Fellow’s espresso machine finally arrives in the UK, and my favourite feature will surprise you
Fellow finally launches its Series 1 Espresso Machine at Harrods
QUICK SUMMARY
Fellow has launched its first-ever espresso machine in the UK.
Available at Harrods for £1,299.95, the Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine has three independent heating elements and a smart steam wand with a temperature-sensing tip.
Finally! Fellow’s first-ever espresso machine which I’ve had my eye on since it launched in the US last year has arrived in the UK. Available at Harrods, the Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine is the brand’s most advanced coffee maker to date, thanks to its three independent heating elements – here’s everything you need to know.
Based in San Francisco, Fellow has become well known for its premium coffee equipment. The Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine is no exception and is designed to offer “café-level precision without requiring professional expertise.”
I’ve tested many coffee machines in my time at T3, and the Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine is unlike one I’ve seen before. It’s extremely compact, measuring 438mm length x 315mm width and 279mm height so it can sit comfortably in your kitchen, and even underneath cupboards.
As a semi-automatic coffee machine, the Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine does require an additional bean grinder, or you can buy pre-ground coffee. Whatever you decide, the Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine talks you through the entire coffee-making process via its colour screen or app.
While the app unlocks pre-sets and allows users to create, save and share espresso profiles, the actual controls on the Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine are very simple to use. It has a precision control dial and three customisable shortcut buttons so you can make your favourite coffee almost instantly without having to play around with the settings.
The Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine uses a Boosted Boiler System which combines three independent heating elements to brew the perfect coffee at the right temperature. These elements include a flow-through heater, boiler and grouphead which work together to get temperatures ‘to-the-degree’ while warming up in less than two minutes.
The flow-through heater preheats the water before it enters the boiler, which helps prepare hot water without a long warm-up time. From there, the boiler minimises temperature fluctuations between brewing and steaming, while the grouphead heats up and keeps the right temperature to extract the flavour and texture from the coffee puck.
While this is all very clever, my favourite feature of the Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine is actually its smart steam wand. It uses a temperature-sensing tip to automatically stop the steaming process at your target temperature.
As an oat milk drinker, this type of milk is very easy to burn, so this feature is a real game changer. The wand also purges after each use so I can use it for my oat milk coffees while my husband can enjoy his dairy flat whites, all while avoiding cross-contamination and achieving the right temperature and textures of our milks of choice.
The Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine is available to buy now for £1,299.95 / $1,499.95 at Fellow and select retailers, like Harrods. It comes in black, red, sesame and woodland colours, and you can choose between plastic, walnut or maple handles.
