Should I get a Gene?

[Sarion]

Hi guys,

Having roasted my greens for a few years on my faithful Hearthware Precision. But despite of its name, it's not very precise and I`m not sure it has much life left.

I am thinking of getting a Gene Cafe. Could you guys post some experiences? Does it give consistent results with the same settings? Any reliability issues?

Or would you recommend another roaster? I don`t think the iRoast is an option as it seems to be inconsistent too (same settings, same beans & ambient temperature -> Cinnamon to Full City!)

Thanks for your help!

Note to the usual suspects: no, I can`t double the budget and yes I have got a decent grinder!

[fred25]

HotTop HotTOp HotTop HOttoP HOTtop!!!!!

(budget? what budget? )

[CakeBoy]

The Gene is good, though I agree with Fred and think the HT is excellent

How about spending double .......

[espressomattic]

After some painful experiences, I would go for a HT. Yes the Gene can give very good results, however I doubt it is a long term usage machine.

[Gouezeri]

If it has got to be electric, and you have the room and ventilation then it has to be the HT.

[zapty]

I agree with the Hottop, not a Gene fan myself, the Hottop is much better built and durable IMO....

[Sarion]

I should have known I wouldn't be able to get away with it...

Unfortunately, I have neither the budget nor the room / ventilation needed for a Hottop at the moment.

Oh well, I`ll probably keep my Precision then...

[espressomattic]

For ventilation, the Gene is worse than a HT.

[Sarion]

For ventilation, the Gene is worse than a HT.

Really? I thought you could attach a hose to the exhaust. Is that not the case?

[fred25]

For everything, the Gene is worst than a HT!

No, that's a bit harsh - certainly the Gene seems more modulable than the basic HT, but I do think you're better off not spending on something that you won't be as satisfied with as could be, especially if you already have a purpose-built roasting device (as opposed to a popper or the like).

That said, I have to say I don't understand this whole ventilation issue - I've had my HT indoors (obviously) and never found it produces a lot of smoke - certainly A LOT less than pan roasting, poppers etc. - if you grill meat in a pan you'd produce as much smoke! That's what windows are for IMHO

[HughF]

Ditto Fred. I roast in a kitchen where a couple of windows are open just 25mm and there is no other ventilation. I don't roast very dark (never beyond rolling second) and luckily both of us really like the roasting smells anyway. The smoke detector in the next room (the door between is always open) never trips from just the HotTop use.

Cheers,

Hugh

[GreenBean]

Well it is clear that the majority opinion on this site is heavily in favour of the Hottop. I have owned and used a Gene for over 2 years now. I have carefully followed the reviews and comments on both the Gene and Hottop over the two years as I desperately want to be convinced to buy the Hottop or even a small commercial roaster.

I agree that the Hottop is a much more appealing machine from a visual point of view and has the considerable advantage of cooling outside the roast chamber. I am also prejudiced in favour of metal over plastic and have little doubt that, straight from the box, it would be easier to produce good results from the Hottop.

My “problem” is that the Gene produces excellent roasts if you are prepared to cool externally and do a little preheating. The controls are excellent and allow for profile modifications on the fly and the view of the roast progression is unsurpassed.

The Gene is practically gas tight resulting in all hot gasses exiting via the chaff collector. I put the machine under a cooker hood and with the extractor fan on it’s lowest speed have no problem at all with smoke and all the chaff remains in the machine. This makes the machine ideal for indoor use.

I can easily roast 270 gram batches or more in the Gene whilst some Hottop owners report being restricted to 200 grams. This may be the result of supply voltage differences rather than anything inherent in the machines.

Every few months I compare my results with professional roasts of the same beans and I am surprised to find that I prefer my roasts. This convinces me that I would not see any advantage in roast quality by changing roasters.

There are reliability issues with the Gene. The heaters on early models were not good and I am now on my third heater (in about 300 roasts). The more recent heaters appear to be much better and to last much longer. The heaters are cheap (about £20) and relatively easy to replace so I do not consider this any more of an issue that the changing of filters required in the Hottop.

If I thought that I could improve my results, even very slightly, by changing to a Hottop I would not hesitate. Currently I honestly feel that if I had both machines available I would probable still do my roasting in the Gene. Please convince me otherwise!

[HughF]

Green Bean :
The HotTop model B / "Basic" (out in the USA for 2 months, $730, not in the UK yet AFAIK) and P (Programmable, £630 UKP) both let you modify roasts on the fly (also program or store roast profiles). I suspect the best roasts in such a HotTop would not beat the best Gene roasts but they would be consistently and easily achievable once programmed/stored. No noticeable chaff leaves any HotTop directly but enough chaff to be a nuisance stays on the beans. 250g roasts are not a problem for me now, haven't tried more. When I had the KN8828D I often used 226g batches to suit USA Imperial wieght bags of green beans and sometimes also to get a faster roast but it wasn't essential. I don't know how high my mains voltage is.
If you like the Gene, that's great - it's much cheaper than the two HotTops which offer control during the roast.

Cheers,

Hugh

[TheBreeze]

i ditto everything GB said about the gene ... love it
having done three roasts per week for the last year and a half

[CakeBoy]

The Gene is great; I think the aforementioned heating element reliability issues are the reason for the trepidation. The critical date for the Gene seems to be March 2007. Machines built after that date appear to be okay, whereas a few of the earlier ones have suffered from problems. Our original element was spot on, but it blew after just over a year. The replacement has the issues and we cannot now get to second crack. We might get another element at some point, but the Pinhalense beckons

With the issues apparently solved, the Gene is a decent roaster. It remians to be seen whether it can go on to match the enviable reliability record of the Hottop