Gene Cafe CBR-101 (Black)

Everything is relative. For $2000 you can certainly get something with more capacity and capability, but that's 3 times what this cost.

Having said that, I've been very satisfied with this. I've done several roasts now all the way from light to full city. I have not tried darker roasts as that isn't what I'm personally looking for, but I don't have any doubts this could do that fine.

All of my roasts have been consistent and it's pretty easy to get what you want based on the time and temp. Beans are going to be different so I will set the temp and a general time but watch the beans and adjust based on what I see. First crack is honestly easier to detect when it gives more smoke and a smoky scent and more chaff comes off than listening for it.

Controls are simple and give you everything you need for whatever you are looking for. I really like that this has spare parts and videos so you can repair it if need be. Hopefully not for years.

I hooked up a tube that I run to a fan with a chaff collector that picks up anything that makes it past the chaff collector in the unit. I can control that fan speed to vent normally then at cool down I really crank it and it helps lower the temperature faster. (Or so it seems to me). To deal with smoke i bought one of those fan units that is designed to filter smoke with the foam filter (for soldering) and put that near the outlet and no more smoke - that sucks it right up. I think this is great if you can't easily vent to the outside. 3" diameter tubing with clamps worked for me.

I'm happy with the roasts and the value for the money, the fact support and parts are available, and it's Korean (and not their neighbor to the west). Quality seems good, again keeping in mind it's a 600 dollar unit not a 2000 dollar unit. If you are looking for a very good roaster in that price range, this will do the trick. I'm very satisfied so far.

I don't think people realize that this roaster is under $1000. It has excellent features and works as intended. Roasting coffee is not a science - it's an art. You need to record your profile. It takes a lot of work. I love this device.

I've been roasting with the Gene Cafe for over 15 years and this version is a work in progress.

We have had a Gene Cafe since 2013. We roast a lot of coffee. Well over 100 lbs per year. We were using a different brand of green beans and must have missed a small stem or other artifact and we did have a fire that started in the chamber. It was a sad moment. I immediately ordered another and we had it within a week. As the previous review stated, I am happy that there is now an automatic shut off if not attended. I believe there might have been a design change of the chamber as it is super quiet now. Thank you Gene Cafe. Everyone who try’s our custom blend says it’s the best coffee they ever had. 😊

After burning up two Gene's the automatic cut off when left unattended is much appreciated!