For the novice and the nerd: How the Fellow Series 1 is changing home espresso

There’s been a big gap in espresso machines between “approachable for beginners” and “perfect for professionals” for a while now.

Getting into espresso at home is an awesome way to not only save money but start a new hobby.

Inevitably you find yourself wanting to move from beginner to expert, and that is where I think the Fellow Series 1 really shines.

The onboard screen on the Fellow Series 1 has a bunch of step-by-step guides to make all of the common espresso-based drinks.

If you have never made a flat white before, the machine will hold your hand through the process to help you get the best results.

The assisted milk steaming helps prevent overheating and scalding the milk but still requires you to be part of the process.

This for me a great balance between being helpful but not overbearing.

So much of the joy that comes from making coffee is that sense of achievement when you see measurable improvements in quality and consistency.

And this machine strikes a great balance of letting you make mistakes while guiding you through how to fix them.

As you build in confidence there is a lot of room to move in terms of tweaking variables like temperature and pressure with a stack of really good presets to try that help you to learn what you’re messing with and how it translates in the cup.

If you are either a coffee professional or just someone who loves getting stuck into the weeds of espresso, the Fellow Series 1 is a really compelling machine.

Pressure-profiling changed the way that modern baristas think about espresso and having access to such granular detail in a home machine is really exciting.

The bottomless portafilter lets you see that moment of extraction and also looks cool for Instagram.

The Fellow Series 1 also has every stable temperature control with a heated group head and precise adjustment either through the app or using the onboard LCD display and control knob.