As we detailed in our review of Theo's Fig Fennel & Almond, Theo is a good brand to have on your table, especially if you live in Washington state where it's convenient to buy them.   You can brag to your friends how environmentally aware you are and sound like a chocolate expert even if the only thing you know about chocolate is that it begins with the letter 'c'.  If a Hollywood celebrity mentioned Theo, fair trade, and organic in a soundbite, you might actually think that Hollywood celebrity was deep.   

Theo is like a competent actor who turns in better-than-average performances.  It never hurts to have Theo on your team.   But Theo needs assistance.  Bare, as in Theo's Milk Chocolate, you can firmly taste Theo is quality, but not lead, material.  Crammed with support, as in coconut curry flavoring or figs and almonds, Theo is fine for an indulgence.  Just think of the actor Matt LeBlanc.  He worked well playing Joey in Friends.  When he went front and center as the star of Joey, it was too much to process.     

Almond, hazelnut, caramel -- even corporate hogs paying little regard to quality like Cadbury and Hershey can execute those decently.  Orange bars are not an easy combination to do well.  Whittaker's makes fine chocolate, yet their orange was a monstrosity.  A fruit bar is easier said than done, choco-lovers.  Do you put chunks of the fruit into the chocolate?   Do you add a fruit-flavored oil?  Both?  If the fruit tastes too artificial, you've got a problem; if you put too much or too little in, you've got a problem; if the fruit is too sour or sweet, you've got a problem.       

Theo opts for the orange oil flavoring.  No chunks in this one like that Whittaker's orange atrocity which, story has it, killed thousands in New Zealand from crappy orange flavor overload, .   It's always a better move to underplay rather than overplay the orange, and Theo wisely doesn't overstate it.  There's enough orange flavor here to enhance the 70% bittersweet American chocolate and make the taster appreciate the dark chocolate.

Warning:  this is for orange chocolate lovers, only.  Anti-fruiters won't be persuaded to go fruity from Theo's experiment.  For a full life-changing orange experience, Bendicks' Bitteroranges would be the way to go.