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 $15 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 Colombia! Let's dive in and discover this month's Yums!
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 Universal Yums
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 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: The U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and Israel
Universal Yums “Colombia” September 2020 Review
To my family, Universal Yums is more than a box, it's an entire experience! So when we see this box on our doorstep, we basically drop everything and open it up! Last month my dad was able to partake in the unboxing, and this month my mom happened to be at our house for it! It's like a field trip in our very own home! How did the Colombian treats fare? Read below to find out!
Each month we receive a brightly animated map detailing the country our Yums are coming from. Our map of Colombia was wonderfully illustrated and contained facts and trivia about the country....my kids now want to visit Bogota to see the world's largest gold museum! On the opposing side, we have the "Yum Scoreboard" which includes a list of all of the boxes contents and an area for you to rate them. Not only is this a scorecard, but it also lists snacks that were rejected from the box, along with the chance to vote on an upcoming box. I am totally voting for Mongolia again!
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Here we have the detailed pamphlet that includes tons of information about Colombia itself and the treats they sent this month. This component is packed with fun history and trivia! This month we learned how to make areapas, and that in Colombia, the go-to movie theater snack is....spicy roasted ants!!!! The summaries they include for each individual snack, the history, and the nutrition facts make this into an entire experience. The back of the pamphlet includes items they sell in the Yum Shop, along with their social media information....PLUS there's a blurb about making a very, very, very special announcement next month....so that is intriguing!!! Any guesses to what that might be? I'm hoping it's for another special Halloween box!!!!!
FYI - if you are a monthly subscriber, Colombia might be familiar as this was the June 2019's country. Universal Yums promises to not repeat a country within two years, but given supply chain issues this year, Universal Yums decided to "reroute" this month back to Colombia, sending new treats and old favorites. Let's see what we received!
Passion Fruit Lollipop - Buy a 2 pack of 24 for $7.00
Also featured in the June 2019 Colombian box, these passion fruit lollipops are packed with flavor! Being intensely sweet, and detailed to look like real fruit, it features a bubblegum center that Shakira herself confessed to keeping in her handbag at all times. While they are a bit different flavor than any dum dum we have tried (in a good way), they are very tasty, and we were happy to get them again.
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Milk Chocolate Nougat Bar - Buy a pack of 10 for $5.00
This milk chocolate nougat bar is Colombia's version of a Three Musketeers bar, and I have to say, I prefer this version! The fluffy nougat is creamier and a bit more flavorful than our version. I also liked the ratio of nougat to the chocolate, as it's not overly sweet, but just right. While I usually prefer caramel and peanuts in my chocolate, this was a nice change of pace, and all of my family enjoyed it.
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White Chocolate Cookies and Cream Clusters - Buy a pack of 4 for $5.20
Hooray for cookies and cream! When we first took out this package, we couldn't help but be excited for the snow-white nuggets that looked like ice cream scoops with chocolate chips sprinkled throughout, but when we opened the package, we were left a little disappointed. Sadly I am one that eats with my eyes first, and the appearance of these "nuggets" left me a little disgusted. Vomit and scat are two of the objects my kids compared the looks of these to, and I can't say that I disagree. Anyways, we all tried them because anything containing cookies and cream has to be good right? Well, while they were crunchy and contained lots of yummy cookie chunks, the cream part tasted a little off to me. I don't know if it was just too sweet or just too rich, but we didn't love this treat.
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Mayonnaise Potato Chips - Buy a pack of 2 for $4.60
Ahh, the mayonnaise chips!! Back in the June box last year, we received mayonnaise potato chips from a different company and found them to be quite tasty! This year's version also featured the ripples on the chips which of course is my favorite....the mayonnaise flavor didn't come across very strong and had I not known, I would have thought they were plain salted potato chips, but of course, I love those, so this bag was gone in a jiffy!
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Cafe con Leche Toffee - Buy a pack of 2 for $6.20 (currently out of stock)
Also sent in the 2019 box were these Creamy Colombian coffee toffee chews. While I am not a huge coffee drinker, I found these soft chews to have the perfect texture, be perfectly creamy, and pretty darn delish! The scent alone smells like a steaming cup of joe, so it sent my kids running, but that just meant more for me!
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Coconut Cream Chocolate Wafer - Buy a pack of 10 for $6.00
Wafers remind me of my grandma, so they are always a welcome treat. This particular version features a light chocolate cookie filled with a perfect amount of coconut cream. I appreciate that the cream wasn't fake tasting, and paired well with the chocolate wafer. While it's not the most exciting of all flavors, it is nostalgic and satisfying. A perfect accompaniment for a big glass of milk!
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Fruity Penguin Gummies - Buy a pack of 4 for $4.40
Finally, the gummies!!! The last time we headed to Colombia, the hit of the box was the gummies. This time, we received these adorable penguin-shaped treats!! The foamy texture and juicy fruit flavors make these stand out from traditional gummies, and have led us to the favorite in this month's box! The combination of flavors, chewiness, and just how cute these guys are left us wanting more and more and more until the last of the penguins were in our tummies! I am definitely going to buy some more of these guys!
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Bacon and Lime Chips - Buy a pack of 6 for $5.40
Like the mayo chips, these bacon and lime chips were featured in the previous box, by a different company. While they have a bacon-like appearance, I found the pork rindy texture and lime flavor to overtake much of the bacon flavor, resulting in a sour, salty, light crunch. Being much different than our usual snacks, it was an interesting change in pace, but one we probably wouldn't go out and buy on our own.
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Himalayan Sea Salt Quinoa Puffs - Buy a pack of 10 for $5.00
Hooray for a new Yum!! After a lot of repeats from the previous year, we were excited to try something new! These quinoa and sea salt corn puffs have the texture of a traditional corn puff, but with an extra nutty and salty taste. A great light snack that our entire family enjoyed!
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Colombian Cocadas - Buy a single pack for $4.10
Like I have said before, I love big boxes of candies, but always hope like heck they are something we will enjoy. These chewy nuggets of rich milk caramels and freshly shredded coconut sound like they would be fantastic, but the texture just wasn't what I was hoping for. I like my caramel to be really chewy and smooth, but these candies were a little dry and crumbly. They were packed with coconut, but I found it was a bit overpowering for my liking, and the entire thing was just too rich. My kids and mom agreed. Better luck next time!
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White Chocolate Covered Fruit Gummies - Buy a pack of 6 for $4.20
Again, we have a repeat from 2019....and as my feelings haven't changed, here are my previous comments:
I love gummy candy, pastels, and white chocolate, but I would never have thought to incorporate them all into one! The pamphlet states that these candies are used to celebrate a quinceañera (a girls 15th birthday) and I can definitely see why! These beautiful candies are delicious and just fun to look at! These definitely didn’t taste like anything I have ever eaten before, but my son and I enjoyed them! I did notice the pamphlet does state that excess consumption may have a laxative effect, so beware!
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Lime Infused Plantain Chips - Buy a pack of 3 for $5.10
With another repeat, my original comments haven't changed:
Holy smokes do these pack a lime punch! These lime-flavored potato chips are perfectly crunchy and salty, but are a little too “limey” for my liking. My son said they should have put 2 scoops of lime flavoring in the bag. I asked him how many scoops of flavoring he thought they added and he said “over 50!” It was nice to receive such a large bag, (70 grams) I just wish we liked them more!
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Sweet Plantain Chips - Buy a 6 pack for $5.40
Last but not least, we received a new version of plantain chips. This sweet version of a popular Colombian side dish reminded me of a sweet potato chip, with a bit of a burnt aftertaste. They looked quite unappealing, and my kids wanted nothing to do with them. While I did not care for them, I grabbed chip after chip to eat and told my kids are delicious they were until they were enticed to come and give them a chance. Let's just we had two kids spitting in the garbage can, yelling "why did you lie to us?!" Hehehehehe! Not our favorite, and while I didn't think they were as terrible as my boys did, they definitely weren't something I would want to eat again anytime soon.
The Verdict: We love Universal Yums and although we headed to Colombia again, I would definitely rather have a few repeat treats over not getting a box at all! I'm really glad that we were able to get our monthly fix even with the supplier issues. While we enjoyed some of the treats this month, there were a lot of misses for us as well, which while understandable, was a bit of a bummer. I'm hoping to see some brand new treats next month, and I'm really curious to find out what the very, very, very special announcement is next month! What could it be?!
Scorecard Picks:
- Best Yum: Fruity Penguin Gummies
- Runner-up: Mayonnaise Potato Chips
- Worst Yum: Sweet Plantain Chips
- Most Unusual: Lime Infused Plantain Chips
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you 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 17 individually wrapped snacks which average out to $1.47 per item.
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