Easily Vented Roaster

[BozemanEric]

I am looking at replacing, or supplementing, the Behmor for winter roasting.  I would like something that is a little easier to vent out a window.  The run for the vent would be under a foot and I was hoping not to have to use a fan to get the smoke outside.  I keep looking at the Gene Café, but was wondering if there are any options that I am missing.  Space in our current home is limited but there is a very good chance we will be building a new home next year.  When we do I plan on either installing a commercial hood or having my HVAC guy put in a dedicated roast vent. 

I would not mind this being the last roaster I ever buy but doubt this can happen.  I usually roast in half pound batches because we like to have a variety of beans on hand without letting them stale.  I would not mind a roaster that would do a larger batch, but it is not high on my agenda.  Like everyone else, I love a bargain, but price is irrelevant if I can get something I will not replace for a decade.

Thanks

[BozemanEric]

This is our current venting system.  Any suggestion on something better for winter?

[Tex]

I used to vent my UFO/CO out through the wall when I roasted in the garage. I picked up a back vented range hood at the Sears scratch & dent outlet, and with the roaster sitting directly under it you couldn't smell smoke in the air.

If you have double hung windows I bet you could do something similar in the house with plywood & insulation?

[BozemanEric]

If you have double hung windows I bet you could do something similar in the house with plywood & insulation?

I would never get away with plywood in the kitchen, she would throw a fit. I am on the verge of ordering a Gene and creating a removable vent system for the window but I still worry that I might want a different roaster in a couple years. I would love to buy the last roaster I will ever want but I do not think that will happen. Things are starting to cool down up here and I need a better way to get the smoke out of my house. 

Gene Owners: Are you happy with the venting you get from some tin out the window?

Are you happy with our roaster or do you wish you got a HT or something else?

[BoldJava]

Gene Owners: Are you happy with the venting you get from some tin out the window?

Are you happy with our roaster or do you wish you got a HT or something else?

I use a dryer vent out the window, packing the sides with rags to keep the breeze and smoke out of the house.  You will still have a smoke odor that dissipates overnight.  I use a Honeywell window fan to pull air out of the kitchen, where I roast.  I have an exhaust fan over the stove but it doesn't move that much air for all the noise it makes.  Getting cool here as well so outside roasting season may be over.

http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HW-305-Twin-Window-Fan/dp/B0032VXUDI

I like the Gene -- bought a second one.  First one's mother board took a dive after 6.5 years.  Have a new one to install so I will have two Genes.  I like them but will step up to a US Roaster, 1 lb sample roaster in a year or so.  Gene is consistent and vents better than HT.  If I had a commercial hood above the stove, would have gone for the Hottop.  I think you can control it better and manage profiling better.  Just a guess from reading.

I have no qualms about the Gene.  It gets the job done.  For now...

[BozemanEric]

First four roasts with the Gene Café and I love this thing.  As much as I liked my Behmor, I am thinking I would have been better off paying the money and going with the Gene from the start.

Things I love about this roaster:
Incredible viewing area
Back to back roasting capabilities
Total temperature and profile control
Much easier to pull and externally cool a roast
Great chaff collection with little left with the roasted beans
Long cord, probably twice the length of the Behmor
NO MORE SMOKE – The first roast that got away from me had a little smoke leaking out of the hose attachment when it went into a full 2C.  We are a very health coconscious household and the smoke always bothered me.  I love watching the plum rise OUTSIDE my kitchen window.
Clean up appears to be easier

Things I do not like about this roaster:
It is loud.  With the Behmor I have gotten very dependent on cracks as a benchmark to where my roast is.  You really have to listen to hear the cracks some times.  My first roast came out at a Venetian, which I never roast two.  I completely missed 1C.

I am not trying to dismiss the Behmor.  It has served me very well and I am still and not ready to sell it and rely entirely on the Gene.  If you are a Behmor devotee please take not offence to this post.  I have only had two roasters in my life, so they are the only ones I have to compare.  I still like my Behmor 1600 and think it is a great machine.  I also am in love with my new Brazen.  Behmor is a great company that makes great, we can use the plural now, products.  You cannot go wrong with anything from Behmor.

[BoldJava]

As posted, I am on 2nd Gene.  It serves me well.  Very hard to hear cracks on some beans; have never figured out why some are very audible and some aren't.  It is more than elevation, origin, age, etc.  As clear as some are, totally perplexed why some are so difficult.

In my opinion, a bit underpowered.  Heat application should be quicker.  My roasts are "toastier" than the same origin from Peter's SCTO -- the RK puts much more body into the coffee.  The Gene is a hybrid air roaster.  I will drive both of those I have right into the ground.

Careful on backs to back.  It will do them but at the expense of heaters.  I should know.  I have put in 3 of them.

[BozemanEric]

I posted this photo in another subject line but it probably belongs here.  This is the solution that I came up with for the smoke.  It works great and the insolated board gets removed from the window when I am done so the little lady does not get mad.  I am getting minimal smoke in the house.