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
(138 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 138 reviews
5 Stars
105
4 Stars
22
3 Stars
4
2 Stars
1
1 Star
6
92%of customers recommend this product.
(
90 out of
98)
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
5
Fun Machine
on April 21, 2026
Posted by: Joseph
I've had the ES1 for about a week, and I just also was able to get the latest firmware update. First of all, the machine is beautiful. I was surprised that is was light but so far no issues with the weight. It is a fun machine. Seems stable as promised. Creating profile from the app to machine seems seamless. Being able to use E61 portafilters is a big plus, no need to buy new peripherals and accessories. The slight issue is the original portafilter and basket might be small for 58.5mm screens. But yes, so far easy to use. Oh, I was skeptical of the steam because of the thermoblock but it still makes really nice textures. Not as fast or powerful like a La Marzocco but more than adequate for sure. It is definitely punching way above its price point.
Written by a customer while visiting Fellow
Customer Rating
5
Very versatile machine
on April 20, 2026
Posted by: Rubin C.
It has only been a 2 weeks so I can't say anything about the durability, but I am loving the ES1 so far. I am upgrading from a Breville Express and the difference is night and day when you can control the pressure. I am no espresso aficionado, so I don't care much about extraction. However, I have a certain taste profile I like when it comes to coffee and I know what parameters to tweak to get it. Because of that, my methods are not conventional and this machine allows me to do that at half the cost I originally probably had to pay. When experimenting, one of the most important things is that the shots are consistent and the machine is precise. Notice I didn't say accurate, because all the values the machine shows me can be false for all intents and purposes, but as long as they are consistent I can work with it. For example, 5 bars does not really need to be 5 bars, but as long as every time I pick 5 bars it gives me the same "5 bars" is what I am after. For that the ES1 did great both temperature and pressure wise.
That said this machine has its problems that will hopefully be fixed with firmware updates. The group flush for example is 3 seconds no matter how many seconds you set it to, and that is just not enough water to do anything.
Side note: this might void my warranty or something, but if you put a tea basket in this thing it can brew very tasty tea as well. My wife doesn't like coffee, but she likes tea and that really got her approval. Just thought that you guys should advertise that if this won't break the machine, since what I do is set the pressure to 3 bars on the profile for 60 seconds and then set it to 7 to release the tea with the tea basket set to release at 6 bars.
That said this machine has its problems that will hopefully be fixed with firmware updates. The group flush for example is 3 seconds no matter how many seconds you set it to, and that is just not enough water to do anything.
Side note: this might void my warranty or something, but if you put a tea basket in this thing it can brew very tasty tea as well. My wife doesn't like coffee, but she likes tea and that really got her approval. Just thought that you guys should advertise that if this won't break the machine, since what I do is set the pressure to 3 bars on the profile for 60 seconds and then set it to 7 to release the tea with the tea basket set to release at 6 bars.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Fellow
Customer Rating
5
Great Product Nice Upgrade from Bambino Plus
on April 17, 2026
Posted by: Sparkyy
I bought my ES1 almost a month ago now and so far I'm loving it. It's definitely taken some time to get a similar output as my bambino plus, but I can say it was well worth it once I figured it out. With firmware improving the consistency more and more. I seem to be getting a better extraction and a better tasting coffee each time. Happy to see how much it improves as the team works harder on the firmware.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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
5
Impressive shot consistency!
on April 3, 2026
Posted by: Pete@808
I've been living with the Espresso Series 1 for nearly a month now and I am really enjoying it. Although, it took me at least a week to properly dial in my 18 gram espresso shot timing and volume after finally googling the issue. No matter what drink profile I tried it would stop the shot way too early with barely half the 38 gram volume dosage. I had to go into the "nerdy" settings and increase volume output significantly. But once I did this shots began to run beautifully!
Before purchasing this machine I was using a Quickmill Anita for many years. I still love the build quality and old world looks of the Quickmill. But I've discovered the Fellow Espresso Series 1 pulls a significantly better shot. I'm able to taste a lot more of the interesting flavors from my espresso that I didn't get from the Quickmill. I'm assuming this is due to the Series 1's much better temperature stability?
A couple of things I don't like about the Series 1. I find while it's on and not in use, it gives off a subtle, high pitched sound that's enough to be irritating to my ears.
It also powers off into sleep mode too soon. Maybe this can be adjusted in settings?
When removing the ports filter from the group head the whole group head moves slightly, making me question the quality and wonder about the longevity of the machine.
Otherwise, I'm really loving this machine. Not only does it pull excellent shots consistently, but it looks beautiful on my counter and doesn't take up a lot of space. I love how it's much shorter than my Quickmill, with lots of height between the top and my kitchen cabinets, making it easy to refill top loaded the water container.
Before purchasing this machine I was using a Quickmill Anita for many years. I still love the build quality and old world looks of the Quickmill. But I've discovered the Fellow Espresso Series 1 pulls a significantly better shot. I'm able to taste a lot more of the interesting flavors from my espresso that I didn't get from the Quickmill. I'm assuming this is due to the Series 1's much better temperature stability?
A couple of things I don't like about the Series 1. I find while it's on and not in use, it gives off a subtle, high pitched sound that's enough to be irritating to my ears.
It also powers off into sleep mode too soon. Maybe this can be adjusted in settings?
When removing the ports filter from the group head the whole group head moves slightly, making me question the quality and wonder about the longevity of the machine.
Otherwise, I'm really loving this machine. Not only does it pull excellent shots consistently, but it looks beautiful on my counter and doesn't take up a lot of space. I love how it's much shorter than my Quickmill, with lots of height between the top and my kitchen cabinets, making it easy to refill top loaded the water container.
Written by a customer while visiting Fellow
Customer Rating
4
on April 1, 2026
Posted by: SoundLessRain
Only complaints are very minor. Round button occasionally clicks but does not register as having been clicked and have to click again.
2nd is I find the drip tray may be a little small, as I feel I’m having to dump it more often
2nd is I find the drip tray may be a little small, as I feel I’m having to dump it more often
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!
on March 31, 2026
Posted by: WizEatz
Incredible machine! Steam wand is great and temp probe super helpful for making milk drinks. Also love playing with the espresso profiles.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Fellow