2008 Advisor
AWESOMEMOM88
Montgomery, IL

Like the coffee, somewhat overrated.

3 star rating

Practical, a coffeeholic, a discerning consumer, value conscious
Pros

    Coffee ready when you want, adjustable number of cups, came free with the membership

Cons
    lightweight materials, Leaves grinds on the top of carafe, Messy if filter not in right, works best only if you buy special items, hard to clean properly

JUN
9
2008
I got involved with the Gevalia program, and did get to try some really excellent coffees, although the price per use was what I consider pretty high for a product that was packaged and sealed and then sent to me...I prefer to get things fresher if I can.  Anyway, part of my package membership was the coffeemaker, and I was certainly excited about a new coffee maker-embarassing to say that my old Mr. Coffee was older than my son....so when it arrived, we anxiously unwrapped and removed it from the carton, only to discover that the coffee maker was part of the program, but the filters were not.  Had to make a run to the store before my morning coffee in order to make coffee...not an auspicious beginning.  They couldn't even throw in one single filter to give you a sample of the size and type which work best....I purchased my paper filters, and was somewhat distressed by the amount of grounds turning up in the bottom of my pot...After reading the manual, I discovered that the permanent gold filter, which can be bought for a nominal fee, plus shipping, plus handling is the preferred brewing method for this machine....I elected not to spend further money, and just double my filters creating a pocket for the ground between the two filters, which seems to keep the grounds where they belong.   As I switch up coffees alot, for variety sake, a clean coffee maker is essential, so you don't get bleed through flavors from last week's choice....I find this  particular coffeemaker a rather tough clean, and the water resevior seems to stain very readily...I don't even have particularly hard water.  It is much slower to brew than my Mr. Coffee.  I presume that there isn't as much pressure as the water filters down through the beans...And the carafe already seems to be pitted where I can't completely clean it after just a few months of regular use.  The top of the carafe is permanently discolored and no amount of vinegar, baking soda, or shudder the thought "coffee maker cleaner" seems to change that telltale brown staining where the coffee passes from the grounds down to the carafe.  The glass of the carafe is really lightweight, and of course, you can buy replacement carafes by ordering them through Gevalia with shipping and handling etc.   I am not expecting this coffee maker to stand up to the same wear and tear that my Mr. Coffee did, or to last as long...It seems as if the materials which it is made from are much lighter duty and designed to generate lots of money in replacing the carafe etc.   The basket in which the filter and grounds goes is just disgusting looking inside as it doesn't clean well either.  I decided after about four months that the coffee was good but not that good relative to price....the coffee maker seems to be the same story.  It does what it says it will do, but as I can't clean it to my satisfaction, it isn't going to last terribly long in my household.   I am already dropping hints for a birthday replacement item...I know that there are those folks out there, to whom cleaning a coffee pot or coffee maker is darn close to sacrilege.  They brew day after day in something that might be declared a toxic waste hazard, and swear the coffee is the best (and that is why there is chocolate and vanilla ice cream-different tastes)  I am not one of them.  I like a modicum of sanitation in my coffee enjoyment, and the Gevalia coffee maker doesn't give me that option, plus I am going through double the filters so that I don't have to chew my coffee.  I imagine that I would have enjoyed my Gevalia alot more in the old coffee maker, and maybe the two together is what soured me on both.



I_thumb_down Gevalia 12-Cup Coffee Maker is not recommended by AWESOMEMOM88

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3 star rating
"Brews good coffee - but makes a mess...."
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4 star rating
"Great Freebie! "



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