Great roaster with easy work-around for insufficient cooling cycle.
Positive Product Points
Drum design results in an even roast.
Glass casing of the drum allows full view of beans during the roast.
Temperature control adjustment provides descent control of the roasting process.
Negative Product Points
Cooling process is very bad.
Chaffe collection is just ok.
Detailed Commentary
The rotating drum provides sufficient agitation of the beans during the roasting process, resulting in an even roast. The glass encasement of the drum enables a full view of the beans while they’re roasting. The chaff collection unit is just ok. For beans that produce higher amounts of chaff I have to expose my tray of beans to a fan afterward to remove the chaff. I use the standard chaff collector as opposed to an optional one that is larger and allows for piping the smoke elsewhere.
The cooling process in the Gene happens way too slowly. When used, the roasting process is prolonged during the cooling stage. For that reason, if the cooling process is to be used, the cooling phase should be started a few minutes before you intend to terminate the roasting process. I have opted to bypass the cooling phase in the Gene and cool externally by holding the red button down for several seconds which puts the unit into “emergency stop” mode. Upon halting the roasting process, I remove the drum and pour the beans into metal screen tray. But, in order to cool down the roaster I put the drum back in and enter the cooling stage with an empty drum. Then, I move the tray back and forth for several minutes to cool the beans.
I have achieved very consistent results with my Gene and am very pleased with it’s performance. While I’ve read other reviews about reliability problems, mine has worked flawlessly.
Buying Experience
Purchased at Sweet Maria's and my buying experience was very positive.
