Starbucks coffee beans for less

With the deadline for my appellate brief coming up verrry soon, I'm relying a lot more on coffee to stay awake and focused. I've been using my espresso machine for about a month and a half now, but until this week, I haven't been able to pull that perfect espresso shot. As a beginner, I opted to perfect my technique with cheaper French roast beans from Ralphs at $5.99. It tastes great when mixed with milk and chocolate syrup, but I had a hard time getting that perfect "crema."

Since I ran out of beans, I had to go get some more. This time Starbucks beans was on sale for $7.99, 2 bucks off from original price. The quality of coffee served at Starbucks isn't as good as it used to be (read: overrated), but I thought their beans should at the very least be better than the Ralphs store brand. Since I like my coffee to have a robust flavor, I went with the Sumatra blend. It was definitely worth the extra $2. The first time I used the beans, I got that beautiful layer of crema. I just might go back to get another bag of a different blend before the sale ends on Tuesday.

If Starbucks beans is this good, the ones from Peet's and Coffee Bean should be even better. In my opinion, Coffee Bean serves much better coffee-to-go, and judging from espressos from my former boss' espresso machine, Peet's roasts them good. I hope those go on sale at one time or another.