Orange County Register

Just when you thought Starbucks was getting back to the business of coffee-making, the green giant comes up with yet another product experiment: chocolate bars.

Starbuck announced Tuesday that it has partnered with a subsidiary of chocolate giant Hershey Company, to introduce a line of premium chocolate bars with coffee flavors. The collection includes: dark, mocha and milk chocolate bars and tasting squares. The bars come in the following familiar flavors: Tazo Chai, Passion and Citron tea-infused chocolate tasting squares, Caffè Mocha, Chai, Espresso, Caramel Macchiato and Madagascar Vanilla Bean Truffles and Milk Chocolate Covered Caffè Verona Coffee Beans.

Wendy Piñero, Starbucks’ vice president of consumer products, said selling premium chocolates is an extension of the “Starbucks Experience.”

Only there’s one catch: you can’t experience the bars in cafes.

The chocolates, which cost $2.99 and up, are on sale now at grocery stores, mass retailers and drugstores. They will not be will not be available in Starbucks stores, the company said.

I don’t get that. Why not sell them in cafes?

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