Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast: My Review with Photos

gevalia columbia medium roast bag of coffee and cups of coffee

by Nigel Ong

Colombian coffee is known for its citrusy, chocolate-like notes. As a result, many roasteries offer Colombian roasts in their coffees. Gevalia is not an exception – its Colombian roasts are very popular with coffee drinkers.

In this post, I thought I would give Gevalia’s Colombian Medium Roast a tryout. I’ll brew them three ways and sample them. Then, I’ll try the coffee with popular flavorings such as milk or sugar. 

Finally, I’ll compare the coffee with its contemporaries and see if it is up to scratch. Let’s go.

About Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast

Gevalia may be based in Chicago, IL, today, but its roots are far away. In 1853, Thomas Engall started the Gevalia coffee company in Gavle, Sweden. The idea is to import high-quality coffee and sell it to the Swedes. 

The company has since made its move to the US, but it retains its philosophy and approach to sourcing and roasting. 

Gevalia is known to use snap cooling in its roasting. In snap cooling, once the coffee is roasted to its desired level, it is taken out and instantly cooled down. 

This prevents the excess heat inside the beans from continuing roasting, causing the beans to be over-roasted. As a result, they can produce beans closer to their planned flavors.

Gevalia coffees are wide-ranged. You can choose from blends, specialty coffees, and K-cups. You should also be able to locate them on your store aisles easily since their packaging is also very bright yellow. 

For this review, I picked up the Colombian roast. It is a medium roast and comes as a coffee ground. It is made from 100% Arabica beans. The packaging details the flavors as rich, bold, and aromatic. 

gevalia coffee made as a pour over

How Does Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast Taste?

First Impressions

When I opened the coffee bag, I noticed the fragrant smell of coffee. The smell is fresh and slightly acidic, but not to the point you will worry if the coffee has issues. 

The coffee ground is rather fine, but I can see Gevalia made it for the most popular brewing method – the drip machine. If you want to use the brew for espresso, grind it finer.

Alright, enough with the descriptions. Let’s get brewing. 

French Press

My first brew is with a French press. This brewing method helps me to sample the coffee with all its oils and fine particles. I expect a murky, full-flavored coffee with lots of fine particles with the French press. 

I use my trusty Bodum Caffettiera French press for this one, although you can always use your French press of choice. If you prefer, IKEA’s Upphetta French press is a cheaper option

I added 15 grams of coffee and 180ml of hot water at around 185°F (about 85°C). I let the concoction brew for 4 minutes before pouring a cup and starting the sampling process.

The coffee has a bold aroma and carries an earthy smell with some cocoa notes. Sipping the coffee is smooth and easy and does not smash my palate with smoke and bitterness. 

My tongue first picked up some bright, citrus notes, perhaps lemon or lime. However, as the coffee settles on my palate, I notice darker, deeper flavors coming out. I would describe it as woody and earthy, with cocoa hints. 

The cocoa note is actually quite prominent in this coffee. My kitchen actually smells of coffee and cocoa as I brew the coffee. The coffee also tastes good too.

Overall, this is a great cup of coffee, and I thoroughly enjoyed my cup. I pulled out several pieces of Graham crackers to munch along as I sampled the Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast.

Pour Over With Filter Paper

I brewed the coffee again, using a pour-over method with filter paper. This best simulates the regular coffee brewer most of us have at home. 

Plus, the filter paper helps to filter away coffee particles and some coffee oils, allowing me to enjoy a ‘cleaner’ version of the coffee. I use the following gear for this brewing method, as well as the pour-over brewing method from Starbucks:

To me, pour-over coffee tastes cleaner, with fewer particles and oils. I am also able to get a different take on the coffee. The filter paper removes the particles, making the coffee less bitter, smokey, and intense.

I picked up more acidity from a pour-over cup with stronger citrus notes. However, it gives away after the sip and is taken over by the deep woody and cocoa notes. 

I particularly enjoyed the finish. After I swallow, my tongue has a lingering, slightly sweet taste. I would describe it as chocolate or caramel-like, but I am not too sure. This is less evident in the French press cup.

Espresso

Gevalia Colombian is a medium roast, which is not commonly used to make espresso. However, an espresso shot should help me better sample the coffee’s flavor as it is more concentrated.

I grabbed my Wacaco Minipresso GR and pulled a shot. The coffee ground is coarser, so I first ground it to a finer consistency. 

What I get is a fresh-smelling espresso with rich, thick crema. The crema does not smell smoky and has a stronger citrusy aroma with a woody, cocoa-like base. 

The initial sip is interesting, as I think the crema is more acidic. At the same time, the coffee itself is earthy and woody. Unlike regular espresso roasts, it does not smash my palate with smoke and bitterness.

The blending of flavors makes this a refreshing espresso, although it would not compete against traditional espressos. It does not have to.

What Flavoring Works Best With Gevalia Colombian?

I decided to try the coffee with flavorings, as many like adding things to their black coffee. I experimented with sweeteners, milk, creamers, and some ice for this post.

Sugar

Probably the most popular flavoring for coffee, I added a stick of granulated brown sugar to my coffee. I stirred them in and then took slow sips. 

The sweetness combines well with the coffee, complementing and not competing. Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast is not a smokey coffee, meaning the sugar does not have to compete with the smoke.

Instead, it blends into the woody notes and turns the dark cocoa notes slightly chocolatey. Excellent combination.

The sweetness also takes out the citrusy notes slightly. You get a very balanced, rounded cup with sugar.

Milk

Aside from sugar, the most popular additive to coffee maybe milk. Most people like some fat in their coffee, including yours truly here. 

I added a shot of warm milk to my cup of Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast. I used whole, fresh UHT cow’s milk here. The coffee turns into a murky brown color, looking very inviting indeed.

The milk helps to remove some of the acidity in the coffee. The coffee is less citrusy in the beginning, which should help if you dislike acidic coffee. The lactose in the milk also helps to make the coffee slightly sweet.

The milk also helps to enhance the cocoa and woody notes in the coffee, making it a very indulgent cup.

Creamer

Not everyone can tolerate milk, but still, they like a creamy cup of coffee. There’s the creamer, and I’ll try my next cup with some. Here, I emptied two sticks of Coffee Mate creamers into my cup of Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast.

Creamers add more creaminess to coffee than milk in general, and this is the same. Two sticks work out fine for me, but I like stronger cream with my coffee. Three is too much and drowns out the coffee, really. 

The stronger creamy notes help to cut into the acidic taste more, making it even less citrusy. It also strengthens the cocoa-like notes of the coffee. 

I think I prefer the milk version because it tastes more natural. I also like a bit of acidity in my coffee, and the slight sweetness from natural milk is also very nice.

Sweetener

Like creamers, people are waiting for their sugar intake today and using more artificial sweeteners. I have the Equal artificial sweetener and drop a single drop into my fresh cup of Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast.

The coffee tasted sweet but somehow a little odd. I find it not cutting into the citrusy notes much but leaving a sweet finish instead. Also, I don’t particularly appreciate how my mouth feels sweet long after I finish the coffee. 

I’m not a fan of artificial sweeteners, especially Aspartame, like in Equal.

Ice

Finally, I made the coffee and added some ice to cool it down. The Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast tastes ok with ice. I think there are better-tasting alternatives out there.

It has a stranger’s acidity and a more muted woody cocoa note. It tastes a bit more bitter than the hot cup but does not give enough of the good, deep bitterness from a cup of iced Americano.

Gevalia coffee compared with starbucks, mcdonalds and folgers

Gevalia Colombian vs. Regular Medium Roasts

Since the Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast is a medium roast, I will compare it against other regular medium roasts in my collection. 

These are not premium or single-origin roasts. Those may be too good to be compared with Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast. These regular roasts are:

  • Starbucks Pike Place Blend
  • Starbucks Breakfast Blend
  • Folgers 1850 Pioneer Blend
  • McCafe Premium Roast
  • Starbucks House Blend

The Colombian roast tastes the best in the bunch, maybe equal to the McCafe Premium Roast. It is balanced in flavor yet has that hint of chocolatey goodness McCafe Premium Roast lacks. 

Pike Place Blend just smashes my mouth with smoke, while the rest lacks edginess in the taste. The Folgers 1850 Pioneer roast stands out slightly. Still, it lacks those deep cocoa notes that made Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast so satisfying.

gevalia columbia coffee compared to 7-11 coffee

Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast vs. Regular Coffee

I always make it a point to compare coffee roasts to the regular coffee from gas stations or convenience stores. The idea is to see if it is worth spending a bit more time making the coffee at home and not buying mediocre coffee from these places. 

As usual, I picked up another cup of Americano at my local 7-Eleven and sipped it with my Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast.

My verdict? The Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast is much better. It has more flavor and depth, leaving me much more satisfied than regular coffee. It is weak, a little flat, and watery too.

Just put in some effort, brew your cup at home, and save money. You get to drink better coffee, too.

Who Should Drink Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast?

I actually like this coffee. It is a balanced coffee with a citrus-forward flavor and a base of woody, cocoa-like notes. It is well blended; Gevalia’s hard work will make many palates happy, including mine.

The Gevalia Colombian Medium Roast is perfect for those looking to drink something good for everyday coffee. It is not too expensive, and at the same time, it tastes good enough to enjoy on a slow day. 

However, if you are busy and just need to smash your throat with coffee, this will be fine, too. You can savor it; you can also gulp it without feeling wasteful.

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