Lavazza is stale before it gets to the store shelves here. Same with Illy and Mauro. Absolutely terrible choices when we have some of the best roasters in the world in Western Canada, including Calgary.
The two best roasters in Calgary are Fratello and Phil & Sebastian. You can get Fratello's top-shelf beans at Caffe Crema, Beano, Insomnia, Good Earth (just check the roast date as some GE's don't do a good job of restocking- never buy beans more than a month post roast); P&S beans are sold at P&S's three cafes and now at Caffe Rosso.
Also outstanding (and fresh, and cheaper than Starbucks or that Illy/Mauro/Lavazza stale crap) are beans from Intelligentsia (available at deVille, Communitea in Canmore, and at Cookbook Co), 49th Parallel (Kawa, Bumpy's, Artigiano), Origins (Chiasso), and JJ Bean (Bumpy's, Ladybug).
Anything else is pretty much crap. As noted above, if you can't find the roast date (NOT the "best before" date), don't buy the coffee.
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