Customer reviews from Fellow
Fellow - Espresso Series 1 Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine with up to 9 bars of pressure and custom roast profiles - Black
Average customer rating
4.6
(113 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 113 reviews
5 Stars
85
4 Stars
18
3 Stars
4
2 Stars
1
1 Star
5
92%of customers recommend this product.
(
89 out of
97)
Customer Reviews for Fellow - Espresso Series 1 Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine with up to 9 bars of pressure and custom roast profiles - Black
Customer Rating
4
Great espresso machine
on March 20, 2026
Posted by: Pickles
The machine is fantastic and better than I expected. Out of the box it had strange presets including no shot feedback (it took me a while to find this on the menu), the turbo shot for espresso was already selected, and time dosing for the espresso shots. Once I changed settings and pulled shots without dosing I was able to begin dialing it in. Strangely, the grouphead rinse aborts after only a few seconds despite changing the default time. The menu button is sensitive and jumps around but is overall manageable.
I would have given 5 stars but it has some software quirks that need fixing holding it back from the perfect rating. Overall a great machine reminiscent of the Decent espresso machine
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Fellow
Customer Rating
5
Intuitive machine. Easy to use!
on March 22, 2026
Posted by: B56
I purchased this product when it was first offered. I can't say enough good things about it. Ultimately, it pulls a great shot. As it should. The beauty of the product is that it is intuitive to use, great to look at in any environment, and most of all, it really does the job nicely. As machines 3 and 4 time the price will do, this machine hits the right temperature consistently and allows for a creamy extraction that simply tastes great! I highly recommend this product whether you are new to pulling shots or a pro.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Fellow
Customer Rating
4
Change can be scary
on March 23, 2026
Posted by: David
I switched from the Lalit Bianca to the series 1 and I’m really impressed by how seamlessly I was able to transition. While I loved the Bianca‘s look and adjustability on the fly. Being a Coffee geek this machine allows me to do all my geeky changes with an exact number and measurement, which allows for even more adjustability. And as good as I’ve gotten over the years at frothing milk. This machine can’t steam a bad cup of milk - no matter how I try lol. I’m Really enjoying the Series 1.
David
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Fellow
Customer Rating
5
Review after 3 weeks of use
on March 24, 2026
Posted by: J
I finally received the unit after 1 year of waiting. I have only made about 20 espresso shots, but I can tell Espresso Series 1 is a very capable machine. There is no other machine that is as capable at this price point. You can set up shot profiles with your preference. The best part is the 2min heat up time. It is ready to use in a few min after turning on.
The steam wand is awesome because it has a temp sensor and automatically stops when milk reaches 61C degree. It automatically purges water out after steaming. The quality of the wand is very good.
Every shot is consistent, and it shows you a graph (time & pressure). I don't have any complaint so far. I have used other machines made in 2000s, and I can see how technology has advanced over the years. This and Cafelat Robot are now my two favorite espresso machines.
Longevity (and after-service repair from Fellow) is another topic, and time will tell us.
The steam wand is awesome because it has a temp sensor and automatically stops when milk reaches 61C degree. It automatically purges water out after steaming. The quality of the wand is very good.
Every shot is consistent, and it shows you a graph (time & pressure). I don't have any complaint so far. I have used other machines made in 2000s, and I can see how technology has advanced over the years. This and Cafelat Robot are now my two favorite espresso machines.
Longevity (and after-service repair from Fellow) is another topic, and time will tell us.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Fellow
Customer Rating
4
Great machine, volumetric offset is a bit quirky.
on March 31, 2026
Posted by: Tom
Very easy to use, and the coffee tastes great which is what's most important. It feels super high quality, and is already an indispensable part of my daily routine.
The only quirk to this machine that I don't love is that calibrating the volumetric offset - I have tried following the guide, but just can't seem to get a consistent output no matter what I try with this setting.
Written by a customer while visiting Fellow
Customer Rating
5
Great machine and a huge upgrade from my Breville Barista Express
on April 14, 2026
Posted by: LimitofN
This is a huge upgrade from my Breville machine. I’m an early adopter here, and expected a few hiccups, but they have been fairly minor and software related. The espresso is excellent, the control options are fantastic, and there is plenty of room for changing variables which many espresso enthusiasts will love. Steam power is great as well. I think this machine will only get better with time and software updates. Hopefully they can include a Bluetooth scale feature in the future.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Fellow
Customer Rating
4
Frustratingly close to greatness
on March 18, 2026
Posted by: Dev
There's a ton to like about the Series One. The feature set is tremendous for the money, the interface is clean, the display and encoder are easy to use, and there are some really nice industrial design touches like the big chunky ball joint on the steam wand. Understandably given the price point, there's a few cheap/flimsy feeling parts of the fit and finish (especially the drip tray), but broadly speaking it's an attractive design and it feels well made. Most importantly, in no uncertain terms, it can pull an excellent shot. Even coming from a Decent DE1XL at work, I've not at all been disappointed with the extraction, programmability, temperature stability, or pressure profiling granularity. If you can't make first rate espresso on a Series One, it's on your grinder, your beans, your profile, or your prep, not the machine.
That said, there are a couple annoying quirks that hold it back currently from no-brainer territory for me. Most I really hope get sorted out in firmware updates, though a few are endemic to the actual physical design.
1. While I was incredibly stoked for the temp controlled steam wand at this price point, and while the steam wand itself looks and feels amazing, it's the weakest part of the machine. The steam pressure is anemic, steaming is painfully slow, it's hard to get a nice vortex and fine effectively, and it's very clunky to hold a pitcher and have to reach over the group head to initiate the controls. It's also a bizarre oversight that you can't adjust the target temp before you start steaming. 65C as the default is too hot IMO - by then it's already starting to get that weird cereal smell.
2. The incredibly fast cold start to shot ready is awesome, but the amount of water waste/bypass to get that super fast startup is significant. I've typically filled the drip tray within three shots, and I'm constantly having to refill the tank. Not ideal if you're using expensive filters or mineral packets for your coffee water, and not ideal from an energy waste perspective.
3. Having remote app connectivity and choosing not to support scale integration/gravimetric targets is a bummer and a half. The volumetric targets sort of work, though I almost always have to vastly overestimate the ratio. On the current coffee I'm working with, I have to specify a coffee to water ratio of 1:4 to actually yield around 1:2.5 in terms of liquid mass. Even if it came by way of an upgraded drip tray with an integral scale, gravimetric programmability is my number one wish list item.
4. The portafilter is perfectly nice looking and feeling, but the gasket on the group head is really stiff, and it makes it quite a task to lock the portafilter in. A softer silicone gasket option for the group head would go a long way. I really don't love how much strain I currently have to put on the group head to get a seal, you can see it bend under the torque just to get it like a quarter turn in.
So yea, 4/5. I would have happily paid a little extra to have a few more plasticky bits be less plasticky, but I understand the price psychology of where they have it, and I honestly can't think of anything else I'd rather have under 3k. A handful of software/firmware updates, and ideally a couple of upgrade options to add in some of the missing features, and I think this will more or less own the consumer market for the foreseeable future.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Fellow
Customer Rating
1
Think I’ll return
on March 11, 2026
Posted by: John Mc
Have already used 3 pounds of beans to hit extraction timing range. Not a novice espresso machine user. 2 of us have tried. Going to have a professional barrista come try. If he can’t, it’s going back
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from FellowBy CX, Customer Experience Team, March 19, 2026
We're really sorry to hear that your experience with Series 1 has gone this way! Our Customer Experience team would love to connect with you over the phone to see if they can help you dial in your machine, and an agent has already reached out via email to start the conversation. We look forward to helping you pull shots you love!
-The Fellow Team
Andrew Martin (He/Him)
Customer Experience, Learning & Development Specialist
Mon-Fri 8-5 PST
F E L L O W | fellowproducts.com
-The Fellow Team
Andrew Martin (He/Him)
Customer Experience, Learning & Development Specialist
Mon-Fri 8-5 PST
F E L L O W | fellowproducts.com
Written by a customer while visiting Fellow