SR800 vs CBR101! | Fresh Roast & Gene Cafe Compared

Today we're putting the Fresh Roast SR800 up against the Gene Cafe CBR101! We love both of these roasters, but is one better for YOU than the other? Which one should YOU buy?

If you're looking to pick up an SR800, CBR101, Unroasted coffee or any other home roasting supplies, support our channel by shopping with us!

Beginner's Guides:

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Time Stamps:
00:00 Intro
01:43 Overview
06:23 Customization & Ease of Use
08:53 Final Verdict

[nanocowie]

Six months of figuring out good espresso, and now I've found myself here. God bless the coffee rabbit hole, it never ends!

[daRock]

Another point that supports the CBR101 being a better choice for more mellow, traditional, and darker roasting - it is easier to vent the exhaust funneled out the back and can be modded to accept ducting. The SR800 is more difficult to manage smoke, but that isn't too much of a concern for more modern roasts dropped before second crack. I personally really enjoy the flexibility and agility of fluid bed roasters like the SR800, however the approach and profiles for these types of roasters is much less available than for drum roasters. The instructional videos on The Captain's channel have been pivotal in understanding my roaster. Thanks so much!

[jordesign]

As a BBQ enthusiast (and Texan) it's like the Gene Cafe is a Pellet smoker, and the SR800 is an offset smoker...

[ballietoflexheim]

My brother bought the CBR101 3 months ago and I just bought an SR800. I think your discussion on the type of person that is best suited for each machine is accurate. My brother has added a long vent tube to runout the window and it is great for him. He began using various beans to learn then he was given 25 pounds of Honduran washed beans and is very happy just roasting them the same way each roast. On the other hand, I think very differently. Before ordering my roaster I reviewed many videos over many months. With cost not being a factor, and only home roasting being my goal, as I am not young, I considered many roasters and decided to get an electric roaster that I could modify and attach to artisan. I decided that with the SR800 I could learn the basics quickly as I was purchasing all the items I would need to get everything that I needed to go down a more risky path. So I am presently awaiting a RazzoRoasting Extension Chamber and Chaff Collector Upgrade and Phidget company electronics and thermocouples for both bean and environmental temperature measurements.. ARTISAN will be used to track the roast and a microphone will be used with Audacity software to enable me to accurately see the FC on the computer as my hearing is not too great. Crazy, but for my personality, I went with all this stuff, while my brother took a different path. We are both enjoying this adventure in roasting but I am still waiting to really get going once all my upgrades arrive in the next week or so. Both of us are primarily espresso drinkers but brew by every method.

[musicman]

I just got the Gene Cafe specifically because I am to busy to get super deep into my SR800. I have had the SR700 and modded the crap out of it and then did the same with the SR800. I eventually got burnt out and am to busy to put the time in so it eventually collected dust. I ended up switching to the Gene Cafe and it is so much easier to use. It isn't as complex but in my phase of life that is what I was looking for. So your different type people profiles is 100% accurate.

[Woodytheconductor]

We’ll dang, I just bought an SR800, and now you got me thinking I need both! 😂😂😂😂

[franzconstancio]

My friend and I are dabbling with the idea of roasting beans as another source of income for both us. I like the fact that both of these sample roasters that you showcased have major pro's towards the kind of roaster's profile. Your other tutorials are easy to watch and very informative. Thank you.

[tomhester]

Liked this comparison. Helped me to make a better choice. I’m going with the CBR-101, but I have to start saving for it.

[lyncchoo]

I used a sr300 for 5 years. Simple to use. Playing with it makes you a master. I believe the total roast volume is the same for either machine. Yes you can manipulate the freshroast more, but, you don't have to. I'll go with SR800 because of the price. GREAT VIDEO!!

[joedipangrazio]

For just starting out in roasting, you can’t beat the SR 800. 300$ is a lot easier to take than almost 800$ for the Gene Cafe.
Especially if you find roasting is not for you !
I’m just getting into roasting and I’m going even cheaper with the Fresh Roast SR540 but I am getting the extension tube to be able to handle a little more coffee and more roasting control.
Really enjoy your videos and the information from them. Hopefully I’ll be buying some beans from you guys soon when I start roasting.

[djohnson]

Agree with this video -- as it happens, I purchased a Gene Cafe a number of years ago and it recently had An Incident which left me not willing to continue using it. So, for budgetary reasons, it was replaced with the SR800. By pure luck, this turns out to have been a good skill-level match. Gene Cafe was great to have fairly easy, little to no interaction roasts for the 6 or 7 years I used it -- but the SR800 is fun to get the most out of the various roasting stages. I can even tell the difference between 1st and 2nd crack easily! My only regret is not finding The Captain's Coffee website and YouTube channel before making that purchase, but they do sell green coffee....

[wakeawaken]

Very good video

When I was working as a barista, we had in store a sonofresco 1.2kilo roaster (same design as SR800 but professional)
Air roaster offers an extremely bright coffee that emphasizes fruity notes, that are not only notes but vibrant taste

One thing that you have to pay attention with these, instead of drum roasters, is that you may have been roasted at higher level, for example full city, but the color of the bean is lighter as city

[mattseibert]

Another great video!

I think you have nailed how each roaster can be used. I own both and, like you said, either preference in cup profile can be achieved with either one. However, the Freshroast excels with light and bright while the Gene excels with sweet and mellow. If you cool externally on the Gene you can get more brightness with no roastiness but you really need to cool quickly, less than 1min in my experience, and it goes against the manufacturer recommends, who says do not preheat or cool externally. I've found neither detrimental to the machine reliability after nearly 3 years.

[CowboysFan]

I have the SR800 and I have the extension tube on the way! The stock SR800 makes a great roast

[CLyDunSumtin.]

There are a few forums that has mods for the Gene Cafe to use Artisan, but heat control on both are lacking to really dial into your roasts. Both are great beginner roasters, they are really entry level as you can't control the heat to really dial in a perfect roast, great for home roasting though.

[ExtractionFaction]

Thank you so much for this informative video! You confirmed some of my prior thoughts about drum roasting. I'm deciding to stick with my Freshroast 540+ext tube. 2+ years in, and I'm still dialing in my light roast-It's a real blast!

[carsiotto]

Fantastic review! Well done, great content! Also I appreciate the persona descriptions near the end

[michalis]

Beautiful comparison! I'm relieved because I'm easily home roaster #1 so I got the right roaster lol

[hoongfu]

Thanks for this side by side. Man I wish I had the time for the SR800, but its gona have to be the Gene Cafe for me.

[imthebeeps]

Branding! (Great company by the way) thanks for the video !

Love my FreshRoast SR800 from The Captains Coffee