I’ve already tried the milk chocolate version of this line from Sherwood, and was disappointed by the vast amount of sweetness. I mean, yeah, all chocolate is sweet, but unless you’ve experienced these truffles for yourself, you won’t have any idea of just how sweet we’re talking; it’s overpowering, with the saccharine flavor completely overshadowing that of the chocolate. So much so that most people will probably have troubles forcing an entire one down.

So when I saw Sherwood’s Milk Chocolate and Caramel Truffles inside the Valentine’s Day section of Dollar (Twenty-Five) Tree, I most certainly skimmed past them and went on my merry way, right? Oh no…I had to see just how they compared to the milk chocolate version. I mean, every company deserves a second chance, no? 

Something worth re-noting for those who can’t be bothered to read my previous review: I don’t like the appearance of Sherwood’s truffles. At first appearance, they look relatively normal, with uniform roundness across each one. But look a little closer and you’ll see there’s something amiss – a deep crater in each one. At first I thought it was just an issue with the one I happened to choose first, but lo and behold they’re featured in every single one. Now, it’s not something that’s going to affect the flavor, but once again, for a product that seems to be aiming for a more “upscale” crowd (or at least as upscale as Dollar Tree gets), it’s kind of a bubble-bursting quirk that immediately cancels out the illusion of “premium”.

Sure enough, I should have trusted my gut instinct: These might be even sweeter than the milk chocolate ones. It’s all just a sugary mess of ridiculously oversweetened chocolate, and a caramel filling that somehow looks exactly like peanut butter. We’re talking so far down to a “T” that I had to double check the packaging to make sure that’s not what it was supposed to be. It’s a semi-thick concoction that doesn’t look like caramel, doesn’t taste like caramel, nor does it give off the appearance of something one would want to eat (unless it was peanut butter). All it seems to add is yet another layer of unidentifiable flavor that would even be disappointing on its own. When combined, it’s just…sickening.

I took two small-ish bites and that was enough for me…I had to throw in the towel. And I’m not typically one to waste any food product.

Also, who in the hell designed the packaging? I mean, obviously I understand there are limitations involved with offering goods at a certain price point; there are no doubt strong limitations as to what they can do while still making a profit at a $1.25 price point. But couldn’t they use better colors? A better font? A more luxurious wrapper? I mean, you know it’s bad when a five-year-old (our son) took one look at a wrapped truffle and said, “Those don’t look very good.”

No buddy, no they don’t. (To be fair, he actually liked them and ate the rest. My wife – whose palate leans more toward dark chocolate – shared the same opinion as me.)

Overall: 2/10. It takes the oversweet flavor of their milk chocolate truffles, and somehow manages to add to it even more, with a very underwhelming caramel that looks exactly like peanut butter. I suppose value is okay, with four truffles included for a meager $1.25, but they also taste like $1.25. And don’t even get me started on the drab packaging, which screams “dollar store” instead of the “premium” illusion they’re apparently going for. This was in their Valentine’s Day aisle, which has plenty of other legitimately tasty options; thus, I wouldn’t give this to anyone who I was hoping to connect with on any kind of level. Steer clear under any circumstance.