Fellow - Espresso Series 1 Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine with up to 9 bars of pressure and custom roast profiles - Black

Beautiful Machine and extremely quiet operation. Although it's mainly plastic, it's great quality and has a elegant presence. It's a very capable machine that can handle back to back shots while maintaining good heat. It has one boiler with a booster to get temperature operations up and ready in two minutes. There's an app you can download to get the "full" experience (not necessary but adds to the convenience). Everything can be done on the machine. You will need a separate grinder, but if you're looking at this caliber of Espresso machines, then you are most likely aware of that, and possibly own a standalone grinder already. The steam wand is extremely powerful if you're into milk drinks, I'm not, but my wife says it's 10x better than our old Breville. Fellow is an coffee-enthusiast brand, and make good products with good support (both from their site and on Reddit). While pricey, I think it's worth the investment as I can see this lasting a very long time due having the ability to update its firmware for added features and fixes.

I recently reached out to Fellow customer support regarding some software behavior with custom profiles on my Espresso Series 1, and the assistance I received was absolutely phenomenal. The support team, specifically Kyle, went above and beyond to provide a clear, in-depth breakdown of the machine's global profile system and the underlying logic behind the guided drink menus versus the manual Piano Keys. Instead of just providing a generic troubleshooting script, he took the time to truly educate me on how the machine operates, which completely elevated my confidence in dialing in my espresso. The recommended solutions, including ensuring my firmware was up to date and utilizing the quick-action Piano Key to instantly pull my active custom profile, were incredibly helpful. The level of technical knowledge, promptness, and genuine care for the customer experience was exceptional. Fellow’s customer service sets an incredibly high standard for the specialty coffee industry, making the entire Espresso Series 1 ownership experience truly world-class.

easy to use, excellent results, regular updates to firmware. So many options or just quick delicious coffee. The Best grinder you can afford will make this infinitely better. I love the way it looks and performs. I'm very Happy with this purchase.

This is easily the best home espresso machine I have ever used. It takes most of the guess work out of the process with smart features which are extremely useful. Some of these are built in temperature sensors, water hardness settings, specific milk settings, and more. Pros: - Looks great - Easy to use - Quality shots - Temperature sensor - Build quality Cons: - No grinder - Limited included filter baskets - Slow heating Setup and initial impressions: Using the app, simply give the machine a cleaning, hook it up to Wi-Fi, do a water harness test (with the included strip), and you are pretty much good to go. Build quality is outstanding with a great clean look and high-quality materials. There are only two included baskets so you might want to see if there are more options available on their site if you want more pull options. I thought there might be a built-in grinder at first but there is not so make sure you are set up with your own or buy grinds which are fine for espresso. Use: Keep in mind that since you are grinding your own shots, you will need to make sure you get the right amount for each pull. The manual recommends 18 grams (3.5 tbsp) for a shot of espresso. A scale is useful or just use the tbsp measurement if you grind in bulk. Making a latte, for example, is extremely easy. You power up the device, select the type of drink you want, load the portafilter, press start. It will take a good minute or so to heat up properly for the first shot after powering on (quicker for more shots). It then directs you to heat your milk, this is fun since the temperature is calibrated for the type of milk you select. It shows the current temperature in real time on the screen as it heats. I like that there is no “charging” for the steam which is common in-home units as it is ready to push out steam almost immediately after pulling the shot. It will automatically purge the wand as soon as you place it back in place. Drinks come out very nicely. I usually make vanilla lattes or caramel macchiatos. The flavor comes out very close to what you might get at a nice coffee shop in my opinion. The crema on the espresso seems somewhat thin in my opinion making latte art somewhat hard, but this might just be my skill level (likely). Milk comes out with the perfect amount of micro-foam at the perfect temperature each time. Clean up and maintenance is easy as it is mainly wiping the machine down and cleaning milk off the want after each use. The machine comes with cleaning pellets and two descaling power packets for future use. I am not that great at latte art yet, but if you know what you are doing, I imagine you can get good results here.

I’m not super thrilled with this machine. I think it’s fine for a home espresso machine but you really have to know you want espresso to deal with the hassle of any espresso machine. I hoped this would ease that pain a bit and I generally enjoy fellow products. It’s a bit plastic-y and somewhat loud. Seems ok for build quality; I wish it felt more premium for the price. My biggest complaint is despite being marketed as a better brewing tool with profiles etc, it is just as finicky as any espresso machine. Expect to waste beans dialing it in. The machine also seems to exhaust steam after it’s been turned off and sometimes I get puddled water underneath after. Very annoying. Honestly I just want to return the thing and go back to my Aeropress and pour overs. Unfortunately it isn’t an option because Best Buy has a garbage short return policy. So my advice to you is don’t buy this at Best Buy. If you really want one, get it somewhere with a more generous return policy.