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Gevalia Coffeemaker Goes Kaput!
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Last week, I went through my usual routine of making coffee in the morning. After filling the water reservoir and putting ground coffee in a filter in the basin, I ran upstairs to do some work. A few minutes later, I noticed that I couldn’t smell any coffee. Usually after a few minutes I could smell the rich flavor of glorious coffee wafting through the home, but today that smell was gone. I walked downstairs and, to my horror, saw that the coffeemaker hadn’t made any coffee. The green “On” light was lit but the pot was empty! Try as I might, and this included opening it to see if there was an obvious problem but I couldn’t see one, I couldn’t get it to brew (or even heat up the platter). Boo! I need coffee! 
Sadly, I believe my coffeemaker is kaput.
The solution? I had two. I could either go to the local Wal-Mart/Target/Similar store and spend $20 on a coffeemaker (or buy this Mr. Coffee DRX5 4-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker and not leave my house)… or I could try Gevalia Kaffe again. I opted to go the route of the Gevalia Kaffe trial because for $15 you get a decent coffeemaker and two half-pound bags of coffee. The last time I tried two types of flavored coffee, because I’d never had flavored coffee before, but was less than pleased with it (nothing against Gevalia though, I think I just enjoy normal coffee).
The last time I did it, the offer was for a free coffeemaker and a travel mug for $5. The offer isn’t as sweet this time, this time I got a fancier looking 12 Cup Programmable Stainless Steel Coffeemaker (an estimated $100 value! Wow!), a Stainless Steel Coffee Scoop (a $10 value! Wow!), and two half pounds of coffee for $14.95 shipped. The two types I chose were French Roast and Le Procope, a choice from their European Coffeehouse Collection named after a fabled café in Rome (how could I not try it???).
Update: The offer for a free coffeemaker is part of a trial for their coffee-by-mail program. I’ll have to cancel my membership if I want to avoid getting coffee by mail and pay subscription fees.
I’m a fan of coffee, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not about to spend $20,000 on a coffeemaker. 
(Photo: woo-hoo)
{ 9 comments, please add your thoughts now! }
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Sadly, my coffee maker just went kaput, too. But instead of it being a tradition ‘drip and burn’ style, I had the glass of my French Press get broken. The new French Press that I replaced it with was significantly better at Target, and was $29.99. How about that? $30 for a manual coffee maker. I’m a bit of an OCD coffee consumer, but I do it this way to be cheaper than buying the higher end coffees that are high end in price, but not in quality (with a few exceptions). You might check out the french press in the future as it uses zero elecricity, but you do need to boil water, which does take some form of energy.
I just read up on French Presses and I’ve seen them before, used by someone in my last job’s office. Looks like I’d need a coarser grind of coffee than the one I’m using now but it’s certainly a good option if this new coffeemaker goes out in a few years. I’m not as particular about my coffee though the idea of not losing as much flavor and nutrients into a paper filter (plus you don’t need filters, which is a big plus) is very appealing.
Jim,
Don’t you need to cancel the program after you get the initial offer lest they continue to send coffee?
Jon
Yep, I’ll cancel once I get the coffeemaker.
I’m a huge coffee fan, and I love coffee in many different forms: the siphon is popular in Taiwan among older or Japanese coffee shops, but it does make good coffee. While I love espresso as much as the next guy, I enjoy the flavors of Mandheling or Brazilian or Java just as much. That’s why I do often go to Starbucks, since they really only make one kind of coffee but in a thousand ways. It’s perhaps Starbucks biggest weakness.
Kenneth
My Gevalia pot went out too! i called them and they sent me a new one!! I do buy the monthly coffee and love it!
Jennifer
Started my coffee as usual this morning in my Gevalia special stainless steel 12 cup coffee maker, when Half way thru, I smelled a “burning of plastic” smell in the kitchen. Luckily, I was standing close by, and unplugged the machine. Tried to clean it and gave it a thorough examination, but found no cause for the burning smell. Gave the process another try, and sure enough, the same burning occured. So that is that. Do you have a “replacement policy”? I will send you my name and address if you answer this note. Thanks,in advance, for your expected reply, I remain______________ Carlyne Jacob
How long from the order date does the coffee maker arrive? It’s been over 30 days, and no sign yet for me. My account online shows “Order processing, and should be shipped in 2 weeks”, but it has been this way for over a month.
Our coffeemaker did the same. I discovered the switch contacts melted and requires replacement. Anyone know of a place to buy a replacement switch??