My new Gene Cafe CBR-101 does a terrific job of roasting coffee. The trouble is that, after making six or eight batches, I have yet to time a batch. There is a trick to it that I just detest.

I roast coffee in the middle of our concrete patio. Roasting inside not only sets off the smoke alarm, it smells up the house something awful. Using the patio, however, resolves this issue. The machine is far enough from the house that neither smell nor smoke caused grime reaches the house. All good so far.

But the Gene Cafe pauses at two more or less random intervals as roasting progresses. I have to run out and push a button. There are two buttons, a red one and a blue one. Press the correct one and roasting continues. However, press the wrong one at either interval and the cooling cycle instantly begins. You have a batch of half cooked coffee beans. Since the clock resets to 0, you don't know how much longer your beans need to roast.

Yes, I could roast my coffee in the house and suppress the smoke alarm. I just don't think either of those steps is a great idea. I much prefer my furnace hot device to be safely in the middle of a 10 foot square of concrete, and safely outside the house.

This is my third Gene Machine. I have owned two other roasters but this is by far the easiest to use. They are also really easy to repair. I’ve own my previous one for more than 20 years and have replaced the heating element a couple of times. They don’t cost that much. I might have replaced it this time and probably will but I’m really busy remodeling my house and don’t have the time right now. So after 20 years I feel that I deserve a new one.

Easy to use. Roasts beans to the level I like. Love it!

First of all I love your product. We bought a second as a backup since I don't want to go any length of time without being able to roast weekly. The first has held up quite well but since it was getting on in age we bought a second and are using the first as a backup.

The first was one of the first models and didn't have the safety features. Those work fine and are not a problem. In general it works as well as the first but for two issues I think are manufacturing related.

The first is that the chaff catcher doesn't fit well into the exhaust port on the later model machine, it seemed somewhat warped and the exhaust port had a small crack. It still functions fine though.

The second is that the drum doesn't seem to have the same great tolerances as the first model. It fits but it isn't as precise a fit.

All in all I still give it five starts but I would recommend to GeneCafe that they spend some time with their engineers and manufacturers and work on the mechanical tolerances they will accept.

Wife wanted red. It’s pretty sick and works quick AF.