Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine Review (2026): Excellent, but a Work in Progress
#Fellow Series 1#Espresso machine#Home brewing#Shot profiles#Pressure curves#Temperature control#Commercial-grade features
📌 Key Takeaways
Fellow Series 1 brings commercial-grade espresso capabilities to home kitchens at a fraction of the cost
The machine offers unprecedented control over flow rates and pressure curves with seven different shot profiles
Innovative heating system combines boiler, thermoblock, and heated group head for temperature stability
Some features remain under development, including the app and water dispensing function
📖 Full Retelling
Fellow's new Series 1 Espresso Machine, reviewed by Matthew Korfhage for WIRED on February 24, 2026, brings commercial-grade espresso capabilities to home kitchens at a fraction of the cost, though some features remain under development. This groundbreaking device offers unprecedented control over flow rates and pressure curves, features previously available only in expensive commercial machines costing $10,000 or more. The Series 1 stands out in a market where most home espresso machines have traditionally aimed for the same goal: consistent temperature and 9 bars of pressure. The machine challenges this convention while still offering traditional 9-bar shots for those who prefer them.
The Series 1 boasts a sleek, minimalist design with a stainless steel, brass-core group head and stands just 11 inches tall, fitting under most cabinets. Its innovative heating system combines a boiler supplemented by a thermoblock and a heated group head, aiming to provide both temperature stability and quick heat-up times. The machine comes with a 2-liter removable water tank, though its vertical removal design may present challenges in some kitchen setups. The portafilter and group head are precisely machined, and the steam wand offers excellent performance for creating dense milk froth without hot spatter.
What truly sets the Series 1 apart is its seven different shot profiles, allowing home baristas to extract different flavors from their beans based on roast level and personal preference. Beginners can simply select presets for light, medium, or dark beans, while more experienced users can experiment with options like the 'lever' profile that mimics manual espresso machines or the 'turbo shot' designed to reduce bitterness. The machine also features a circular screen that displays pressure curves as 'shot graphs,' providing insights into the extraction process. Fellow plans to expand these capabilities through future firmware updates and a forthcoming app that will allow users to share and download shot profiles.
🏷️ Themes
Innovation, Home brewing technology, Coffee customization
Homebrewing is the brewing of beer or other alcoholic beverages on a small scale for personal, non-commercial purposes. Supplies, such as kits and fermentation tanks, can be purchased locally at specialty stores or online. Beer was brewed domestically for thousands of years before its commercial p...
Temperature control is a process in which change of temperature of a space (and objects collectively there within), or of a substance, is measured or otherwise detected, and the passage of heat energy into or out of the space or substance is adjusted to achieve a desired temperature.
An espresso machine is a device that brews coffee by rapidly forcing heated, pressurized water through a small, compressed cake (commonly called a puck) of finely ground coffee and a coffee filter to produce a thick, concentrated coffee called espresso.
Espresso machines vary significantly in desig...
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Original Source
Matthew Korfhage Gear Feb 24, 2026 7:35 AM Review: Fellow Series 1 Espresso Machine Fellow’s new espresso machine is a rare thing in home espresso: something genuinely new. It’s also still a work in progress. Buy Now Multiple Buying Options Available $1,500 at Fellow $1,500 at Williams-Sonoma Save this story Save this story Rating: 8 /10 Open rating explainer WIRED Beautiful temperature consistency and fast heat-up. Beautiful in general. More espresso shot options than I ever knew existed. Excellent steam wand. Excellent machining in general. TIRED Water tank requires high overhead to remove. Shot volume not always precise. Water dispensing function needs work. App is still in progress. There aren't a lot of game changers among espresso machines. But after testing the Fellow Series 1 for three weeks, I feel confident in saying that it will almost certainly change the conversation about what a home espresso machine is supposed to do. For decades, most home espresso makers have aimed at mostly the same goal: a consistent temperature and a consistent 9 bars of pressure, delivered with precision and reliability. Nine bars is, after all, the traditional ideal of an espresso shot. According to popular imagination, this was the pressure that baristas were able to exert back when espresso was pulled manually with spring-loaded levers. It was also the pressure chosen for the first electric-pump espresso machine from Faema, in 1961. But there's no particular magic to this number, especially not for medium and lighter roasts. The brand-new Fellow Series 1 Espresso machine, which began shipping this week, seems willing to leave this convention behind. The Series 1 will still make you a traditional 9-bar shot, if that's what you want. But unlike any accessibly priced home espresso machine I've tested, Fellow's machine lets home baristas adjust flow rates and pressure curves to elicit new flavors and new character from their espresso. This is sophisticated stuff, previously reser...
