Universal Yums June 2015 Subscription Box Review

Grab your fire-proof sweet tooth, because Mexico here we come!  Universal Yums is a monthly international snack subscription box. Every month you’ll take a trip to a new country and munch on brand new snacks. Yum Yum! There are two sizes of box, the Yum ($13) and the Yum Yum ($25). This is the Yum Yum box, and this subscription is a really solid subscription that shines each and every month. It’s definitely a whole-family favorite.

For June Universal Yums went to Mexico! I love the tissue paper set up to look like the country of the month’s flag.

 The information card has descriptions of all the snacks, plus they have translated ingredients on their site. There’s also a clue to next month’s box – which is Japan!

All the Yums in the June Yum Yum box.  Some of the smaller items can in doubles — which is great for sharing or going back for seconds!

Sabritas Abobadas flavor:  The Mexican branding of Lay’s chips.  Thankfully, they included a flavor not sold under the Lay’s brand in the US.  Spicy and savory, the “marinated flavor” is like hot picante.  

Takis:  These are addictive and one of my favorites.  They look like mini taquitos (I know, that’s probably redundant), and have that all-too-popular bright red coloring.  The crunch is great, and they have a tongue-tingling spicy lime seasoning.  They would be great for dipping in sour cream, too.  The heat index on the bottom says, “extreme.”  Humorously, they offer another  flavor, “Nitro” which features the same front illustration with a habanero in place of the lime.  I’m guessing those are HOT.

Barcel Peanuts Hot Chili Pepper & Lime:  Featuring the ubiquitous chili and lime flavor.  Pretty decent Planters-style peanuts done up with seasoning.

Paleta Payaso:  The filling is marshmallow, and the coating is a thin choco glaze.  They didn’t quite pull off the clown face, but the kids didn’t seem to mind too much.

Glorias:  These are awesome.  The goat’s milk adds a nice tang to the dulce de leche, distinguishing it from a typical caramel. It is loaded with pecans — a tender, chewy delight.  One of my favorites from the box.

Pulparindo:  Tamarind and chili pepper chew.  Not too spicy, and not too chewy.  I liked these well enough, even though they are not my favorite category of snack.

Bubu Lubu:  Reminded me of the fruit-filled chocolates in a Whitman’s sampler, about the only other place you’ll find the odd jelly/marshmallow creme/chocolate combo.

Bubu Lubu interior.

Chocoretas:  I was excited to see these, since I’m a big mint and chocolate (together or separately) fan.  The flavoring was a bit odd — I think the mint was trying to emulate real mint instead of mint extract.

Salsaghetti:  does this need an explanation?  Spaghetti-shaped, hot watermelon candy strips with a tamarind sauce — you know, the usual fare.   Very interesting, and it speaks to the educational quality of the box, if not the culinary tastes.

Rockaleta:  a spicy lollipop with 4 layers of chili flavor.

Kranky:  billed as corn flakes with chocolate coating, these didn’t taste like corn flakes or chocolate.  The corn flakes are a bit hearty tasting, and as for the coating:  brown does not equal chocolate. But these held up in the heat and I suspect that’s why we went to Mexico for June!

Vero Mango:  yet another sugar and chili concoction.  This one is a sweet mango lolli coated in spicy chili stuff.

Canel’s:  Your typical Chiclet-type gum.

De la Rosa Marzipan Syle Peanut Candy:  Love these.  They have a great peanut butter and confectioner’s sugar flavor, with little bits of peanut.  The texture is somewhere between powdered wheat cakes (Southeast Asian powdered sweet/savory packets that explode all over when you attempt to eat them) and actual marzipan.  Sweet and simple.

Duvalin: The kids stole these before I could taste them, but they were reportedly very tasty.  Strawberry and hazelnut flavored creams swirled together.  Best eaten with a graham or animal cracker, I’m thinking cocoa-less Nutella and strawberry Quik.

We absolutely love Universal Yums. We get the Yum Yum box so we don’t miss out on anything and have plenty to go around.  It arrives stuffed with candy, and everyone in the family finds something they like each month.  It is a decent value, given the amount of treats and convenience of curation.  I like that you get many items — in witnessing the repetition of certain flavors, you get a sense of the candy and snack preferences of the featured country or region.  In Mexico, for instance, I can tell they love chili paired with lime, enjoy their candy coated in spice, and prefer their marshmallow gooey and their chocolate artificial.  We have enjoyed each box so far and can’t wait to see what comes in the Japan box (please go light on the ocean-inspired selections!).

Visit Universal Yums to subscribe or find out more. You can see all our Universal Yums Reviews or check out all the international food subscriptions in the directory!