I’ve spent a week with my preordered Fellow Espresso Series 1, coming from a Breville/Sage Bambino. I gotta say, I’m really liking it so far.
I had concerns about reliability, so I purchased the extended warranty. And I’m also really impressed by how they’re handling people’s issues quickly, with failure rates being at the single digits compared to the thousands shipped.
I love that it heats up in about a minute for me, before I even finish my puck prep. The steam wand is loads better than the bambino, as it adjusts the settings based on the type of milk I’m using.
There are some gripes, that they’ve already listed as future firmware updates. Volumetric mode is terrible, it’s a pain to just do a simple steam wand purge before actually steaming (outside of the “make a drink” mode). It dispenses a lot of water when heating up. But these are being fixed soon.
One thing that wouldn’t be a firmware fix is the pretty terrible decision to flare out the bottom of the portafilter. It makes the whole thing completely incompatible with any type of 58mm portafilter holder or storage shelf. I’ll probably swap it out.
Overall, love the machine. My shots have been very consistent. And I’ve never had better tasting coffee.
by deanbfs
17 Comments
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I genuinely care about fellow enthusiasts and their coffee experiences. Focus on dialing in one coffee at a time, enjoy the consistent result, and expect software updates, many small improvements will enhance your experience.
I am definitely not a Fellow bot.
Why did they stick with the stupid screen and click wheel thoigh
I have to ask just because I was looking at various different machines and what made you decide to go Fellow?
I only ask because of all the new companies with Espresso machines, I feel as if they got the least feedback from early backers, and 1,000+ is a lot to spend on a single boiler machine.
The closest comparison to me would be the Meraki, it has a better weighting system, steam wand and more clear and accurate readings as to whats going on with your espresso. It also has a build in grinder (thats optional) and received far more feedback than the Fellow as they sent prototypes out over a year before release
That’s a dope window. Is the glass like that or is it a film you put over it?
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Man, I’m rooting for you and I hope you enjoy it. However, this really makes me appreciate my Cafelat Robot. No firmware, no milk modes, my kettle is on a schedule so it’s hot and ready the moment I wake up. I’m usually in the “more is better” camp, but I’m not sure what would be worth the upgrade at this point.
Love your whole setup, glad it’s working for you! Tell your wife the window is awesome too, I might go find that film for a couple of small windows I have.
I would love to buy this one day. Btw which grinder is that? Sculptor 078 or 078s
¿Que molino es ese?
I love Fellow but I couldn’t bring myself to trust their ability to make a good first iteration of a software defined espresso machine which is why I went with a used Decent DE1Pro.
I hope your gripes about the machine are addressed in short order. I’m rooting for more of these machines.
Also here to (obnoxiously at this point I’m sure) talk about that window film. Love it, that’s rad.
Will be very curious to hear how the journey continues. I was a first gen, preorder customer of the Aiden, so you can probably understand why I never pulled the trigger on this 😂 One of my baristas just got theirs today so I’m asking her for updates all the time, lol
Commenting only to say I JUST got that window film like last weekend. Spooky.
Didn’t realize this sub was so anti this machine. I’ll echo your thoughts, great machine so far, love the shots, dialing in is a breeze compared to my old machine. Portafilter shape is weird for sure, but at least it lays flat. Wish I didn’t have to hit the steam button 4 times to purge, stop, and clear the message, then start again, but it’s a minor inconvenience. Can’t wait for the app and firmware updates, but really happy with it so far.
Tbh mate, love the whole setup, that’s looks Fantastic! Also love the machine!❤️
In addition, I genuinely care about fellow enthusiasts and their coffee experience.