Gene Cafe Drum Roaster Black

by Sherry on December 18, 2022

We’ve been using the Gene Cafe now for a couple of months, and done a couple dozen batches of coffee. Our family members are coffee drinking fools, and we all drink several cups a day. It took us a long time to get around to ordering this because we subscribed to a service that shipped us single origin coffee every month and we enjoyed their offerings very much. So, the bottom line is we should have done this sooner. The gene cafe seems to be very well made. It remains to be seen how the computer that does the time and temp holds up over time roasting beans out on the back porch, but from other reviews I’m not too worried. The roasted beans we’re producing with one exception is every bit as good as any we ever got from the subscription, and the one we didn’t like simply means we won’t order that particular bean again. Oh well. Using the roaster is very easy. I’ve read reviews online that make a big production out of using it, but in all honesty, I’m pretty particular about my coffee, and following the instructions provided produces a very nice roast of my particular preference. CBC did a great job getting it to me, and called me before they shipped it to activate the warranty. It’s really easy to clean, a breeze to use, and seems well built. What’s not to like?

by Chad on August 27, 2022

First attempt went pretty well. It seemed like it was roasting the beans pretty aggressively fairly early on in the roast but I am not sure. Early to tell.

by Tim T on June 10, 2022

Without being over the top this roaster is robust and thoughtfully designed with many nice features that make roasting fun and the results predictable and repeatable even for the novice. At this price point it is challenging to find a better combination of quality and capability for the small batch roaster.

by Special_Groeschl on March 2, 2022

I'm new to roasting and ordered the red Gene Cafe from Coffee Bean Corral (CBC) after doing my research and reading many reviews on roasters. A rep from CBC called me after I placed the order to explain the safety features on the roaster and to confirm my order. Their customer service, personal outreach and varieties of coffee beans are amazing. After completing 10 roasts so far, here are the PROS of the Gene Cafe Roaster: controls are simple and easy to use, very even roasts with the off-center roasting chamber, easy to see roast development through glass roasting chamber, solid and compact unit. CONS: hard to hear first and second crack due to motor noise (not a big deal) and need to watch/check the little rubber chaff bumpers. Also, I don't use the auto cooling mode since it cools too slowly so I dump the beans into an external bean cooler to cool them more quickly. All in all, I really like this roaster and the price is right for a newbie like me.

by janrapp on December 18, 2021

Love this coffee roaster. Does a fantastic job. Also a great company to do business with.

by Doug on November 29, 2021

Great roaster, consistent results. One thing to know though, it needs an uncluttered electric circuit to work well. I roast in my garage and the circuit is part of some wacky circuit that is in my basement, garage, and some outdoors outlets, with a GFI outlet in my master bath. The electricians must have been high that day when they built this place. Anyway, without a clean circuit it will take twice as long to roast a batch. I currently just run an extension cord into a clean outlet in another room and it works great, but I will eventually run a dedicated outlet for it.

by Jon on September 1, 2021

I've only roasted a couple of batches since getting the Gene Cafe, but so far I really like it. It's a big step up from the smaller roaster that I've been "making do" with for years. With Gene Cafe, you can roast a large enough batch to allow for not running out of coffee too quickly and not having to roast every few days. Very convenient. The coffee has been great, although I'm still "tweaking" my roast profiles. There are roasters out there that provide more precise controls of the roast process--hence only the 4 star recommendation--but they come at a MUCH higher price point. The Gene Cafe provides the fresh roasted coffee I love at a price that won't break the bank. I highly recommend this product from my favorite supplier--Coffee Bean Corral! Jon from Valrico FL

by Karen Coulter on June 26, 2021

I love my Gene Cafe roaster. I had one years ago and really missed my roasted coffee. I ordered the red one, which looks sharp. CBC answered my questions and shipped the roaster quickly, along with my free samples and more coffee that I ordered. I’ve been trying the samples and haven’t had a bad one yet! Thank you CBC!

by Morris L on April 8, 2021

Excellent product and incredibly good customer service from CBC. My old Gene Cafe is about 10 or so years old and still working. I decided to use it as a back up and get a new one. I had other coffee roasters when I started roasting years ago. They would all fail too soon and the worst of the lot used an auger type devise and had a brand name that was an “N” word reminiscent of a pretty good chocolate mix. My only gripe with the Gene Cafe is the new beep beep, bye bye system. I have never had a coffee roaster fire. However, I get it. We live in a litigious would be fool proof nanny state complete with safe spaces and pinless diapers. And that's just for us adults. Now for the customer service. This was my first time using a gift certificate. It didn't take so I emailed CBC and got a really fast response phone call from a manager, MICHELLE. I had entered the code in the wrong spot. She fixed it for me and even did a follow up call to see how I was doing with the new roaster and reminded me they were there to help if I needed it. These days, how often do you get customer service like that? Have you ever had a half hour wait listening to repeated recorded messages about how very important your call is to them followed by a click? It was really good to get the excellent service from CBC.

by Russ B on January 4, 2021

I bought my first Gene Cafe Roaster in 2007. I still have it and it still works very well. I upgraded it with a new control board, map sensor and temp sensors several years ago although there wasn't anything wrong with them. The only parts I have had to replace in all these years are 2 heaters and a blower. I like the roaster so much I bought a second one for our place in Arizona so I didn't have to haul one back and forth. It is very easy to use and does a great job. I like being able to easily see the roast develop and also like being able hear first and second crack. A great choice for a roaster.

by Dan from PA on November 27, 2020

I have had this roaster since I think 2014, maybe longer. I have replaced the heating element twice and I just changed the fan, which has returned this machine to like new operations. This is an excellent machine, well engineered, good build quality. What I like most about it is that it is repairable. The repairs I have done to mine were not very complicated almost anyone should be able to do them. There are videos on YouTube to walk you through them. This machine is highly recommended due to how well this machine roasts, but also that it is able to be maintained (fixed) giving it an extremely long operational of life. I expect this machine to last at lest another 8 to 10 years before it needs to be replaced. Maybe longer 👍🏻. I not sure if any of the other machines provides that option. It is a rare small appliance that last more than 10 years now a days, and this one will.

by H. Padden on October 8, 2020

It does a fine job of roasting beans, but it's not really automatic. For some silly reason, the manufacturers (or their lawyers) decided that there is a fire hazard at 392F (200C) temperature. You must stand over the machine, ready to press a button and confirm "no fire" at that exact temperature or the machine will abort into its cool cycle, ruining your roasting plan. Somehow, they see no danger in proceeding from 392 to, say, 440 with no further interruption. Apparently, they only have a problem with fires occurring at precisely 392. I have had several roasts ruined by my missing the warning beeps and failing to confirm the roast, midway through.

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 Calvin Kim on February 24, 2020

Nice

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.

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 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 Anonymous on May 3, 2014

I've had this roaster for 2 years and it is still working great! I cook about 1.5 lb a week, so 3 batches . It takes a bit to learn how long to cook different beans, as some cook faster than others, and the weather makes a difference if you cook outside. But, as someone who's been roasting for a decade, I think this roaster is the best purchase I've made!

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