Gene Cafe Drum Roaster Red

by Anonymous on November 13, 2007

This is my first roaster (I have had it over a year now) but it is an excellent air roaster that has consistent results. It is so easy to use. I spent about 3 months doing all kinds of research on coffee roasters. For someone who never roasted before, this is the easiest roaster on the market. I saw a video on You-Tube and I thought it was really cool at how easy it worked. One neat thing about it is the roasting viewing chamber, you are able to see the bean color and roast level through the entire roast without problems. The Gene Cafe is different in that the amount of air pushing through the roast chamber is only for heat; not to actually agitate the beans like so many of the other hot air roasters I did my research on. The Gene Cafe has a neat auger and flap system. This makes sure that the beans are always in motion, which will prevent scorching. So this means that the Gene Cafe is quiet. You can be standing next to it and carry on a conversation and not have to yell. A neat thing about the Gene Cafe is the control system; you can change the roast temperature in real time with just the turn of a knob. You can also easily put the Gene Cafe into its cooling cycle. You will find that the majority of air and smoke exits for the left end of the roaster. I have read that Gene Cafe currently has in the works a smoke redirection device that you can add on the end. So is there a down side of this roaster? Yes. One thing I didn't like about the Gene Cafe was the chaff collection. When the chaff is blown off of the beans, it needs to go through a stainless grate in the roasting chamber. A small flap knocks the chaff loose (that way it can pass through the grate easer) with each turn of the roasting chamber. If the coffee you are roasting makes a lot of chaff the grate can get to full. This is really not that big of a deal because the air will just redirect through the roast chamber lid. But if you hook up some sort of a smoke redirection device, it will help. (That’s what I did and I direct it outside out my window. I use a dryer vent hose). I really wish that the cooling cycle was better, especially when you are roasting on the hottest setting, but it will do the job. Or you can do what I did. I went and got a fan and a metal colander. I set the fan on top and turn it on high for about 10 minutes. All in all, the Gene Cafe is a great roaster. I have now been roasting for a year and I love it. If this is your first roaster as it was for me. Go for it and spend the extra money. It will be worth it. Remember you will be doing this for the rest of your life. Never will you go back to the old stale Folgers coffees of the world!!!
Thanks for your wonderful review. I do, however, have to clarify one detail; the Gene Cafe is classified as a drum roaster, not an air roaster. The air design entails air floating the beans for agitation, the full name being "fluid-air bed". Regardless, your points on the Gene Cafe are well taken. Thanks again.
Russ

by Ken on September 10, 2007

I have been using my roaster for several months now and I have to say it is simply the best roaster I have ever used. Granted I haven't used a Hottop but that's more money then I would want to spend. This unit simply works! I have done several roasts back to back and it handled it flawlessly. I believe it is the best of both worlds from the fluid air bed to the drum roasters. The roasts are always consistent and even.

by jtom4cats on May 22, 2019

While this unit does not have all the sophisticated controls of a Hot Top (my last roaster which lasted 8 years) it does use forced hot air to roast the beans. I believe the hot air flowing thru the beans (fluid bed) gives a much better taste and mouth-feel to the coffee. The 4 roasts I have done so far are very good, do work well for espresso and french press coffee and no scorched beans.

by Jerry on December 31, 2018

Great roaster with simple controls. Once I sorted out the profile and didn't make any more charcoal, getting where I wanted to be was pretty easy. Two problems; One, it's made in Korea! It's not that foreign countries can't make quality goods, but I didn't know it. I contacted the company YOU buy from because of a technical problem and they told me they were the importer, not the manufacturer. They weren't allowed to "advise" me on fixing my problem. Second problem is the smoke vent. It's an odd size. Too small to accept a dryer vent. I made one out of aluminum that's working until I get the right one from Home Depot. The first roasting of charcoal pretty well got me sleeping on the couch. Since I've got my profile figured out I haven't run it without the temporary vent so I don't know how much smoke it actually produces. I think we'll get along just fine. It's quiet, a REALLY sexy red and extremely easy to use. And the burned beans? Well, I'm a wood worker. I ground them up and glue them into small cracks. Works great.

by Michael on February 18, 2019

After years of roasting with hot air popcorn poppers I finally had enough money saved to pick up a "real" roaster. Well, let me tell you... I did quite a lot of reading and finally decided on the Gene Cafe because I couldn't find enough reasons to try something else. I like the style, drum type that uses hot air for roasting and I required a minimum of 1/2 a pound per roast because running 4 or 5 batches to get through the week can become tedious, not to mention squeezing between weathers does not allow for much flexibility when the roast is barely enough for a pot of coffee! So glad I settled on this unit! Super easy to work with, temp controls seem spot on, adjustable timing and temp in real time, cool down cycle. First batch ran 17 minutes at 478 (max temp) and it's definitely a little too much for the delicate beans I prefer. Several batches later and I'm very happy running between 425 and 450 and using the timer to get the desired results. Every cup is an explosion of joy! Did I mention this unit is quiet? So many things to like about the Gene Cafe. Price is a bit on the high side, but the quality and ease of use make the price near acceptable.

by Don D. on February 27, 2018

We’ve been using ours at least as long as David above. This is the devise that will get you covered for many years- economically. I think it’s best to set it up outside- on a table top and cover it with a small, heavy tarp between uses. It is a smoky happening during roasts. Outside temps will affect the settings but then again, different beans require different settings anyway- etc.. When you want to get serious with your coffee- this is the way to go. And the Corral is a user-friendly outfit that you talk with along the way with questions. It’s been a fun, economical experience over the years.

by Alex Moran on July 27, 2020

The roaster is solid. I thought my whirley pop method was on point, but I can not compete with this machine. The alarm system is a tad annoying, but I get the safety aspect, so I'm not going to ding it. It would be nice to be able to override that and just accept the risk. I'm not dinging the score for that. My only complaint, is the time and heat in the instructions. I like a darker roast, and my first roast was "City Roast". That was just charcoal. I nearly burned down my roaster with the first use with all that smoke billowing out. You'd think they'd have more conservative time and heat estimates. Start with a lighter roast and dial in from there. Lost a half pound of coffee to that, but lessons learned I suppose.

by Anonymous on December 22, 2019

I'm new to the home roasting, so the Gene Cafe is capable of more than I know how to do...but the roast that it has produced so far have all been very even. Starting with a popcorn popper , then a vevo ceramic roaster..which does a good job..just in very small batches, I have enjoyed the learning and the coffee from the new roaster..have not had a bad cup yet.

by regina on October 26, 2019

We bought this roaster after purchasing a starter roaster that was about $150. We should have gone straight to this one. We love it.