Starbucks

What happens when premium espresso meets rich, creamy cocoa? Aside from your coffee dreams coming true, the answer is simple and decidedly delicious — Starbucks® Caffé Mocha. Like the yin and yang, a blogger with their laptop, peanut butter and jelly, or Angelina and Brad, espresso and cocoa are better together. The icing on the cake? Every Starbucks® Caffé Mocha is handcrafted from the world's finest beans, wholesome freshly steamed milk, and premium chocolaty mocha. Rich and delicious (another winning combo) and perfectly balanced, being together has never tasted so sweet. The new Starbucks® Caffé Mocha (much like cookie dough and ice cream) is the perfect balance of fabulous flavors. So, @Starbucks wants to know, who would you share a Caffé Mocha with? #bettertogether.

Last Fall brought word that Starbucks would be introducing Blonde, and today, the new "super-premium light roast coffee" hits stores and retailers nationwide.

Starbucks Blonde comes in two different blends: the Veranda (described as "mellow and soft") and the New Age-sounding Willow (characterized as "bright and clean"). As a regular Starbucks drinker, I was curious to know what the coffee titan's cuppa joe lite would taste like, so I subbed it for my usual morning cup of choice, the Pike Place Roast. How'd it fare? Read on to find out.

Sounds like fresh-pressed juice is just one of the many areas in which Starbucks Coffee is hoping to grow this year. Now, Starbucks is hoping to gain nighttime ground by offering beer and wine in select stores.

Starbucks first started testing wine and beer several years ago, in a couple of stores near its Seattle, WA, corporate headquarters. (We even got to check out one of Starbucks's first forays into a nightlife when we toured Roy Street Coffee & Tea, a Starbucks concept with a full wine and beer list.)

For the first time, however, Starbucks has announced it'll be expanding its alcoholic beverage offerings to the Midwest; by the end of 2012, as many as seven Chicagoland stores will sell beer and wine. "We're really trying to expand the evening daypart," explained a Starbucks spokesperson.

I'm interested to see how well this does — clearly, if it takes off in Chicago, then there's a chance that the wine and beer concept could expand further. Tell me: could you see yourself catching up with a friend over a glass of Pinot or a pint of beer at Starbucks?

Source: Flickr User savv

After all that speculation, we've finally received confirmation that it's true: Starbucks is entering the juice market.

The coffee behemoth announced today that it's acquired the Evolution Fresh chain and plans to open up a string of juice bars. The juice and health foods retail concept will open next year.

Apparently, we aren't the only ones who think fresh-pressed juice is America's obsession right now. What do you think of the move?

Do you belong to the camp of believers who are convinced Starbucks's coffee is way too strong? If so, there's a new blend for you.

Enter Starbucks Blonde, a new "super-premium light roast coffee." It was unveiled in New York today and will roll out in Starbucks stores, and as whole bean, roast, ground, Via, and K-Cup packs in supermarkets as well, come January 2012.

Perhaps weak coffee will take off just like low-alcohol cocktails have in the past year. I'm curious to know: will the super-light coffee come with a lighter price tag as well?

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This could be more evidence that bottled fresh juice is the biggest thing since sliced bread: rumor has it that Starbucks is getting into the juice bar biz.

Coffee chain CEO Howard Schultz has reportedly hired the longtime manager of Manhattan juice bar Liquiteria to train staffers on the art of juice in Starbucks's Seattle headquarters. This all makes sense, considering Schultz hinted at Starbucks entering "entirely new categories" earlier this season.

With offerings like green juice setting back sippers anywhere from $8 to $11, this rumored venture, if true, could prove to be even more lucrative for the company. Would you buy freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices from a chain like Starbucks?

Bianca Benitez and Rob Sinclair are finding the perfect balance between their love of fashion and their love for each other, making them about the cutest and most chic couple in the world. Their label, Dear Creatures, is a labor of love for the two fashion designers. They have been embracing their unique style, positive energy and boundless optimism, in each collection for the everyday woman who exudes those same qualities. They have somehow tapped into the perfect balance of love of design work and love of each other (awwwwww)!

Check out Bianca and Rob and see how they manage to find the perfect balance in the video below (and brace for adorableness).

Through the lights, sounds, and smells of the season, knittress and artist Diva Zappa creates imperfect perfections by painting with her yarn. Interpreting the way she feels from the breeze and what she sees in the wind, her work is a celebration of her life. Fall back into Fall with Diva as she trusts her instincts and finds inspiration in the good and the bad of every day.