The name Gevalia rings a bell for anyone with access to a computer or television within the past few years. The company resells premium coffee at premium prices. That in itself is nothing new in these days when Starbucks' upscale coffee bars litter the landscape. For less than the price Gevalia charges for two pounds of their gourmet roast, plus shipping and handling, a savvy shopper can pick up four pounds of equally good beans from their neighborhood market.

What makes ordering from Gevalia so attractive? Some marketing genius in Tarrytown, New York came up with a clever hook. By offering the consumer a free coffeemaker with the initial purchase of two half-pound bags of coffee, Gevalia gains exposure to a new group of clientele. When Susie Shopper plunks down her ten, fifteen or twenty dollars, she not only receives a shiny new appliance but she also joins the minions of those who promise to continue purchasing Gevalia on a regular basis as a bonafide member of that company's Direct Delivery Service.

Susie Shops Seriously on the Superhighway

We knew our bargain basement West Bend® coffeemaker had seen better days. After six years of serving us as a back-up or emergency tool, it began taking its own sweet time when automatically dripping our morning mud fix. Several acquaintances sung the praises of the gift with purchase Gevalia coffeemaker when I mentioned needing to do a little, Epinions style research before heading to the store to replace that sadly ailing West Bend.

Frugal by nature, I opted for the least expensive 10-cup model without all the bells and whistles. Equal Half wakes up early and likes to prepare the coffee when ready for a cup. We prefer to grind the beans immediately before the process. Setting up the coffeemaker the night before may be the expedient way but it makes for a less than ideal cup of coffee.

Clocks, digital and analog, abound in this house; the tiny display on a coffee machine is the last place I look for the correct time. We already own two coffee grinders and a thermal carafe or three, those features may seems attractive to some but not to us purists.

When it comes down to the wire, a basic coffee machine that actually makes good coffee fits our needs. Our impatient nature demands drip-stop or the ability to pause the flow in order to grab that most necessary first cup of the day. Other than those two essentials, our automatic drip coffeemaker requirements fall under the simple category.

The Out of Box Experience

One week after placing the order online, a happy postal employee delivered the large Gevalia emblazoned box. For the grand sum of ten dollars, I received:

· Gevalia (branded) 1-10 cup Coffee Machine -DL-series in Black
· Removable Filter Holder - Black
· Glass 10-cup Carafe
· Two bonus Gevalia logo Coffee Mugs
· Care and Use Instructions
· 1-year Global Marketing Association Limited Warranty
· 2 ½-pound foil vacuum bags of Gevalia Coffee
· Dimensions: 8¼" W x 9¼" D x 13" H
· 950 watts - 120 volts - AC only

The instruction manual suggests running two cycles of plain water through the machine before brewing coffee for the first time. The speed of the brewing cycle surprised me during the initial run so I timed the second cleaning attempt. Filled to ten-cup level and without coffee or a filter to impede the flow, the brewing stopped at three minutes. To someone accustomed to waiting ten or more minutes for that cycle to complete, the speedy process impressed me.

Calling this appliance stylish or beautiful might stretch the truth a bit. The utilitarian appearance works with my streamlined, monochromatic kitchen décor. (At the time I placed my order, the DL series color options were black, white and green.)

The major drawback from day one of Gevalia coffeemaker ownership rests with the fact that the darned thing teeters on minute rubber feet when empty. To be honest, the oversized disc-shape of the base should keep it from tipping in spite of the balance issue. Originally, I thought this was another case of receiving a bad apple but experience taught me that poor design is the culprit.

That knowledge due to experience resulted from my having to return the first DL-Series model. It suddenly quit brewing about five minutes before I picked up the phone to call Gevalia customer service. I explained the problem expecting someone to say, "What do you want for ten dollars?" Happily, the service rep apologized and sent a replacement that also wobbled on tiny rubber feet.

Features! Features! Features?

The coffeemaker continually provides a good cup of coffee. A clean coffee machine by any manufacturer always brews a better pot. The DL series offers easy access to the water reservoir by way of a large hinged lid. The ability to reach inside the unit to wipe down the tank after each use allows more time between those tedious decalcification routines.

An unexpected plus, the water level indicator provides a clear view of when filling the reservoir. A tiny red ball floats up or down with the water level during filling and brewing. White demarcation lines at the two, four, six, eight and ten-cup levels eliminate the chance of overfilling and subsequent overflow.

The swing-out filter basket earned a two thumbs-down from this caffeine junkie. Neither the instructions nor close inspection provided any clue to the manufacturer's plan for removal of this apparatus for thorough cleaning. After much debate and a bit of disappointment, we decided to make a practice of unplugging the coffeemaker, balancing the bulk of it in one side of our kitchen sink and swinging the filter-basket into the other sink for daily cleaning. The process is cumbersome but it works. Keeping the swing-out filter basket clean assures that the drip stop mechanism remains unclogged by errant grounds.

A small rotary dial located at the base of the attached swing-out basket controls the strength of the resulting brew. At the strongest setting, it really does a great job of extending the time the grounds remain saturated before filtering the coffee into the glass carafe. Unsure if changing the setting really made a difference, we tried brewing a pot each from the same amount of grounds at the low and medium settings. The difference in color, flavor and body is evident; we now keep that dial set at strong on a permanent basis. It takes a little longer to brew but the results satisfy our needs and make the wait worthwhile.

The filter holder basket, which fits neatly inside the swing-out filter basket, holds #4 cone shaped filters. A fold-down, u-shaped handle rests across one-half of the basket's top edge. A tight seal forms with the filter holder basket seated firmly in place.

Both the removable basket and the glass carafe are dishwasher safe. Once again, we found no directions for removing the lid from the glass carafe anywhere n the instruction pamphlet. The lid does snap off with a bit of careful wiggling and snaps back in place with steady pressure. The design, once again, is not ideal but the coffee the machine brews is good enough to make those few drawbacks appear minor.

Recessed into the base of the coffee maker, the non-stick coated hot plate keeps the coffee at just the right temperature. Other coffee makers we owned in the past either kept the coffee nearly boiling hot or provided a tepid excuse for a cup of our favorite brew.

While the temperature is ideal, this machine requires a little more thought than other basic models by other manufacturers. The missing safety feature, one that I miss, is the automatic turn-off after a set time - usually two hours. The small background light behind the round red toggle switch indicates if the appliance is turned on. Truthfully, a brighter bulb would make an at-a-glance determination much simpler.

Recall Alert

The practice of researching products online came up with a recall notice on this particular line. The model I own is not part of the recall according to the specifics listed on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Office of Information and Public Affairs November 21, 2001 recall alert. Earlier models in the product line were subject to recall according to the following release:

"CPSC, Gevalia Coffee Announce Recall of Coffeemakers

PRODUCT: Coffeemakers - Gevalia Coffee of Tarrytown, N.Y., is voluntarily recalling about 15,000 automatic drip coffeemakers. The recalled coffeemaker is model DL 10 and date coded 0801 and 0901. It is white, black or green with "Gevalia" written on the front. Gevalia distributed these coffeemakers through mail order coffee promotions nationwide between August 2001 and October 2001 as a free gift.

PROBLEM: Coffeemakers can overflow presenting a serious risk of burn injuries to consumers.

INCIDENTS/INJURIES: Gevalia has received 11 reports of overflow incidents resulting in eight burn injuries. One consumer received second- degree burns.

WHAT TO DO: Consumers should stop using these coffeemakers immediately and call Gevalia toll free at (800) 325-3190 between 7a.m. and 10 p.m. ET Monday through Friday for information on how to receive a free replacement."

Gevalia's telephone representatives assured me that they stopped supplying consumers the problematic coffee machines when made aware of the issues.

Gevalia by Any Other Name…

Misinformation abounds on the Internet, but you knew that. Acquaintances informed me that the free coffeemakers offered by Gevalia were actually manufactured by Krups, Cuisinart and other well-known brands. That may have been the case in the past but, today - it's just not so. When my coffeemaker arrived, I looked for the reported brand name etched into the bottom of the machine's base and for any indication of its origin. Finding nothing, I used the supplied toll-free 800-number in hope of some clarification on the matter.

Two conversations with Gevalia representatives including one patch-through to a customer service supervisor left me scratching my head in wonder. I believe those representatives take mandatory sidestepping classes during breaks. I asked who manufactured my coffeemaker. All representatives suggested I check the enclosed reading materials, packing slip, carton and the base of the machine. Aside from finding a reference to Global Marketing on some of the above, I found no mention of any highly regarded brand name.

Finally, the supervisor informed me the company is aware of the rumors concerning the point of origin of the free coffeemakers. Gevalia does sell versions of Krups, Cuisinart, Black & Decker, Capresso and other recognizable name brands and some of those products do carry a Gevalia double brand plate. This is not the case with the free coffee machines, most of which come from some unnamed plant in China.

Finally Finito!

In my estimation, the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to free coffee machines. The Gevalia (branded) 1-10 cup DL-series Coffee Machine makes a good pot of coffee in less than five minutes even on the strongest setting.

Trying Gevalia coffee and receiving the various gifts with purchase may or may not appeal to everyone. We ended up with a decent basic coffeemaker and the opportunity to try some better than average coffee for ten dollars. Besides, the price being righter than right, our model already outlived its warranty making this endeavor a win-win situation all the way.

So, if some late night while surfing the net or watching old movies you happen upon a great deal from Gevalia, take a chance - after all, sometimes it pays to bet on a gift horse.



Recommended: Yes