Gene Café (Genesis)
Tabletop and countertop machines, Ansan, South Korea.
History
The CBR-101 is one of the two most widespread home roasters in the world along with the Hottop, and almost nothing is known about the company that makes it: Genesis Corporation, in Ansan, distributed in the United States and Vietnam by dedicated importers. No founding year and no dated milestone could be established.
The principle, however, can be seen: a tilted glass drum, on an oblique axis, turning in a stream of hot air. You watch the beans cook, which is no small detail for learning.
What it makes
A home roaster with a tilted rotating drum, heated by hot air.
The models
CBR-101. The full technical detail and the precise capacities are not verified.
What you gain
The hot air heats evenly and without contact scorching, and the transparent drum shows what is happening: it is the machine on which many people learned to recognize the colors and the cracks.
What you lose
A small hot-air machine builds little body, profile control is coarse, and the noise of the fan often masks first crack, which is the main reference point.