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I have been home roasting with a Gene Cafe since early this last summer. I chose the Gene Cafe specifically because it appeared to be designed for attachment to a permanent vent solution. However, I've since found that the three inch exhaust is a very rough fit and that the chaff collector leaks smoke as well. The vent hole I have installed in my house is also less than optimal since it tends to leak cold air in quite a bit even with two stops installed. Does anyone have a setup in place that has very little (or better yet, no) smoke leakage when roasting? What are the elements you have involved to create your smoke free roasting apparatus?

Grant Miller
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Suspended User
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  • This question seems to be more about mechanics than coffee. – Ataxia Jan 29 '15 at 22:46
  • Correct. It is about the mechanics of roasting coffee. – Suspended User Jan 29 '15 at 22:49
  • See also this question about home roasting from [cooking.se]. The accepted answer basically concludes "do it outside." Other answers to the question include impressive displays of ingenuity! Worth a read. – hoc_age Feb 12 '15 at 15:47
  • It's below freezing 7 months out of the year here. Another two months or so it's still just above freezing. That would leave far less than half the year I could roast outside, so it's not an acceptable answer in this case. – Suspended User Feb 12 '15 at 17:13
  • I thin this is more a question for http://diy.stackexchange.com/ – Tim Feb 23 '15 at 12:32
  • Just because it's below freezing does not mean you are unable to spend 10 minutes on a porch or balcony... – Kate Gregory Mar 13 '15 at 14:30
  • @KateGregory it was -20F this morning. The high today will be -5F. The average roast cycle takes 15 to 16 minutes in my 60F garage. I have no idea how much longer it would take if the roaster was heating air that started at even 0F, but I am sure it would be at least 50% longer. Not to mention the condensation issues on an expensive electronically controlled machine. Your comment is not well thought out. – Suspended User Mar 13 '15 at 15:02
  • I'm roasting with no ventilation. I do disconnect my nearest smoke alarm. At first I was afraid to purchase a roaster due to so much talk about the amounts of smoke. I went with a Behmor 1600+ and I roast inside, no ventilation, no visible smoke. I'm stopping the roast just short of 2nd crack. – daustin777 Apr 07 '15 at 02:56
  • @KateGregory - it's not just being cold, personally. We're talking about the air being pulled into a roaster being 50 to 80 degrees colder than a normal spring day. That means it either takes forever, or never, to roast beans. – PoloHoleSet Sep 07 '16 at 18:21
  • The basic Nesco home roaster (about $150 USD) has a catalytic converter (no smoke) and a chaff cup, as well as a cool-down cycle. If you buy one, get extended warranty and if you can stack that with a credit card warranty extension, even better. They might outlast their warranty period, but I've rarely heard of one lasting over 2 years of regular use. There is an internal plastic gear or part that will snap. Because of that, I use other means, but it's an option. In winter, I roast under a range hood on high, and do a lot of cleaning of the surfaces and vacuuming with a shop vac. – PoloHoleSet Sep 07 '16 at 18:25
  • Sadly my range hood doesn't vent externally. My GeneCafe is still going strong with it's gasket sealant job. – Suspended User Sep 07 '16 at 18:27
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    @AndrewMattson I roast with a popcorn popper outside. No, not when it's -30C - I'll wait till it warms up a little. Below freezing is fine and is not -20F. – Kate Gregory Sep 07 '16 at 20:17
  • @KateGregory - I notice that it becomes impractical when it gets below about 20 degrees Farenheit, for me, with my hot air popcorn poppers. – PoloHoleSet Sep 07 '16 at 20:19

2 Answers2

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I finally noticed that the chaff collection unit is actually several pieces that don't fit as well as they could. I took it apart and sealed the seams with high temperature engine gasket sealant. I then used the sealant to connect the vent hose to the top of the chaff collector (also a very rough fit).

I still have some problems with cold air inflow on the vent through the house wall, but I can disconnect the vent hose from the house vent and stuff it with rags or other temporary insulation material if I choose.

All said and done the machine is leaking far less than half the smoke it was previously. It seems the chaff collector was a main part of the problem. This makes sense as the exhaust there is making a 90 degree turn, expanding into a chamber, then compressing back into another pathway.

UPDATE: enter image description here

Complete misunderstanding of the problem. The exhaust vent is sized down and WILL connect and properly seal on a piece of exhaust pipe fitting. I am not sure why the company sized it this way, but sealing the seams and using a piece of exhaust joint (rather than slipping the vent hose/pipe over the exhaust) works like it was probably designed to.

Suspended User
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I'm roasting with the Whirley-Pop so I doubt this will be too helpful to Chris, but I'll add my answer for the sake of completeness. The first time ever I roasted, I was waiting for a "second crack" that must have already happened, and before long my apartment looked like a scene from Backdraft. I learned my lesson and roasted outside on a hot plate, but after a while I decided to try it indoors again.

I just have a basic fan under a microwave, but I'm now at the point where if I roast 1/2 cup at a medium heat, and ensure that I pour the hot beans out while still under the fan (no taking it to the sink!) my apartment comes out relatively unscathed.

I've been trying to figure out why more people don't roast at home, and I have my suspicions that the oil and tar-laced fumes have almost everything to do with it. I'm curious to hear other ideas on the matter.

Ben Ogorek
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