Gevalia Coffee...Is it any good?

[awbrig]

im considering trying them out...and I get a free coffee maker - Just for trying!!

Anyone had any experience with them or their free coffee maker? Thanks!

[hollywood]

Hey, awbrig,

My wife says this is very good coffee but it's very expensive. She used to get some of this before I met her. As a consequence, we have a Gevalia ceramic coffee container in our kitchen. In our house, this contains coffee from Yuban, Kirkland, Don Francisco, whatever. I get the impression that you can get better coffee for the buck by going to a local roaster and buying from them. Other family members like the mail order stuff from Community Coffee in Louisiana.

[awbrig]

do you recommend getting whole beans or ground?

[sladeums]

I started up w/ their service about 10 yrs ago for the sole purpose of getting the free coffee maker (I think at that time I was making about $700/month so getting a coffee maker was quite a luxury).

The coffee was pretty good...I don't recall it being extremely noteworthy in any way, though - and, as mentioned, the price was a little high in relation to the goods received.

I've got by w/ that same coffee maker for 10 yrs (the flip top cover where you pour in the water has broken) - it does the job, I mean it's an electric drip coffee maker...no big deal. But it has kept me from ever having to buy one

(note: I am an occasional coffee drinker and don't rely on it for daily sustenance).

The maker I have is the 4-cup model, which suits me just fine. The size is appropriate so coffee is not getting scorched/overheated while languishing on the burner...they do have several other offers out, though, and if you already have a drip coffee maker it's may be to your advantage to seek out one of their other offers, such as the offer w/ a carafe as a premium as opposed to the coffee maker.

As for the whole beans versus ground, I would think that would depend on what method you would be using to brew and grind...

Generally beans are preferable - - but as I recall most of their coffee is packaged in 1/4# packages so can be plowed through fairly effectively w/o losing a lot of freshness for the average coffee drinker if you are getting the ground.

Also, I'm not sure if they package any of their stuff in 'breathable' bags.

But, again, I'm a more casual coffee drinker, so my tastes are not quite as finely tuned as others may be.

[jaybee]

They are good quality beans and there are several varieties you can try to find a blend that suits you. Their service is very convenient, but you will be payng a premium for coffee that you can buy just as well from a local specialty store if one is nearby. Gevalia is owned by Kraft and they are subject to the same kind of mass market pressures that large corporate brands are. That said, I used their beans for a year and liked them.

I buy only whole beans and grind them as I use them. Ground coffee loses its essential oils in the form of gas very quickly.

[Ellen Shapiro]

That commercial is SO appealing. I think it's the free gifts that really draw me in. After all, the pricing seems so reasonable for 2 pounds of coffee -- if you factor in the current gifts of the coffee maker and some other essential life or death "but wait, that's not all" present. Good thing I've never been by a phone when the swanky, debonnaire Wall Street-type actor struts across my screen.

[Varmint]

The coffee is adequate. The trick is to get the free coffee maker that they're offering and cancel your membership immediately. Thus, for about 10 bucks, you get a respectable drip maker and a pound of coffee. That's a pretty good deal. Of course, you're stuck with a coffee maker with a big Gevalia logo on it.

[Coop]

Years ago I recieved a gift of Gevalia for supporting a Seattle NPR station. they sent me half pond bags of 3 blends of beans. I found them to be less then fresh. For me freshness is the issue. Here in coffee mad Vancouver we have the option of finding small roasting houses with retail operations. My favorite is Continental on Commercial drive.

I have found however beans from a company in Chicago called Intelligensia to be worth seeking out. I believe they have no special offer just great coffee. I have also heard good things about Peet's, but alas I have yet to try thier beans. Good Luck.

[awbrig]

have found however beans from a company in Chicago called Intelligensia to be worth seeking out. I believe they have no special offer just great coffee

This is the coffee that Charlie Trotter uses at the restaurant.

Edited February 4, 2003 by awbrig (log)

[Coop]

Trotter eh? Next time I'm in C town I should stop by his diner and try the blue plate special with a cup of joe.

[awbrig]

Received my Gevalia coffee maker and 2 bags of coffee this afternoon...it looks good and Im brewing some fresh coffee right now...Ill check back with ya and tell you how it is...

[maggiethecat]

have found however beans from a company in Chicago called Intelligensia to be worth seeking out. I believe they have no special offer just great coffee

This is the coffee that Charlie Trotter uses at the restaurant.

And that the higher-end caterers like Food for Thought and Blue Plate use.

Ah, that seductive aroma at intermission time at Orchesta Hall.....

[awbrig]

Well, my first cup of their Traditional Roast seemed a little weak to me. Perhaps I didnt use enough coffee for my taste but I was a little disappointed. Ill try in the morning with I hope better results...

[Varmint]

Brig-

Go ahead and cancel your membership now. You keep the coffee maker (which is a good backup) and you don't have to pay anything else. Then you can get really good mail order coffee (or commission Fat Guy to roast some for you on a regular basis).

The avatar is very, very disturbing.

[David De Silva]

As an avid coffee drinker, I have had Gevalia and think it's OK as well. But, at over $15 a pound I don't think it's worth that much. What I now recommend to everyone who loves coffee is, what I consider to be the best coffee available, La Colombe Torrefaction. Started here in Philadelphia by two guys (one a Frenchman and one from Seattle), it is now the coffee served in the best restaurants in Philly (e.g. Le Bec Fin) and NYC. It sells for about $10 a pound and comes in 4 styles, Corsica (hearty and strong), Phocea (medium bodied), Nizza (more mild) and decaf. It is available through their website (www.lacolombe.com I think). Excellent in a drip maker, it is even better in a French press. Just my thoughts.

[pnapoli]

i like illy.

and their machine is much cooler than the gevalia one.

the above link is for their espresso program; here's the link for the coffee program.

[awbrig]

yes, that does look a lot better. how do you like their coffee...

i am actually really disappointed in the Gevalia taste...

[Blue Heron]

awbrig,

what type of coffee maker did you get? A year or so ago my hubby ordered their coffee and got the carafe style in black. I like it, because it makes really hot coffee, and the carafe keeps it hot for a long time. Plus the black color doesn't show the drip marks. We weren't so keen on the coffee that we wanted to spend a premium for it, so we cancelled the service shortly there after.

[Ellen Shapiro]

I reallly like the illy coffee too. And the decaf is equally good--not something most can boast. But admittedly, since FG started roasting his own I must (sheepishly) admit--it's hard to drink much else.

[claire797]

I thought the coffee was mediocre.

As for the free coffee maker, it mysteriously broke down the day I cancelled my membership. That is, it lasted less than a year.

I'm still paying for my foray into Gevalia by having to dodge their telemarketers and sift through the junk mail they keep sending. They have a very persistant direct marketing campaign.

[Ruth]

We have used Gevalia coffee on and off over the years. They have excellent coffee, but "shipping and handling" make it more expensive than it is worth. There are so many excellent coffees on the market now at reasonable prices. I think that the secret with coffee is to find the best brand/roast/grind for the brewing method you use. Several years ago when we were using a drip coffee maker we tried the Mauro beans that come from Italy in one kilo bags and found the coffee pretty blah. When we tired of the drip method and switched to making americanos we tried the same coffee again and it was, and remains, perfect. Recently we tried the Gevalia again and found it equally good, but with the Mauro at $13.00 per kilo there is no contest.

I have never bought coffee ready ground but to grind it properly you must have a burr grinder. They are not cheap but our Saeco model has been going strong for 20 years or so.

[Christopher]

I wish I'd seen this thread earlier...

I was duped by the add a few years back and was so grossly disappointed by the coffee I had to call them up to see if I'd received an off bag.

The woman asked me to read the serial numbers from the bottom of the pouch and after we chatted I learned that my coffee (whole beans) had been roasted about 8 months prior! I asked if there was a way to have coffee roasted and sent out right away and after a long conversation found out that Gevalia has a warehouse of coffee waiting to be sent out and that they do not roast to order. I cancelled right then and there.

Ed Behr in the Art of Eating #56 (In which he also gives Shaw a nod for his Zagat article in Commentary) recommends a roaster in WABatdorf who apparently DO roast to order and send out. They also specialize in heirloom coffee varieties.

[oraklet]

in denmark, gevalia is known for great advertising and poor coffee.

they have this never-ending-campaign "which coffee will you serve unexpected guests?" and one of the ads showed the ussr submarine that got caught on a reef in the swedish skjärgård near a naval base.

personally i'd reserve the coffee for unwelcome guests.

[awbrig]

you really have to double up on the grounds before brewing in order to make this a decent cup of joe. I put double the amount neccasary tonight and got a good cup...FYI