Gene Cafe V Hottop

Re: Gene Cafe V Hottop

Does anybody have any info on the New programmable Hottop ! , when will it be released, what will be the R.R.P and will there be a review on this forum, A lot of people seem to be tight lipped !.


MZ

[TC]

Re: Gene Cafe V Hottop

so I got my gene cafe today from 2mcm did a roast this arvo with the beans that 2mcm sent with the machine. (A pleasant surprise that I wasnt expecting. Thanks ) I hit the cool button a little earlier then recomended because they were getting darker then I usually like and were about a minute into rolling second crack.  Im yet to play a bit more with it but so far im happy especially with the ease of use compared to setting up the popper with the back door open and a cooling fan and broom to sweep up after and a colander to cool with all to do less then a 100gm batch if I wanted anymore then a 5minute roast. the gene is a dream.

Great to hear that all went well mm!

Gene Cafes (and Hottops for that matter) are not created quite equal. There is a little variation in my two roasters as well.

Follow the usual signs as well as your instincts with your roasts. I find I hit the cool button a little earlier into the progression of the roast than I would with a hottop as I ease my beans into second crack...

Enjoy your new roaster! They are a great piece of kit 8-)/\/

2mcm

[muppet_man67]

Re: Gene Cafe V Hottop

so I got my gene cafe today from 2mcm did a roast this arvo with the beans that 2mcm sent with the machine. (A pleasant surprise that I wasnt expecting. Thanks ) I hit the cool button a little earlier then recomended because they were getting darker then I usually like and were about a minute into rolling second crack. Im yet to play a bit more with it but so far im happy especially with the ease of use compared to setting up the popper with the back door open and a cooling fan and broom to sweep up after and a colander to cool with all to do less then a 100gm batch if I wanted anymore then a 5minute roast. the gene is a dream.

[GoneBarista]

Re: Gene Cafe V Hottop

HOOHAH!..... THIS IS THE ONE ;D

Thank you NUNU for that

[nunu]

Re: Gene Cafe V Hottop

Okay, heres a picture.























































Keep scrolling down.






































































Just a little further.



























































Almost there.






































Here you go...

[GoneBarista]

Re: Gene Cafe V Hottop

Having a hot wife is important to some.

Seriously, its whats inside that counts.

What do you mean by that Nunu.

I need a picture

Serge

[nunu]

Re: Gene Cafe V Hottop

Having a hot wife is important to some.

Seriously, its whats inside that counts.

[TC]

Re: Gene Cafe V Hottop

-Wife Factor? important.

My Hottop makes an excellent wife.  

As much as I love my roaster, I dont love it that much! ;D

[Baristacrat]

Re: Gene Cafe V Hottop

-Wife Factor? important.

My Hottop makes an excellent wife.  

[GoneBarista]

Re: Cafe Gene V Hottop

[link=1172542028/0#2 date=1172542948]



The cooling cycle doesnt bother me at all - I have adjusted my roast time accordingly.  I now set my roasting time for just over 15 mins, and I can come back about 25 mins later and my beans are roasted and waiting for me.  I find repeatability is quite good.

You are very right Myrtle

Thanks for your comment.

Serge

[Myrtle]

Re: Cafe Gene V Hottop

The Hottop still needs to be used outside as you get a fair bit of smoke... the GeneCafe is better suited indoors... However, I would prefer the Hottop purely because the cooling cycle on the Gene is a tad too long (again, this is personal view - others may think differently)... Having said this, I dont have either but I have seen them operate side by side.

Having been distracted by my 2yr old just around the time of second crack in one of my earlier roasts, I now do all my roasting outside with my GC - it safer :-[ :-[ !!! Its quite a light machine, so I just set my table up somewhere outside and start roasting away - I usually keep my GC packed in its box.

The cooling cycle doesnt bother me at all - I have adjusted my roast time accordingly. I now set my roasting time for just over 15 mins, and I can come back about 25 mins later and my beans are roasted and waiting for me. I find repeatability is quite good.

[marcstolk]

Re: Cafe Gene V Hottop

A further bonus is that the Gene cafe is $250 cheaper and does not rely on replacable filters...

This is what would sway me towards to GeneCafe indeed. Good point 2mcm. The hot top is a pricey beast indeed.

[TC]

Re: Cafe Gene V Hottop

Having variously owned an Alpenrost, a Hottop digital and now 2 x Gene Cafe, Im sold on the Gene.

At the last bean pickup day we did a shootoff of the Hottop v Gene cafe and presented the outcome/s to Peter Wolff (who has roasted a few greens in his time ). Peter did not view the roasts but commented that the beans from the Gene were more evenly roasted- through the bean and with no tipping (unlike the hottop). He liked the Gene so much that he purchased one to use as a second sample roaster for the business.

The hottop struggles to do back to back roasts- simply dumping beans at 24 min (if you add time), whether you like it or not. When the ambient temp is up, sometimes this is before 2nd crack. Used with these limitations in mind, it is a good roaster though.

Yes, the cooling cycle is longer on the Gene and some worry that its too slow. I used my cooling bucket for the first few roasts, and then ditched it. The hottop has the edge here.

The result in appearance as well as in the cup is superb and I am getting better results without a doubt from the Gene Cafe. A further bonus is that the Gene cafe is $250 cheaper and does not rely on replacable filters...

[g00se]

Re: Cafe Gene V Hottop

Having never used the GeneCafe, I cant really comment on that one...

Ive found the Hottop to be great, and repeating a roast is dead easy. I dont have a shed / garage to roast in either, so I just make sure I roast next to the kitchen window. There is still a bit of smoke that lingers, but hey, whos complaining about the smell of freshly roasted coffee
If its still too smokey though, you could try having a fan blowing the smoke out the window, might help a bit more.

The unit itself is fairly big, but again Im not sure how this compares to the GeneCafe.

As far a build quality goes, I dont think you could go wrong with the Hottop. Not everything from Taiwan is cheap and nasty!!

The cooling cycle / tray is also great, hard to imagine not having it once youve used it.

I hope this goes someway to aswering your questions MM.
I certainly havnt looked back since getting the Hottop

[marcstolk]

Re: Cafe Gene V Hottop

The Hottop still needs to be used outside as you get a fair bit of smoke... the GeneCafe is better suited indoors... However, I would prefer the Hottop purely because the cooling cycle on the Gene is a tad too long (again, this is personal view - others may think differently)... Having said this, I dont have either but I have seen them operate side by side.