Opinions sought regarding Gevalia coffee

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GA Russell
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Opinions sought regarding Gevalia coffee

Post by GA Russell »

An old girl friend of mine used to give me Gevalia coffee for Christmas. I enjoyed it.

I am thinking about becoming a subscriber. I thought that they sent you four boxes (two pounds) a month, and the boxes just kept piling up until you have bought your obligation. But I now learn that you are free to quit at any time. You can have the shipments sent at an interval of your choosing, such as once every six months. You need not get two pounds at a time, or even two boxes of the same blend.

It appears that the shipping charge is $6.00 no matter what you order. It looks like most of the coffees are $15 a pound. So if you order two pounds, that comes out to $18 a pound including shipping.

So my questions for all of you coffee aficionadoes are...Is Gevalia overpriced? Do its competitors sell comparable coffee for less? Who are its competitors?

I know of an Atlanta mail order coffeehouse that is highly regarded called J. Martinez, and I know of green bean places like Sweet Maria's, but in terms of price and selection and service, who compares favorably with Gevalia?
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Post by KAV »

In terms of coffee nobody listens to Mrs Olsen anymore. The trouble is, we have all these new voices who turned a cup of Jo into some caffeine liturgy replete with Starbucks jazz and these 'barristas' The girl who introduced me to that term got upset when I said Che Guevara was a loser.
There are LOTS of House Brands, many known locally in various cities supplying the restaurants and hotels for decades. I locked into Kona from a hawiian outfit that ships. gevalias prices are no more out of line than everybody else.
But then my coffee will forever be measured against a ambrosial hot cup served by a world weary peroxide blonde waitress named Blanche. We had just tied up after a 72 hour rescue mission in a nearby port and she came walking down with cups and a thermos .
Damned stuff was FOLGERS.
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Post by Aztecface »

I know of several other that are better than Gevalia but here in Sweden they have quite an assortment and a few of them are actually quite good.
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Post by crankymoose »

I tried Gevalia a couple years ago, if you like variety and even flavored coffee they are pretty good tasting but yes are overpriced. Also I like a strong cup and none of Gevalia's seemed to work in that regard.

I currently order from Peet's they occasionally have free shipping and if you join there free club you get discounts on both the coffee and the shipping, they have a good variety and the coffee is nice and strong. They also will pre-grind it however you want. If you like Starbucks strong type of coffee you will love Peet's.

I have ordered from Ristretto Roasters before too, in fact there owner was a member on at least 1 of these shave forums, there beans are excellent and cost competitive but the only thing I didn't like is there selection is never the same so if you find something you really like no guarantee it will always be available.

Amazon also sells some good coffee Kona brands in particular.

Enjoy.
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Post by Sam »

Kav, loved that story. Amazing what a blonde can do to one's recollection of past events. I am married to a blonde, and I swear after 26 years, that first meal she made makes me think it was the best I ever ate. Maybe kissing the chef had something to do with it.
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GA Russell
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Post by GA Russell »

Thanks guys, moose in particular! I suppose I should have said that I don't like Starbuck's, as I feel that their coffee is over-roasted for me. I have never heard of Peet's, but I guess that leaves them out as well.

I will research Ristretto!
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Post by ichabod »

I'd strongly recommend doing some research (and the research in question is quite taxing - it involves sitting in coffee houses and sipping coffee. . .) into local roasters.
Here in Denver I found that every time I was in a place and liked their espresso, it was Pablo's beans, so for my home use I buy Pablo's beans ($12 a pound, no delivery fee :D ). I also enjoy Khaladi Brothers beans, so get those occasionally.
A local roaster should be able to recommend one of their beans or blends after chatting to you, and should be reliable in terms of freshness of roasting date.
With that in mind, (and with no actual experience of their coffee but of their reputation) I'd say give Counter Culture a whirl if they're anything like convenient. (Other local places may be just as good. . . :wink: )
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Post by scruffy »

The cofee is ok; nothing special. It does not taste that fresh. For the price per pound, just goto a local roaster. The coffee at a roaster is roasted fresh and is usually priced at $12.99 lb so you save a little money and do not have to pay shipping. You will taste the difference.
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Post by fallingwickets »

Maybe kissing the chef had something to do with it.
37 thumbs up to that!

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Post by fallingwickets »

I envy you gents that have access to roasters. Living here in Nj is like living in a 253rd world country.....yeah even 3rd and 4th world countries have dam roasters :evil:

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GA Russell
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Post by GA Russell »

OK guys, thanks for all of your input. Here's the situation:

1) I signed up with Gevalia with the six dollar deal mentioned above.

2) Shortly after I did that, I found a better deal: 3 boxes for $3 with free shipping. With your third order they send you the free coffeemaker.

http://www.gevalia.com/continuity/quick ... vCjCvnDvxI

3) If that deal is tempting to you, let me know, because I can probably get you an even better deal through their "refer a friend" program.

4) Now I have found a local roaster who is only six miles from my home! I was aware of various cafes, but I don't think that this place serves coffee.

http://roastofthetownnc.com/
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Post by marsos52 »

i find the 8'0clock brand of coffee to be quite good..and the price is ok too

and its in most supermarkets around me..

starbucks brand it expensive and so oily...

french roast is my favorite,, i use a french press and a coffee bean grinder and i think that helps the flavor alot... arabia is arabia

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Post by Steve-o »

marsos52 wrote:i find the 8'0clock brand of coffee to be quite good..and the price is ok too
+1 on the 8 O'Clock -- for the money it's a very good coffee.

I've tried Gevalia a couple of times before. While it made an okay caffeine-delivery system, for me it was not memorable in a good way. At $18/pound delivered, I think you can do far better, and probably locally.
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Post by Squire »

My choice is to buy green beans and roast them myself.
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Post by Scrapyard Ape »

Squire wrote:My choice is to buy green beans and roast them myself.
Buy? BUY? I thought you would be trekking down to the mountains of Colombia and hand-picking your own. :wink:
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Post by marsos52 »

no greg,,,

thats not squire,,

i think your thinking of kav....haha

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Post by Scrapyard Ape »

marsos52 wrote:
thats not squire,
You are right. Squire probably has some woman to do it for him. :D
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Post by Squire »

:D
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Post by KAV »

If I was in Columbia it wouldn't be to pick coffee. I have a score to settle on the border for friend Terrance Freitas.

Roasting beans doesn't require a fancy set up. Cowboys; and the famous brand was Arbuckles, would roast green beans on the trail and then grind.
The movie image of a SAA Colt as grinder or hammer is fable. You do that abuse and the mainspring breaks it's pins. Coffee was a double Godsend. Caffeine is obvious, but most of the water was pretty iffy and boiling coffee made a safe drink.
There's a contemporary cowboy poet who tells of drinking water only to discover a dead cow just upstream. :shock:
Last edited by KAV on Thu Aug 26, 2010 9:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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GA Russell
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Post by GA Russell »

Now I see another deal. Amazon sells some of the Gevalia coffees, 1.5 pounds for $22.37; and if your order includes something else that takes your total over $25 you get free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/Gevalia-Breakfast ... B001L1DYAA
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