$500 should buy a home roaster made with quality components. The Gene Cafe isn't. I am looking for a better roaster.
Positive Product Points
Does a nice job roasting. Great capacity for the home roaster. Easy to use. Good design for even roasting. I can replace the heater with my eyes closed now!
Negative Product Points
Temperature sensor failure. Repeated heater assembly failures. Unnecessarily difficult to clean the chaff collector and air filter. Expensive.
Detailed Commentary
I bought my Gene Cafe shortly after it was introduced in North America. It was a replacement for my Dead iRoast, which was a replacement for my dead Precision Roast. The extra capacity of the Gene Cafe was certainly a deciding feature, although I felt the price was high. Over the past three years I have roasted three batches a week on average, and find that when it works, it works well. The beans are always evenly roasted and I don't have a problem getting the roast that I want, but I do feel there are issues with the build quality of my machine--maybe the price for being an early adopter.
In year one, the temperature sensor failed. The temperature would not go much beyond 400 and Tim replaced the part--no charge except for shipping one way to Utah. In year two (now out of warranty) the heater failed. Tim sent a replacement--$60. Four months later the heater failed again--another $60. In March of this year, I had to replace the heater again. And now I think the temperature sensor may be acting up--today I couldn't get the temperature beyond 437 and last week it would not go beyond 442. And I do keep the chaff collector clean, in fact I cleaned it today before roasting. One more point--it is necessary to take the chaff collector apart and clean it regularly. I also take off the metal screen inside and clean it. For something that has to be cleaned regularly, it should be easier to do--I mean, 10 screws!
The air filter on the bottom should also be easier to clean.
Buying Experience
No problem purchasing from Sweet Marias, and they put me in touch with Tim at Fresh Roast when I had a problem.
Three Month Followup
No additional comments at this time. It is winter here, my roaster is at home, I am in the southern US to keep warm.
One Year Followup
It has been a year since I posted my review. There were a couple of comments but very few people read comments--I do. I believe it is necessary to take the standard chaff collector apart to clean it properly. That includes taking the inner screen off and using a stiff brush on it--I also soak the chaff collector parts in an Urnex solution. This was a tip from the Sweet Maria's website, and I believe it does help the temperature sensor do its job.
On a positive note...no heating element or temperature sensor failures.
