Chocolate Croissants and Peppermint Mocha Frap

This week’s mission: frozen pastry with magic rising power, and seasonal Frappuccino in a bottle.

The Starbucks Brownout

BusinessWeek delves into the return of the (almost) original brown Starbucks mermaid logo.

Sweet, Sour, Salty, What?

Americans have historically hated bitter tastes, while other cultures loved them. Until now. Chefs are playing with bitter in new ways, and U.S. diners are finally appreciating it.

Masters of the Bean

Today’s coffee connoisseurs want to be on a first-name basis with their roaster. They want to know not only which country the beans came from but which region, or even which “estate.” They obsess over freshness and brew time and water temperature.

Green Your Hangover

This week’s mission: An ecofriendly vodka gift pack and some meatless taco and burger mixes.

Crush Ice Without Burnout

Blenders that do the job.

Will Journalists Save Starbucks?

The coffee chain’s offerings are becoming fast-foodier—and yet they lose to McDo’s and Dunkin’ D’s in taste tests. Starbucks’ cofounder questions the company’s direction, but one journo says the place will always be her second living room.