When it comes the specialty coffee landscape, few brands have managed to carve out a niche as distinctive as Fellow. For over a decade, the San Francisco-based design darlings have methodically redefined our coffee rituals with products that marry sculptural minimalism with thoughtful functionality.
Their Stagg kettle and Ode grinder have become instant classics, gracing the countertops of discerning coffee enthusiasts worldwide – just check Instagram if you don’t believe us. Now, after three years of meticulous R&D, Fellow has finally entered the espresso arena with their Espresso Series 1, a machine that doesn’t just look stunning (although it certainly does), but aims to democratize high-end espresso brewing at a surprisingly accessible price point.
Design Language Translated to Espresso
Obviously, the first thing that stands out with the Series 1 is how well Fellow has translated their signature aesthetic to a completely new category. Unlike the industrial, boxy silhouettes that dominate the prosumer espresso market, Fellow’s creation strikes a perfect balance between contemporary elegance and functional precision. The machine’s clean lines and dome-shaped profile create a visual statement that commands attention without overwhelming your kitchen’s aesthetic. It feels like something that was plucked right out of MOMA rather than off your kitchen countertop.
Available in three colorways—Black with aluminum accents, Cherry Red with walnut touchpoints, and Malted Chocolate with maple details—the Series 1 continues Fellow’s tradition of offering finishes that feel premium without being ostentatious. The thoughtful design extends to practical considerations too, with a removable 2-liter water tank that’s easily accessible from the side.
The Boosted Boiler Revolution
As good as it looks, the Series 1 doesn’t just want to get by on its handsome face alone. This thing is chock-full of innovative tech, but what truly sets the Series 1 apart is what Fellow calls their “Boosted Boiler” architecture. This patented thermal system fundamentally rethinks home espresso heating by combining three independent heating elements: a flow-through heater that pre-heats water, a mini boiler, and an independently heated group head.
For home brewers, this means you get temperature stability that rivals commercial machines, but with a warm-up time of just two minutes—a fraction of what traditional boiler systems require. For context, most prosumer machines demand 15-20 minutes of idle time before they’re ready to pull a shot. The Series 1 essentially eliminates the planned ritual of espresso making, allowing for spontaneous brewing without sacrificing quality.
Balancing Accessibility and Control
Fellow has accomplished something impressive here by creating a system that scales with the user’s expertise. Novices can rely on preset profiles and guided brewing that essentially automates the perfect shot. You get proper pre-infusion, pressure ramping, and temperature control without requiring an advanced degree in coffee science. The machine will even offer feedback on your puck preparation, suggesting adjustments to grind size if your shot pulls too quickly or slowly.
For the tinkerers among us, the Series 1 provides granular control over every aspect of extraction through its intuitive LCD interface and tactile control dial. You can adjust pressure curves, temperature profiles, and flow rates throughout the extraction process, then save your personalized profiles for consistent results every morning. This level of customization is typically reserved for machines costing twice as much, making the Series 1 a compelling value proposition for serious enthusiasts.
The Steam System Reimagined
As we’re all too aware, steaming milk is one of the most intimidating aspects of home espresso for beginners. Seeing that most machines leave you in the dark here, Fellow decided it was due time to address this issue head-on with their temperature-sensing steam wand. It automatically stops at your target temperature (adjustable for different milk types and drink styles) and purges itself after use. This thoughtful feature eliminates both the guesswork of manual steaming and the maintenance headache of cleaning dried milk from wand tips.
The robust steam power itself is also impressive, producing silky microfoam comparable to commercial machines in significantly less time than most home alternatives. This, combined with the machine’s ability to quickly switch between brewing and steaming functions, means your milk-based drinks won’t suffer from espresso that’s been sitting too long while you struggle with foam texture.
SPEC SHEET
Model: Fellow Espresso Series 1
Materials: Aluminum body, walnut accents, stainless steel components
Type: Semi-automatic single boiler with steam thermoblock
Dimensions: 17.24” x 12.4” x 10.98”
Weight: 21.7 lbs
Water Capacity: 2.0 L removable tank
Key Features: Boosted Boiler heating system, pressure profiling, temperature-sensing steam wand, color LCD display with intuitive dial interface
Price: $1,500
PRICING & AVAILABILITY
Regularly retailing for $1,500, the Espresso Series 1 is available now to reserve at an early-bird price of $1,200. Either way, this is a competitively-priced machine in an industry where top-notch performance can typically cost several thousands of dollars.
Recap
Fellow Espresso Series 1
Fellow enters the espresso machine space with its first-ever machine, sporting a design-forward aesthetic that aims to democratize high-end espresso brewing for home enthusiasts.
