Fellow

Fellow was founded in San Francisco in 2013 and started on Kickstarter with the Duo, a coffee steeper. The products that made its name came after. The Stagg EKG, in 2017, is an electric gooseneck kettle with variable temperature and a small display showing the target and the actual temperature. It did more than any other kettle to set what a pour-over kettle on a home counter looks like.

The grinders followed. The Ode is a filter grinder and says so: the second generation, from 2023, uses 64 mm flat burrs, loads one dose at a time and does not go fine enough for espresso. The Opus is the all-purpose model, with conical burrs and a range that reaches espresso, for people who want one grinder for everything and accept that it is a specialist at nothing. Around them sits a range of drippers, carafes, mugs and canisters in the same matte finishes.

What they are good at. Thinking through the details people use every day: the balance of a kettle handle, a display that shows what the water is actually doing, a grinder that takes one dose and stops. The products are coherent and easy to live with.

What to know before buying. Design carries part of the price. A Stagg EKG costs several times a stovetop gooseneck that pours nearly as well, and the Ode’s burrs are the reason to buy it, not its shape. Also read the scope carefully. The Ode is for filter only, and buying it in the hope of espresso later is the most common mistake made with the brand.

Who it suits. Filter drinkers who want precise, good-looking kit and are happy to pay for the last part. The Ode Gen 2 is a pick in choosing a filter grinder, and the Stagg EKG in kettles and scales, where both are set against cheaper ways of getting most of the same result.