Gevalia Coffee Review – Everything You Need to Know About It

gevalia coffee

Whether you’ve heard of Gevalia brand coffee before, this Swedish coffee company has nearly 170 years’ worth of stories to tell. Yet, we’re not going to bore you with all of the nitty-gritty details since they’ve upped their coffee game to bring you the very best of specialized roasted coffee and exciting new products. Here is our Gevalia coffee review showcasing their finest coffee selections.

Most Popular Ground and Whole Bean Offerings

Pros and Cons of Gevalia grounds

Because Gevalia offers many different roasts and blends of coffee, this makes it hard to compare apples to oranges. Here is a generalized list of what we discovered to separate the Pros from the Cons.

 Pros:

– Unless you’re used to drinking corporate coffee including Starbucks, Costa Coffee, or even Dunkin’ Donuts, the coffee grounds from Gevalia coffee are still several times higher in quality, in terms of flavor.

– Many off-the-shelf brands such as Maxwell House and Folgers don’t compare to Gevalia grounds and are considered an instant switch after trying Gevali for the first time.

– If you enjoy decaffeinated coffee, Gevalia produces a richer and bolder cup with an amazing 99.7% amount of caffeine removed.

– Cold brew coffee is especially savory for those who enjoy unsweetened ground coffee made from the cold brew method.

– The best-kept secret is the highly reasonable price, considering this is a Swedish import.

Cons:

– Despite the packaging being vacuum sealed, some select bean roasts have tasted different when compared together. This can be due to coffee bean harvest times or the sourcing from various bean growers.

– The grind size for most of the Gevalia coffee grounds happens to be finer than American-style coffee grounds. Not all of their grind ratio is best suited for making French roast or cold brew coffee.

Special reserve

This selection of special reserve coffee grounds includes Kenyan, Costa Rican, Guatemalan, and Papua New Guinea. Each coffee type features its own select regional flavor and grind type, which is often difficult to separate the pros and cons depending on the intended brewing method. Here are some things to consider

Pros:

– The variety of grind types will allow you to adjust your brewing preference better for making coffee variants such as espresso through French roast.

– The flavor profiles can further allow you to determine which region is the best tasting for your palate. This includes the best coffee for mornings, after dinner, or blended creations.

– The packaging information contains the expiration date and will tell you how long they are good for. Putting them in the freezer will extend this even further until you use these coffee grounds.

Cons:

– Once you open a bag of Gevalia, you’ll have to store the remaining grounds inside an airtight container so the grounds can stay fresher.

– If you don’t like a specific type of special reserve, you’re better off gifting the leftover coffee grounds to a friend.

– Special reserve coffee can be much more expensive than their general blended coffee line.

Gevalia K-cup coffee pods review

Pros and Cons of Gevalia K-cups

K-cups are designed to be used on Keurig 2.0 machines (check our article if you want to know more about the best Keurig coffee makers) and aren’t compatible with Nespresso or other types of coffee pod machines. It’s a vicious circle when it comes to coffee pods

Pros:

– There are a variety of flavors that Gevalia offers complete with all different types of roasts.

– These specific K-cups can work for both the Keurig 1.0 single-serve machine and the 2.0 coffee makers.

– Decaf is available in their signature blend series for those who like drinking decaf coffee.

Cons:

Aside from K-cups being pricy side, their dark roast is especially pricy because of the caffeine levels.

– Some customers have complained that the sealant around the Gevalia K-cup lid comes loose when it’s brewing. This can be solved by placing a cut-out lid from a previous K-cup over the top to act as a washer. This trick also works with imposter K-cup brands that trick the Keurig coffee machine into thinking that generic K-cups are authentic.

Espresso K-cup creamer pods and froth packets

This section isn’t limited to K-cups and can include instant pour packets. The instant pour packets are only effective if you use a small battery-operated frothing mixer. When you’re using the K-cup versions, this gives just the right amount of Bar pressure that helps to create frothy flavor and real freeze-dried milk into your cup of coffee.

Pros:

– Gevalia offers a wide variety of flavors that aren’t limited to seasonal tastes.

– Compared to the cost of coffee shops and corporate coffee brands, Gevalia creamers and flavors are cost-effective.

Cons:

– It’s best to buy these creamers and flavors in bulk so the cost difference buying small amounts isn’t as expensive.

– The creamer and flavor packets are no different than any other off-the-shelf flavor packets aside from versions that contain real freeze-dried milk.

Gevalia French Roast Coffee

French roast is a sacred type of coffee that many people either love or hate. It’s typically a stronger flavor than most coffee lovers enjoy but is also a stepping stone into the world of richer and deeper flavors that go along with any French roast experience. If you’re looking for a very European flavor that is combining Columbian and Brazilian coffee beans, this is your best choice.

Pros:

– Their coffee grounds are somewhere in the middle of moist and slightly oily which gives you a hearty and flavorful Arabic coffee bean flavor.

– The aroma that hits you even before you brew this coffee includes a strong scent of cocoa and dark roasted coffee beans.

Cons:

– Their coffee grounds will not be suitable for French Press or cold-brewed coffee.

– Some people may not enjoy the strong acidic flavor that this one has, which isn’t typical for French roast coffee.

Which Gevalia grounds are best for a French roast?

It’s best to buy whole beans from Gevalia for making French roast, especially so you can adjust the grind setting. Gevalia offers a regular French roast and a dark roast. It’s better to stick with the regular roast since this is not as strong tasting as the dark roast.

Gevalia Colombian Coffee

Pros:

– Their Columbia coffee is perfect for French press and cold brew since the grind setting is close to table salt grain size.

Cons:

– Do not drink this coffee if you get a package that has an expiration date that matches our current year. It will taste stale and bitter otherwise.

Instant Coffee Kits – Gevalia Café at Home

Instant coffee kits include premade coffee mixed such as cappuccinos and lattes. These are perfect for serving your guests, but like any other flavored coffee mixes, you’ll also have some issues.

Pros:

– Lattes and Frappes are typically thicker making these nice and smooth with a milkshake-like texture.

– These K-cup flavors don’t contain coconut oil which is notorious for those who are allergic to coconut oil.

Cons:

– You might have to use 2 K-cups to get a larger portion serving cup. These make a decent coffee mug serving only.

– The cost difference is much more expensive than their regular K-cup coffee brands.

Gevalia Coffee Maker

Oddly enough, Gevalia only makes coffee products and doesn’t make coffee makers of any kind. Their whole beans can be ground up and used in any standard coffee maker or the grounds can be placed into reusable filter coffee pods that will fit into your favorite coffee pod machine.

Pros:

– Their K-cup line of coffee delivers the freshest brand of coffee aside from grinding and brewing the beans yourself.

– Whole beans can be placed into filter pods that are meant for other types of coffee pod machines, which might be more cost-effective than buying K-cup pods.

Cons:

Gevalia only makes K-cup pods that only fit into the Keurig 2.0 coffee pod machine. It will also fit into a 1.0 if you own this earlier model.

About Gevalia

Is Gevalia coffee good?

Compared to domestic coffee brands that you find in the US, all Gevalia coffee is a step upward. If you’re used to the flavor of European coffee such as Lavazza, Melitta, Jacobs, and Segafredo, you’ll find that Gevalia is reasonable and full-bodied when it comes to flavor. Swedish people love strong coffee in general, so most of their coffee has to have a platform, where it starts at 10 out of 10 for flavor and original coffee blends.

How is Gevalia coffee processed?

Gevalia beans are shipped to their processing factory where they are as green as can be. They are then washed to remove the coffee cherry pulp that’s leftover after coffee beans are collected. After this, they are dried and roasted to the appropriate level that’s marketed. These beans are also flash cooled after being roasted so the beans don’t continue to cook internally. After this, roasted beans are packaged or ground up and then packaged.

Is Gevalia coffee organic?

Defining organic coffee is simply not something that is regulated in the coffee industry anymore. Organic coffee that is found growing in the wild with no farmers regulating a crop is considered 100% organic. What you will find with Gevalia coffee is coffee that is grown by farmers who are sourcing their coffee beans to many companies including Gevalia. It is not organically grown in any sense of the word.

Is Gavelia coffee shade grown?

None of their current coffee beans is shade-grown which doesn’t make any sense anyway. Coffee beans are actually grown as a coffee cherry and require light for the coffee bush to grow effectively. If coffee beans grow in the shade, it cuts back on using pesticides and animal habitation within coffee bushes. It doesn’t change the flavor a single bit aside from charging more money for an eco-friendly-sounding product.

Who owns Gevalia coffee?

Another major coffee company that is known throughout Europe is Jacobs Douwe Egberts which is the current parent company of Gevalia. This ownership changed hands in 2015 from their previous parent company General Foods. The Gevalia Company spent its first 120 years being run by family members before it was initially sold in 1971 to the Mondeléz International Company and later developed into the General Foods Company.

Gevalia: Interesting Facts

Most people don’t know that Gevalia also sold tea, but switched to coffee since this was more lucrative and profitable. They create 40% of the coffee that is sold to all of Sweden. Their beans are also slow-roasted rather than using high heat to roast beans which delivers better-tasting coffee. Not all of their beans are roasted and packaged in Sweden since much of the US market currently creates Gevalia coffee domestically to beat the import costs.

Final Verdict

The Gevalia brand of coffee is an experience that embraces coffee lovers and brings a unique European taste to their coffee flavors. it’s the same coffee beans that you could essentially buy on Amazon if you like roasting your own beans, but Gevalia put a bit of Swedish effort into their coffee roasting process. It’s also smartly marketed and has a bright and cheerful packaging that stands out, making it easy to spot Gevalia on the shelf.

We recommend buying whole Gevalia coffee beans so you can enjoy getting the maximum flavor without much loss from buying pre-ground coffee. This way, you can make your own Gevalia coffee review and compare both versions for a taste comparison. If you haven’t tried Gevalia coffee yet, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the improved flavors over the typical brands you might be used to already.


Giacomo is an Italian living in Shanghai since 2016. After working as a barista in Italy, he started to be more interested in the different types of coffee, beans, and the ways to prepare this ancient beverage. He founded Authority Coffee and he is currently on a mission to find the best coffee in China.