Coffee, anyone? (A Giveaway!)

Hi, there. No, I didn't fall off the planet, although I seem to have fallen (way) behind on my 366 Pictures project. That happens when you have 2 kids and both of them get sick and you have 2 dogs and then they get sick and then you get the Shingles and your motivation to use a computer in the evening ends up somewhere by the wayside.

Anywho.

I was recently given the opportunity to review the new Gevalia coffee that is available in regular grocery stores instead of just online!! If you've had Gevalia before, you know they take their coffee seriously. Gevalia has been refining the art of luxurious coffee since 1853 and has a deep history of finding and blending the finest Arabica coffee beans from locations around the world. It is expertly made with carefully selected beans, ground extra fine, to produce a rich coffee experience, and is actually an official coffee of the Swedish Royal Court. We have bought coffee from them before, but not any time recently, so I thought it would be fun to try since I know we like their coffee. My prize pack arrived *just* at the right time, as L was sick and keeping the entire world me awake all night.

We received a bag of French Roast and a bag of House Blend, as well as a spiffy mug (I love this mug!). Once I got over the whole "ohmygodwehavecoffeeandIcandrinkasmuchasIwantbecauseotherwiseIwillfallasleeprightthiszzzzzzzzzzzz..." thing, and actually tasted the coffee, I was in love. C and I were both impressed with the French Roast, which as a genre (coffee can have genres, right?) tends to be over-roasted rather than smooth in it's darkness. The Gevalia people must have some kind of secret, because this was seriously the BEST French Roast I've ever had. It was very well balanced and not acidic, but still retained the yumminess that French Roast is meant to have. I tend to shy away from French Roast coffees because of the over-roasted burnt taste that a lot of them have, but I think this may be my new favorite kind of coffee. The House Blend was also tasty, but not particularly memorable and not as fantastic as the French Roast. The only downside is that the coffee (both kinds) was pre-ground, so it didn't taste as fresh by the end of the bag as it did at the beginning. We never buy pre-ground, we always buy whole bean and grind it ourselves so I don't know if this is something that just happens with ground coffee. It may also have something to do with the fact that we had (at the time) 2 bags of coffee that we were enjoying simultaneously, so they both lasted a little longer than a single bag might.

I did experiment with making mochas and white-chocolate mochas with both of these (I prefer the House Blend for these). Just add about a tablespoon of your desired chocolate chips to a half cup of milk, microwave for about 1 minute, then froth and add your coffee. So tasty, and so much less expensive and calorie-filled than Starbucks! You may have to change the amounts of chocolate for your own preference, but this was my favorite way to do it. 


Remember when I said that it's now available in stores?! Gevalia is now offering its top-ten varieties in U.S. coffee supermarket aisles nationwide, including roast and ground, whole bean, flavored and decaffeinated !

• Gevalia Traditional Roast (ground and whole bean):
  Gevalia Traditional Roast provides a perfectly balanced taste every time. Our most beloved blend - made of choice, mountain-grown Arabica beans - this coffee has a distinctive body and flavor with a lighter intensity. (Medium Roast).
  
  
• Gevalia House Blend:
  A Gevalia favorite, House Blend is a robust yet never bitter coffee. This roast has a captivating aroma that is only matched by its exceptional flavor. (Medium/Dark Roast).
  
  
• Gevalia House Blend Decaf :
  Delivering the same rich, never bitter flavor, House Blend Decaf has the same robust taste without all the caffeine. (Medium/Dark Roast).
  
  
• Gevalia French Roast (ground and whole bean):
  Gevalia French Roast is a coffee of impressive richness and dimension, expertly crafted from prized Arabica beans grown in Colombia and Brazil. Hints of aromatic smoke give this dark-roasted French Roast blend an intense, yet uniquely satisfying flavor. (Dark Roast).
  
  
• Gevalia Colombia:
  Grown high in the Colombian Andes, these beans produce a rich, bright and well-bodied Colombian coffee. This single origin classic is world-renowned, which is why we have sourced these beans for decades. (Medium Roast).
  
  
• Gevalia Espresso Roast:
  Gevalia Espresso Roast is made of premium, mountain-grown Arabica beans from East Africa and Central and South America. This roast is bold and full-bodied with a hint of caramel undertones. (Dark Roast).
  
  
• Gevalia Vanilla:
  This rich blend with vanilla flavor notes is crafted from choice mountain-grown Arabica beans, then roasted for exceptional body and flavor. Gevalia Vanilla is a flavorful and balanced experience with a heavenly aroma.
  
  
• Gevalia Chocolate Mocha:
  Gevalia Chocolate Mocha allows you to indulge your passion for decadent flavor. Rich, velvety chocolate flavor is blended with mountain-grown Arabica beans for a sweetly satisfying experience. 

If you go here to Gevalia's website, you can find out not only what stores in your area carry Gevalia coffee, but you can also search for your preferred roast/flavor/ground or whole bean/decaf or not. I happened to note that the whole-bean French Roast is available in my area, and I will definitely be buying that in the future. I also saw on their Facebook page that there may be a coupon for $2 off in your Sunday paper from 2/26. Worth looking for!

Now one of you lucky readers will get to drink coffee like the Swedish Royals! And me.




One of you will win a 12-ounce bag of French Roast, a 12-ounce bag of House Blend, and a neato Gevalia mug (this baby is really the perfect size to wrap your hands around and savor your beverage), thanks to the great people at MyBlogSpark and Kraft Foods.

If you can follow instructions, you can enter this giveaway! Giveaway closes at 11:59pm MST on Wednesday, March 1st.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Mandatory entry:

Leave a comment here telling me your favorite way to drink coffee (iced, with cream, etc). If you have a recipe you want to share, go ahead! You MUST include your name and email address (formatted yourname (at) domain dot com so no spammers steal your info). Entries without an email address cannot win.


Additional entry (optional):
Follow my blog, and leave me a comment telling me you did so. If you already follow (thank you!), just leave a comment saying so.You have to do the mandatory entry or this one won't count!




Good luck!


Disclosure:

Kraft Foods provided the prizes for this giveaway and is not responsible for administering the giveaway. I received two full-sized bags of coffee and a neato spiffy mug, as well as most of the information about Gevalia published here from the folks at MyBlogSpark and Kraft Foods. They are providing the prizes for this giveaway at no cost to me. This giveaway is not administered or sponsored by Kraft Foods or its affiliates, but solely by me, Tena, at mamasmockingbird.blogspot.com. My opinions are my own, and cannot be bought, not even with (really tasty) coffee.