I got my Java Jolt from the Krups Gevalia 4-Cup Coffee Maker for years!
Written: Oct 21 '02 (Updated Apr 18 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Perfect small size for singles, office, dorm, travel
Cons: Too small for some, $38 shipments of coffee
The Bottom Line: Good coffee, and a nice utilitarian small coffee maker! Great for small spaces and those who only need a little coffee at a time.
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| elainehn's Full Review: Krups Gevalia 4-Cup Coffee Maker |
I was first introduced to the Krups Gevalia 4-Cup Coffee Maker and unbelievable number of years ago when I was in college and my mom signed up with Gevalia Kaffee through an add and mail-in card in Southern Living ... yes, a real life hard copy print magazine this was before I'd even heard of the internet! For $10 she received two packages of Gevalia Kaffee special blend coffee and a 'FREE' four cup coffee maker. When I first saw the cute little coffee maker, I thought surely she would give it to me for my dorm room. But alas, mom actually wanted this scaled down little drip coffee maker! She said it would be perfect to pack when traveling (this was before coffee makers in hotel rooms became quite as common as they are now-days, and mom and dad don't splurge on 'luxury' travel anyway ...)
But even though she had denied me the coffee maker *snif snif pout*, mom did give me the 'Tell a Friend' card from her Gevalia shippment. For just $10, I could sign up for my very own tiny coffee maker and gourmet coffee ... and I did!
My package soon arrived, complete with a small Krups Gevalia 4-Cup Coffee Maker and two packages of Gevalia coffee. I was in coffee heaven! The coffee maker itself works just like any other full sized drip coffee maker. You place a filter into the coffee compartment, add the desired amount of coffee, use the pot to measure out the correct amount of water, pour it into the maker, place the pot under the drip basket, turn the unit on, and in just moments you have hot fresh delicious smelling and tasting coffee! It's easy to use if you know the basics of how to make coffee (which even my 11 year old does) though it doesn't have any programmable functions that allow you 'wake up to already brewed coffee' ease. This is an 850 watt unit. The heating element and warming plate work just as they do in a full sized drip coffee maker ... the coffee is just as hot and just as tasty.
Over the years, the design of the Krups Gevalia 4-Cup Coffee Maker has changed slightly. My unit was compact and attractive, but today's version is even more sleekly designed and should blend well in almost any decor. Many people prefer the current 'swing out' filter basket over the older baskets that you removed completely. I see advantages and disadvantages of both, but nothing significant to make me prefer one over the other. The main body of the unit is a sturdy durable plastic and the coffee pot itself is glass. The coffee maker is available in white, black, or dark green. I didn't use my Krups Gevalia 4-Cup Coffee Maker on a daily basis, but did use it several times a week ... and it lasted many many years. It was still working when I packed it away and began using a full-sized maker. I can't say exactly how long the little unit will hold up under daily use, but I feel comfortable saying that this is a reliable good quality 4-cup coffee maker, and that Krups did not throw together a shoddy unit just because it's smaller.
The best part for me was the fact that I could make a very small pot of coffee and not have so much waste. The pot is marked as 4 'cups', but these are small 'cup & saucer' size cups ... the unit makes 2 decent size mugs of coffee. I realize that you can make smaller amounts of coffee in your standard 10 or 12 cup drip coffee maker, but for some reason, to me, making less than half a pot never seemed to work out as well. Someone has told me that it's because if you try to make only 2-4 cups in a larger coffee maker, the coffee grounds are so spread out, and the water drips through so quickly that you don't get the same flavor properties as you do when you make a more full pot ... or when you use a coffee maker specifically designed to make a smaller amount of coffee.
One drawback, but it's a minor one, to the Krups Gevalia 4-Cup Coffee Maker is that you will need to purchase the small (#2, I believe) sized cone coffee filters. Standard 'Mr. Coffee' type basket filters which you may have on hand, will not fit into this smaller machine. These special sized filters are a bit harder to find, though not that difficult ... and may be a bit more expensive, though again, not that expensive. You'lll receive a small package, (I can't remember if it's 5 or 10) with your unit, but you can purchase more in almost any grocery store or at various places on-line. Many coffee lovers suggest oxygen whitened or unbleached, as opposed to bleached, coffee filters for the most enjoyable coffee flavor.
One benefit, is the small size of the unit itself. If you live in a small apartment or dorm room, or wish to use the coffee maker in your office, an RV, while traveling, or in any other situation in which space is at a premium, this small unit will definitely take up much less space than a full sized coffee maker. The difference in a full sized and mini-coffee maker may not seem significant in the scheme of things for most home owners, but when sharing one 12x15 room with another college student, or living in an efficiency apartment, one learns that every spare inch of space counts. Unfortunately, I no longer have this coffee maker (now married to a coffee-a-holic and with a large kitchen we've moved on to a full sized coffee maker) and cannot offer exact measurements. I do know that the base of the unit is only slightly larger than a large travel mug, and the unit is designed to be as compact as possible for it's size. The glass coffee pot itself is approximately 4 inches high and about the same in diameter. So I'm guestimating that the unit itself is something like 5"wide x 6"deep x 8"high ... but again, this is a very rough, from memory, estimate. If I can find exact measurements, I'll be sure to edit them in.
The Krups Gevalia 4-Cup Coffee Maker is not programmable and does not automatically turn off after a certain amount of time. If you wish to have early morning coffee as conveniently as possible, you can set up the unit the night before, with coffee and water already in place, and all you'll have to do upon waking is switch the unit from Off to On ... coffee will quite likely be ready by the time you return from the bathroom. But you do need to remember to turn the unit OFF! Burnt coffee smells horrible ... and even good quality glass pots will eventually crack if left to burn dry for too long.
If you are purchasing a Krups coffee maker, as opposed to receiving the Krups Gevalia 4-Cup Coffee Maker as a gift when subscribing to Gevalia's home delivery service, and if size is not a factor, you may want to go with a coffee maker with more bells and whistles ... something programmable, or with an automatic 'Off' function or with brew selections, etc. This is a good little coffee maker, but it is just the bare basics which may not be enough for some folks. Because of the small size of the spout, water/coffee may drip a bit from the pot spout if you try to pour too quickly ... so either slow down, or get used to needing to dry the counter.
Also, when purchasing, price is not a major factor in deciding between this small 4-cup maker and the larger 10-cup basic Krups drip coffee maker. The smaller is listed for $19.99-$24.99 in various on-line stores and the larger is listed for $24.99-$29.99 ... so if you shop around the difference in price between the small and large unit is probably only going to be $5 or so. However, the best bargain will be if you use Gevalia's special offer and get the coffee maker and two packages of coffee for $10. Though you will then have to decide whether you wish to continue to receive shipments of Gevalia coffee or to cancel your subscription to their service.
Gevalia Kaffee's Special Deal
I've seen various versions of their 'get aquanted' offer throughout the years ... and the package deal sometimes differs depending on how you find out about the offer (magazine, direct mailing, on-line, e-mail, refer a friend, etc.) But basically what you receive is usually the Krups Gevalia 4-Cup Coffee Maker plus two packages of Gevalia Kaffee coffee, and possible some small 'extras'. Gevalia sometimes offers the full sized 10-cup Krups Coffee maker instead of the smaller 4-cup unit as their FREE gift. (I believe that is the current promotion on their web site.)
You will then receive automatic mailings of Gevalia coffee on a regular basis, unless you cancel your subscription to their service. These shipments can be EXPENSIVE ... $38 (including postage and S&H) for 4 very small 1/2 lb. bags of Kenya ground coffee. This is good coffee, and this amount would last me alone for a very long time. But someone who drinks lots of coffee and is more frugal than coffee-snobbish might want to look for better deals on coffee in their local grocery store. If Gevalia coffee is within your budget, and you don't mind the cost, then their selection and home delivery may be worth the cost for you.
If you do choose to continue your Gevaila subscription, you can customize your packages and shipment times to fit your needs. You can have packages sent as often as every 2 weeks, or as seldomly as once every 26 weeks, or anywhere in between. You can choose regular or decaf (in most types), a variety of roasts, and from a variety of coffees including: Light Roast, Traditional Roast, Stockholm Roast, Dark Roast, Espresso Roast (whole bean 7 oz.) and Colombia, Mocca Java, Kenya, Costa Rica Peaberry, Kona, Jamaica Blue Mountain. There is also a large selection of flavored coffees and teas available.
You can find out more about Gevalia's coffees, their special promotions, etc. by visiting their website.
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P.S. You can also find this 4-cup coffee maker for only $9.99 at the Graveyard Mall. I've never ordered from them, and I can't vouche for their service or reliability, but I've enjoyed surfing and 'window shopping' their site for closeout bargains. If I ever order from them, I'll edit in more info!
Recommended:
Yes
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elainehn
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Member: Elaine HN
Location: Near Atlanta, GA
Reviews written: 221
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