Gene Cafe Profiles / Q&A / Tips & Tricks

[J.Jirehs Roaster]

Hey Py, here's a cool roaster!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-Planters-Peanut-Coffee-Roaster_W0QQitemZ110290724680QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item110290724680

somthin nutty bought that roaster   :icon_scratch: :icon_scratch:

[ButtWhiskers]

Isn't it cool?!  I'd call that a priceless piece of Americana.  Too bad the accountant has my number this year (and it's a red one...).

[fred8631]

Folks:  Serious question -- just into first and the exit temp dropped toward ambient.  It appears the heating element or the controller have failed.  If so, this would make the second such failure in about 14 months of roasting.  After the first failure -- the Gene could not be coaxed to reach roasting temp.  Contacted the folks at FreshRoast and they hustled a replacement heater, thermostat, and controller to me.  After swapping the parts, we were back to excellent roasting.  That was about three months ago.  This failure presents differently but has the same result.  Is anyone else experiencing these types of troubles?  Fred

[Pyment]

My roaster heating unit quit 3 years out. I sent it back, it was fixed and I can use it again.

that is about all there is to it.

I can't say its a pattern. Things break.

[kelikana]

I like my Gene better than my Fresh roast.

[coffeeguzzler]

Haven't been around in a while, but I've had to send my GeneCafe in 4 times since I bought it.  Disappointed, but then again I've only paid for shipping; each time, it's either been replaced with a new machine, or serviced and returned to me, often including some new parts (like the roasting chamber) that I'd assumed that I'd have to pay for.  So overall, their servicing company has kept me happy.

[BoldJava]

You can now buy the Gene Cafe (and FreshRoast ) parts on Tim Skaling's site via PayPal.  Vast improvement over trying to track Tim down and get the price and give credit card info and...and...

Gene Cafe owners.  Make sure you have a reserve of those chaff sweeper bumpers on hand.  They break in half and come off at the most inopportune times.

http://www.freshbeansinc.com/_/Store-Products.html

B|Java

[BoldJava]

RIP, Heater Element 1.  (June 2, 2006-August 2, 2009, Milwaukee, WI)

Gene Heater Element, no son of Fresco, but rather Gene Sr., passed into bean-heaven yesterday.  Gene H. Element was happy until the last moment, clipping through nearly 8.5 lbs of Yemen, Brazilian, and of course his favorite, Bolivian.  Gene offered his last dragon poost on Stubbie's Brazilian.

Survivors include Ned Nesco, a dusty, dusty fellow residing in Mr Bold Java's basement as well as Stash Groen, brother.  A wake will be held on Saturday, August 8th, when Gene's successor is expected ($55).  In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to roast a pound for a friend and raise a cup in a toast to Gene.  On line notes of sympathy may be left at http://aintnosunshinewhenyouregonebillwithers.com.

Bold Java, sad but thankful

[BoldJava]

Will dissemble, clean, and install the new heater assembly this afternoon, using Eddie Dove's great pictoral blog:

http://southcoastcoffeeroaster.blogspot.com/2008/08/gene-cafe-how-to-disassemble-for.html

Gene will live on.

B|Java

[BoldJava]

Gene lives.  Two stripped screws where the screws were buried in a sealing silicon.  Quick trip to hardware store, one misalignment in reassembling, and voila.

Here is to 3 more years.

B|Java

[BoldJava]

Doing some experimenting with Gene Profiles.  Cupping them out, one by one this week.  Inconclusive.  I think I will try again with the no-name Guat I bought (nice fresh bean) and do some side-by-side comparisons. 

B|Java

[BoldJava]

RIP, 2nd heater.  Aug 2nd, 2009-September 4, 2009.

Yes, less than 2 months.  Cause of early burial in the garden out back?  16 somewhat back to back roasts on a day off on Wed, as I roasted for a friend's church's silent auction.  Only thing that is silent right now is the sound of the Gene pretending to heat up.

Learning.  Heater one went south the day I did 18 roasts, back to back -- after 3.5 years.  Oh, do we see a pattern developing here? Talked with Tim Skaling (inventor/manufacturer of the FreshRoast -- new ones due on market at Christmas) who does Gene's maintenance and distribution in North America.  The thermostat is lodged within the heater, a UL requirement. More than likely that I smoked the thermostat (I got lost in the discussion at this point...).  It is too difficult to disassemble and reinstall just the thermostat at home.

Heater 3 on its way.  No more corporal punishment on the Gene.  From now on, we will use "time-outs" instead. I get it.

B|Java

[peter]

Send Nimbus  a PM.

[BoldJava]

Send Nimbus  a PM.

I would but I took a look at my friend's parochial report.  He needs to grow the flock 10-fold and then I will buy Nimbus's back-breaking-boy.  I assume you are available to help me down the stairs with it when I pull the trigger.

B|Java

[fred8631]

In the course of becoming way too familiar with working guts of my Gene, I learned that it is very important to manage the cycle times of the GeneCafe.  Back-to-back roasts kill the heater.  Fred