Latest news with #EspressoSeries1
Tom's Guide
08-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
I can't wait to try the Fellow Espresso Series 1, but this design feature has me concerned
(Image credit: Fellow) Fellow announced its Espresso Series 1 machine at the end of April, and it's shaping up to be the hottest coffee release of 2025. From the stunning, commercial-style design to its surprisingly reasonable price point, I can't wait to get my hands on this new machine for in-depth testing to see if it rates as one of the best espresso machines. But there's one feature that has me concerned, and it's the circular LCD display. I'm not the only one with this concern. Commenters on Fellow's YouTube announcement also queried the brand's decision. "Amazing machine! I'm seriously considering it!," says one commenter, "But why do you guys insist on a circle display instead of a rectangle, which seems to better support the list of options?" Another simply commented, "Please add a BACK button. Don't get why they would not include this!" You may like I'm not sold on the tiny screen No manual tamping required (Image credit: Fellow) When I reviewed the Fellow Aiden coffee maker last year, I had one main complaint about its design, and that's the user interface. It's far from a fatal flaw — the machine is currently sitting in the top spot of my best coffee maker guide, and I use it every morning — but the combination of the dial and circular display was a common complaint among many Fellow enthusiasts. Chief among their complaints is the lack of a 'back' button. On the Aiden, this means you need to scroll all the way back to the left to cancel or change something. If you've scrolled up to 10 cups, only to realize you're using a medium roast instead of a dark roast, you have to scroll all the way back to 1 cup before you get the option to go back. And if you want to set up a profile, you'll need to scroll through the entire alphabet. So why has Fellow added this same interface to the Espresso Series 1? (Image credit: Fellow) Minimalism is central to the brand's ethos, as is removing all the factors that can come between you and a good cup of coffee. On Fellow's launch video, the machine is described as "smooth and inviting, with no unnecessary buttons or clutter." You could say that again. Aside from the dial, there are only three buttons on this machine: one for espresso, one for steam and one for hot water. It probably wouldn't have been too aesthetically challenging to add a "back" button to the lineup, but I see the appeal of mirroring the design of the Aiden in the latest coffee maker. I'm still so excited (Image credit: Fellow) There's no denying that the Fellow Espresso Series 1 offers an immense set of features for the price. I can't think of a single machine on the market that can do what this machine can for under $1,500. Using a "boosted boiler," this machine pre-heats your water through a thermoblock before it goes into the boiler, and it also offers a heated group head for thermal stability. According to Fellow, you'll be brewing in just 2 minutes. Taking cues from the Aiden, Fellow brings the same profile technology to the Series 1. This allows you to set a custom dose, ratio, temperature, pre-infusion, and more. To be fair to Fellow, you don't need to use the dial to do any of this. You can pair your machine with an app that will allow you to download custom settings designed to pair with the beans available on Fellow Drops, and set up your own bespoke preferences. So, mercifully, there's no need to scroll through the entire alphabet on your LCD screen. I've got no doubt that this machine is about to change the game, but I'll be checking it out myself at the London Coffee Festival next week. Stay tuned for my first hands-on impressions. More from Tom's Guide
Forbes
24-04-2025
- Forbes
Fellow Espresso Series 1 Offers Striking Design And Precision Extraction
Espresso Series 1 in Cherry Red Fellow If you stayed up late trying to nab a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order, you're probably wishing you could conjure a perfect espresso drink this morning without having to fuss with going to your local coffee shop. Lucky for you, that will soon be a possibility with a new pre-order from Fellow that you actually can place. The Espresso Series 1 is the latest machine from Fellow, built to carefully extract caffeinated elixir from ground coffee. Using adaptive pressure and carefully-controlled temperature regulation, its espresso machine offers the type of expert brewing you usually only get in machines that cost thousands. The machine's core is the Boosted Boiler, parts of which we first saw in the Aiden Precision Coffee Brewer. The heating coil is phenomenally precise, allowing you to get a temperature that's exact, consistent, and fast. That heating coil is paired with a boiler that helps maintain your dialed-in temperature and generates steam immediately. Why is this so important? Inconsistent temperature can be the difference behind muddy espresso and caffeinated perfection, or as Nick Terzulli, VP of R&D at Fellow, puts it: Temperature stability is the holy grail of espresso. Machines that continually raise the temperature over the course of the shot or swing wildly can dramatically shift flavor. The Boosted Boiler matches the stability of machines that cost thousands—and does it in under two minutes. It's performance and speed, finally working together at this level. The second part of good espresso extraction, the pressure, is also intelligently designed. Similar to the control system on the Aiden Precision machine, the Espresso Series 1 has pre-loaded profiles designed to ensure you're using the right amount of pressure based on the type of puck you've prepared. In addition to guided brewing, the machine also offers intelligent shot feedback — giving you the data you need so that you can replicate that "perfect pull" again and again. For example, if your shot is pulled too quickly, then the Espresso Series 1 will recommend a finer grind to ensure your next extraction is in that 25-35 second sweet spot. Fellow gave careful consideration to the steam system as well. More than just a vestigial pressure release system, the steam wand has a temperature sensor built in so that you get exactly what you need without over-steaming whatever milk you're preparing and without having to mess with an external thermometer. Cleanup is easier as well. The wand purges itself after each use to ensure that you don't end up with milk getting pulled back into the boiler. Espresso Series 1 in Malted Chocolate Fellow The Espresso Series 1 follows Fellow's minimalist design, with attractive straight lines and simple geometric shapes. The control system will be familiar to anyone that's used the Aiden Precision Coffee Brewer, complete with programmable profiles. Fellow isn't including app connectivity at launch, but it is planned post-release. That's welcome news. Anyone who's used Fellow's other coffee machine knows that programming anything on the machine itself involves far too many button presses and dial turns. Being able to create profiles in the Fellow app is greatly preferred. Hopefully this means that the Espresso Series 1 will get new profile updates from Fellow Drops, the company's curated coffee ordering service. It's not a subscription but an "insiders list" where you get access to high quality roasts from growers around the globe. Asking if the company would be including espresso-specific roasts in Fellow Drops, they had this to say: "People have a misconception that a coffee needs to be roasted a certain way to be pulled as espresso. This is just not the case. Espresso Series 1 has all of the features and functionality of a commercial machine, and you can profile a coffee of any roast level to taste exceptional. Roast level is correlated with solubility. The more soluble the coffee, the easier it is to extract, which is why some 'espresso roasts' are more developed. We intentionally designed Espresso Series 1 so every variable is customizable. You can pull 1:1 ristrettos in 22 seconds or 1:3.5 flat 6 bar shots. Light roast, medium roast, dark roast; everything can be tailored." The machine has three shortcut buttons on the top as well for quick extraction (though still no back button for the menu, sadly). The pre-loaded profiles are created by Fellow's coffee experts and will be good enough for just about anyone who's only looking to get their espresso first thing in the morning. However, if you're an aficionado and want control over every element of the extraction process, you can create your own profile. Flow rate, pressure, duration, and more are all configurable so that you can get exactly the results you're looking for or play with new recipes. Espresso Series 1 with included accessories Fellow All of this comes in a package that, while costing considerably more than an espresso machine from a big box retailer, is still well below that of top tier espresso machines (which can cost anywhere from $3,000 to tens of thousands dollars). At $1,499 the Espresso Series 1 is aimed at the prosumer, coffee enthusiast market. For just the next two weeks, you can get $300 off with $100 towards future Fellow Drops. Pre-order on the Fellow site now. The Series 1 comes in three colors with different handles for each: Black with black aluminum, Cherry Red with walnut, or Malted Chocolate with maple. The Aiden Precision Coffee Maker redefined my relationship with my morning cup of coffee and I expect the Series 1 to help me reconnect with espresso drinks the same way when it ships later this year.
