mini Pistachio Halva
• Most Unusual: Pomegranate Turkish Delight

To Wrap Up:

Can I still get this box if I sign up today? No. Each month they ship your box no later than the 15th day of the month. The first month you will receive a box varies based on availability and may depend on the size that you order.

Value Breakdown: This box is $25.00 a month (including shipping). I received 16 individual snacks, which averages out to $1.56 per item.

Check out all of our Universal Yums reviews and the best snack subscription boxes!

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