I recently bought the Ode as my electric pour-over grinder. Personally I think you've got it completely backwards with to your assertion that Fellow doesn't consider how their grinder would be used in the real world. Quite the contrary, I think they have targeted a very specific market and optimized the product for that market (instead of being a watered down general purpose grinder that tries to be all things to all people). I make relatively large 500ml cups of coffee that call for 30 grams doses of beans. I find the grind range for this application more than adequate. I typically use med-light specialty coffee roasts (currently an unwashed Ethiopian) and get a virtually perfect V-60 draw downs at a setting of "4" (which leaves PLENTY of room to go either finer or coarser). I think the Fellow approach is very smart... instead of trying to create a moderately priced grinder that covers all the bases only marginally well, they have created a moderately priced grinder that does what it does a notch above the comparably priced completion. BTW, it's not like I don't have a fairly decent benchmark by which to judge. I have a Comandante C-40 Mk4 and a 1Zpresso K-max (neither of which is a slouch) and I find that Ode is roughly in the same league but with the added convenience of being a fast and simple to use. P.s. It does require a significant seasoning period before the fines begin to mitigate (which neither my C-40 or K-max seemed to require).
@@heckandahalf1634 Sorry, I didn't really keep track. Ballpark... I'd guess I ran about 2 or 3 lbs through the grinder before I noticed a difference in fines. That's going to vary depending on the roast you tend to use. Also, it is interesting to me that virtually every review claims the "auto off" function is not consistently reliable while I have used the grinder at least 100 times and, NEVER once, has it not shut off automatically.
@@nternalPractice oh no worries, it makes sense that you wouldn't I tend to brew lighter roasts for pour overs so it may be a similar experience to you I appreciate the info either way I just bought one cus there was a sale happening and I figured now is as good a chance as ever and I'm really excited to try it out I work as a barista so I'm kind of going into this as I would at work The grinder is never going to be "perfect" I have to work with it to get what I need out of it so I'm relieved to hear that someone who uses it at home seems to have a similar attitude and is having a good time with the machine
I own one which I keep in the office and use a niche at home alongside my decent. I like it in the office because it’s quiet and fast so it doesn’t attract crazy attention or disrupt my coworkers. I do find the static and mess annoying but not a deal breaker. Solveable with some RDT. I do find the burrs too coarse. I’m grinding at a round a 2 +/- for my moccamaster which works but I definitely would have a hard time going to smaller brews. I also find it’s steps are a little big. I find I’m in between every know and then. Basically I’ve solved all of this by having more developed coffee in the office that’s easier to extract and save this nice Kenyans for home. Overall I do find fellow lacking a a brand. They make me feel like they belong in a crate and barrel and not a 3rd wave coffee bar. They seem to be very focused on this design aesthetic at the expense of function. The only piece that seems reliably awesome is the stagg kettle but that may just be luck as much as design. But the rest I find meh, except maybe the stagg brewer. But it’s in a dense field where differences are marginal.
makes me glad i went with the baratza encore over the ode. recently just did the m2 upgrade, and i couldn’t be happier. great video as always, sprometheus!
Used the Ode with the first issue burrs for six months and after thorough seasoning. It was really pretty good and single dose is a huge winner. Have been using the SSP burrs for six months and after a thorough seasoning. The SSP burrs are excellent and keep improving over time. I’d happily pay for this form factor-ish in an all ‘round grinder.
I found myself with similar sentiments when I got the Ode during the kickstarter campaign. Things changed when I stopped using fine grind pour over techniques. All of a sudden the cup quality drastically improved. I how routinely brew with a V60 at a setting of 5 and get great results. I also own a Ditting 804 Lab Sweet and find that the Ode holds its own with it in the filter coffee side of the house. I fail to understand why Fellow continues to sell the grinder with the grind bin cap as it serves no obvious purpose and seems to make static issues worse. I use a spritz of water with the RDT technique and eliminate all visible static, which also improves grind retention. When static is causing retention issues, I have found that removing the bin and then reinserting it before hitting the knocker seems to help with the static charge issue. While I like the grinder, I do agree that having more range on the fine side of the house would make sense, but for whatever reason Fellow has refused to heed the markets feedback on this issue. It is a good grinder for what it is, but I would purchase it with the intent of upgrading the burrs. At that point, you might as well be looking at a grinder in the $500-600 range that has more range.
I do think there is magic in coarser grinds, at least when it comes to clarity. It is interesting though to see the varied experiences with the Ode. Both units I got are from Kickstarter supporters as well, only one took the plunge into the SSP burrs and find it sits out most brew days in favor of an Encore and Comandate respectively.
@@teck67josh I am short on time at the moment, but at the end of the day I found pour over brew methods that did not require finer grinds to restrict the water flow to stay within normal brew times. On the extreme course end, you have the 4-6 method for the V60. When I get some time tomorrow, I will post more.
@@teck67josh It just dawned on me that I forgot to follow up with you, but again am short on time. I started tinkering around with pour over methods primarily with a V60 that involved lower water flow into the bed of coffee, less water volume at one time, devices like the Gabby dripper, etc. The goal was to slow the water flow and increase the contact time. On the extreme, the 4-6 method uses extremely course coffee settings on the Ode and can still result in over extraction if you are not careful with your water temp. On the other end, you have methods like the Tales one pour method that works well at a 5 on the Ode. If you have a technique that works for finer settings say in two pours following a bloom, try slowing the flow down by making it three pours following the bloom. This is what I did and do with very good results.
I was planning on picking one of these up eventually to replace my entry level grinder I have currently but it seems like I will just save up more and get something with better consistency and more positive experiences. I was going into the thought of purchasing the grinder knowing that it isn't suited for espresso, but that is fine as I don't have a machine nor do I plan on getting one, don't have the patience or desire to go into that rabbit hole. I just want a good consistent electric grinder for my pour overs. Looks like I will probably be pointing myself towards a Baratza product.
I really like mine, I believe it has the 1.1 burr set. The workflow is clean with a very tiny bit of water stirred into the beans, and the quality in the cup is great. For a single dosing grinder dedicated to immersion brewing, it was hard to find something better for the price.
@@Sprometheus I have had issues getting a good grind size for the V60, but with the Kalita and chemex i haven't had as many issues. But even then with the kalita my grind range is anywhere from 1-3.1 . Im hoping when they finally release updated burr's this will add more range.
@@garrettd1494 I think the steps/clicks are a bigger issue than the new burrs will be. Without replacing the mechanism that pulls the burrs further apart, you're getting moderately large changes between each click. That can only be compensated for so much with a new burr design. And until someone else figures it out and many copy, I don't really want to even try adapting the Ode to make it stepless...assuming it can be done without custom parts
I've had the Ode for a year and its great and looks good for sure but not everything is A OK. The static and chaff gets quite ridiculous at times. This is perfectly solved with a small spray of water. I had to get a replacement grinder because the burrs literally would not pop out when trying to clean everything (I'm pretty sure the newer unit also has the issue too) The grind size is a big issue for sure and I'm literally at step 1 and haven't moved it since day 1 and knowing that I might want to dip my toes into more espresso like coffee in the future, I know Im going to have to fork out a tonne of money for ANOTHER grinder.
Glad to see it’s been working for so many people. I guess I’m just slightly confused if that is more a difference from the factory in terms of tolerances etc, or if it’s a difference in the end user.
@@Sprometheus I got one with bad tolerances its a factory issue per the conversations I had with fellow and SSP. Customer service has been excellent in taking care of the issue though.
Love my ode with 1.1 burrs. Not interested in espresso. Beautiful machine and quick and quiet. Grind setting is smooth and has a quality feel. The magnetic cup centering is cool. Coffee ground “mess” is really minimal. Who knows how effective the knocker is, I just tap the top cover. A great machine.
Use a cheap 200 or 300 micron filter to remove some of the fines that a conical grinder like the Niche Zero produces more of than any flat burrs grinder when you are brewing coffee and you'll be golden. Don't remove the fines when grinding for espresso because fines are fine for espresso.
@@Sprometheus interesting I have both coming in the mail. I have the SSP lab sweet burrs for the ode which are supposed to be amazing for pour over, so it will be a fun comparison with the niche.
What puzzles me is that the burrs are touching at pour-over settings. The wilfa uniform also has 64mm burrs, but can go fine enough for espresso (although the steps are a bit too big for that). Baratza Vario also touches at the espresso range. Maybe because of the vertical placement?
Fellow has some oddly designed burrs, if you see James’ Ode review he goes more into it but I think that rim design that they have is what holds it back.
Dany It’s not the vertical placement that determines how fine you can grind. It is the design of the burrs. Of course proper alignment helps as well. With the Ode, the stock burrs have deep teeth on the outer edge which directly affects grind size.
@@aramse the motor doesn’t dictate grind fineness. It will help with lightly roasted coffee, but the issue with the Ode is not the motor. It is the burrs.
I roast some of my own coffee pretty light at home, usually stopping a minute and a half after first crack starts or like 12~18% development time, and I have had plenty of third wave light roasts. But I have no problem with the Ode, actually I like it a lot. I have a Comandante C40 for when I don't want to wake the kids early in the morning, but I use the Ode on the weekend and find it more than capable of producing nice coffee out of the V60. I do perform a lot of agitation by default in pour overs and use boiling water, so maybe that helps. But I find the Ode actually makes a slightly more clear cup of coffee than my Comandante does.
For sure, that clarity is likely a lower extraction. Not to say that it’s a bad thing, just a general experience I’ve had when it comes to tasting lots of coffee.
you guys are bad at flat burr grinders, stay away. you have to align the burrs to make the extraction higher, the beverage sweeter and denser, and you can grind finer then. But yes if you want something easy, that anyone can make, then this is not it, or any flat grinder, unless you cash out 2.5-3k.
@@deenman60 not sure what you’re getting at here, inferring I don’t know how to align burrs? Like I didn’t give it enough effort? The fact of the matter is I do and I did. But the real issue is this grinder should be capable of out of the box appeal for those who don’t considering it’s price point.
@@Sprometheus I appreciate all your work you put into this videos and I also appreciate your honest reviews even if there are some moments when I do not agree with you (not for this video) but that's okay. However I fully respect and agree with you that the product should be ready out of the box, to be able to grind fine enough a brew, what will people who brew 12 g do? not everyone doses 25-30g in their morning brews. Again, I respect your opinion, and as you see and know there is a trend that cheaper flat burr grinders have problems even from respected producers, this was the same with Mahlkonig k30 back in the day, with the X54 you reviewed and now the Ode. For anyone reading, that has an ode but wants finer grind, an easy fix is to buy a set of italian burrs like the stock burrs in a mazzer SJ or the stock burrs in g-iota/df64 and put them into the Ode if they fit. I feel like the market has no real flat burr grinder at a lower budget like 200-500$ yet.
@@deenman60 by aligning you are refering to making sure the burrs are parallel to each other or the grind size calibration? Because I think spro has used the word alignment for the latter a couple times. In the x54 review he said it "came aligned way too coarse" or something like that, which makes me think he is mistaking aligning with calibrating the touchpoint of the burrs. If I'm wrong please do correct me!
I agree that I doesn’t do finer v60s well as the cup will still be lacking some body. It does perform well for coarser methods like the 4:6 and produces great cups there.
I think the Ode is a completely different grinder with the SSP high uniformity burrs. Super consistent and goes plenty fine (and grinds light roast for espresso). It’s still frustrating though because there just aren’t enough adjustments on the dial. I use it very often, though I reach for the Lido OG or Option-O Remi more (still waiting for my Niche).
It definitely is consistent and I would say a different grinder with them, but not in the way that it really impressed me as a $200 upgrade. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for espresso, I feel like the motor wouldn’t like that much, and like you said the steps on the adjustments are too wide to have the control you need for shots.
@@Sprometheus some friends have asked me if they should get the Ode with SSP burrs for espresso (one even asked me if they should get it for making espresso and French press, which I certainly replied with an emphatic “no!” I think it will and can grind wonderful shots, but also can’t and won’t. :) I do really like it for pour over, though.
You use your Fellow Ode Brew Grinder with SSP burrs to make espresso with light roast coffee?!?! What are the results of this? I find it hard to believe. I mean that motor is going to fail any day now. The motors in those grinders are underpowered and poor quality which is also true for the stock burrs.
bought one when it came out, using the original stock burrs with the hario switch I grind pretty universally at 2 for all the medium roasted coffees I have easy access to. Its does well, I don't think I will upgrade the burrs as its doing well for me
My experience is that you need to alter the recipe a bit, normal recipes typically don’t work well with stock burrs. It needs to be one that is centred around coarser grinds. If you do that it can be good, but it counter intuitive performs best between 2-4, grind setting near touching simply don’t give great results. The SSP when aligned (necessary) deliver the same results as in other 64mm grinders, the grind is very unimodal, but it’s very clinical and clean, can tend to be rather one dimensional in that regard I found the cup profile to be very much like SSP 98mm HU burrs. It’s not really my preference, but Option-O is set to release a cast burr set I intend to purchase and install and see if it changes things, I’m probably also going to get the new Ode burrs that should get out at some point, these should solve the problems related with the original not grinding fine enough. I really think it was a mistake by Fellow to use interlocking burrs to begin with, it’s just mostly suited to dark roast.
Yeah I mean I live a clean brew, but what the SSP burrs created just didn’t hit right for me. The interlocking burrs are definitely the biggest issue here, and I just don’t understand how they went that route considering I don’t think many people at Fellow drink dark roasts…I assume.
@@Sprometheus yeah this is quite baffling. It seems like they went for form over function as Fellow seem to do quite often. My guess is that they spent a lot of time creating a beautiful looking product that just didn't have the room to hold a motor that was powerful enough to produce the torque required to grind lighter roasts at a fine settings. Or a capable motor of that size would significantly increase the price. The interlocking burrs prevents people from going finer than the load the motor is capable of handling. Either way, it's a shame.
@@aramse The motor can handle espresso grind if you don’t toss all in at once on v1, on 1.1 you can do it as it has a bit more torque. So I don’t think that is the main issue. To be fair I think Fellow kettle and carafe works very well and allot like their brewer too so I think those products are worth the money, but there other certainly other products from Fellow I don’t like as much.
I have an Ode, and have used the original OEM burrs, the updated OEM burrs, and the SSP gold burrs. Your findings mirror mine, except that I prefer medium, full house, dark, and very dark roasts, with correspondingly much coarser grind settings, and the Ode with the new factory OEM burrs works exceptionally well for these darker roasts for my tastes.
I just got mine and prefer dark roasts as well. I am finding beans not making it out of the hopper and retention problems. I thought it might be because of the dark beans. Has that not been your experience? Maybe I just got a faulty unit.
I just got the Ode and am very perplexed that, on course settings (6 and even 7), I am getting drawdown times of 6-7 minutes using the 4:6 method. Strangely, going from 6 to 7 actually seemed to INCREASE the drawdown from about 6:45 (setting 6) to 7:00 (at setting 7). The burrs are not yet seasoned (having only put about 9 x 33g doses of coffee through it). Can anyone explain why I'm getting slower drawdowns at a higher setting of 7 and more fines?
Were these burrs the new re-designed set? Also, isn't hotter water recommended for extracting light roasts anyway? James Hoffmann did a very good video on that topic.
I really like my Ode, but it seems like the burr screws get loose easy, and I often run it down to the “1” for single cup pour overs. The SSP burrs should help, though. It’s on my Christmas list.
I also use the RDT technique to prevent static. The beans often times don’t all slide into the auger, I have to push them along in the hopper. It’s a small issue that I also have with the Niche, but considering it’s a problem I caused myself, I can’t hold it against them.
Interesting. The burr screws seemed pretty secure on both of the grinders, but they are also pretty lightly used. The SSP burrs are an upgrade, but didn’t feel like the massive swing i imagined.
I just bought the Ode to replace my Boddem I've used for the past 6 years and I'm extremely disappointed in the amount of retention. The knocker doesn't remove them all even after 20 smacks! I'm thinking about returning it.
I like mine but its definitely got issues. Its gotten much louder over time. Also very difficult to take apart as the burrs wont slide out as they should, due to poor machining on the shaft/center hole on the burrs. No issues with it not going fine enough, though I only do drip and aeropress.
Interesting, The owners of these Odes didn’t share any issues they have with them in those respects, but they are lightly used, even though both are from the original Kickstarter campaign.
When I first bought this with the SSP Burrs last year it was very frustrating. I had a rough few months to the point of wanting to back out and sell it for whatever I could salvage. Now after heavy seasoning, lots of trial and error, and a few curse words I feel I figured this thing out. I'm now getting excellent pour overs consistently and with the RDT method and the custom bellows I got everything stays clean with easy quick workflow. It took like 6 months but I can say I'm pretty happy with the value at $500.
i wanted the ode but after the reviews came in i bought a comandante instead and could not be happier with it as a light roast/v60 drinker, the cups are worth the small amount of effort imo
for the V60 the scale should not matter at the ode. with the aeropress it does. i have a commandante as well. biggest difference though, you have to grind it yourself ;-)
Hey man- Thanks for doing this review. I agree with most everything stated- ESPECIALLY with what seems to be Fellow's ETHOS at the moment. . I was kickstarter backer and have been using it on the daily. I have had to switch up my recipes when doing V60s, or using Cafec filters that allow for a slower drawdown in order to compensate with the limitations on dialing into finer grinds. Fellow KNOWS the issues, and has said that they would be upgrading the stock burrs (free to KS backers) to allow for finer grinding. They also kept pushing off the release date of these. Last time Fellow mentioned a ship date, they had said by the summer. ((...and granted, I am very well aware of the current situation in world wide manufacturing/shipping/delivery these days))....BUT,...come on! I didn't upgrade to the SSP because I felt that Fellow needs to fix the issue (for free) and they say they will. But I am still waiting,...
Yeah, I’m with you. I don’t think this is on the end user to find a fix for. I think they really should’ve just done it right the first time, but I think it may have been pushed out as the pandemic kicked off and people were at home and they saw a need in the market.
@@Sprometheus Maybe, but the Kickstarter happened BEFORE the pandemic. So, dunno. I think they wanted to be the ones to offer a flat burr of that size for grinder in this price range. I just would have hoped/expected that they would have done more R&D/protypes to address the fine range BEFORE they manufactured and shipped out models
@@brentroman yeah the funding happened just before it started, but maybe they had a good enough sort of view as they prepared for manufacturing just as the pandemic kicked off to get them into production ASAP.
I do love the April, and it does use a coarse grind. I would say it’s one of the few options, mostly flat bottoms, that would work well with the Ode. Cones are a rough one, especially with smaller doses.
So right now I am working with a Clever Dirpper and a cheap conical burr grinder (bottom of the market, got it second hand and I doubt it was ever more than 50$). I drink mostly these light, third wave coffees that you speak of. I would love to upgrade, but I would also love to really experience a good uptick in results. I am not sure if the ode would do that, I must say that the caveat given here and in most other good reviews is huge... But I also feel that I do not know of alternatives at the price point. Should I just go encore, and how that is a good enough improvement? Or is there something I am missing?
I just bought an Ode after reading / watching numerous reviews saying it can brew v60 just fine below the 2 setting. At least for me and the water I use, it's impossible to get anything decently extracted, even pushed all the way to the finest setting. Like this video says, it's a real shame, because it's such a nice machine, and it's very pleasant to use. I sadly plan to return mine. I wish I had watched this review before purchasing mine.
What people tend to forget is the people that watch these videos are hard core coffee people (like myself) but my wife that just want to make a cup of coffee and look after the screaming children at the same time finds this grinder to be super easy to use. She fills the beans up to the marking and the pours it into the mokamaster. So I do think fellow got it right for an ease of use for non coffee nerds witch we tend to forget
Exactly! The majority of people who drink coffee want a lot of convenience with a little bit of quality. These are the same people who made Keurig a superpower corporation.
Surprising to see such a recent review that's still complaining about the original burrs that you can no longer buy! This is an out of date of review from the get go - Odes now come with improved burrs that get you a decent way towards the SSP burrs
Have you been able to get your hands on the Wilfa Uniform? I find it is reallly good for grind retention - about 0.1g or less for me! Can get finer for pour overs too though!
I backed the Ode pretty early as a Kickstarter backer. Getting right down to it, Fellow missed the mark where it matters. Out of the box, it simply does not grind fine enough for the light to medium roasts I drink. I ended out swapping in the SSP burrs and swap did allow me to grind fine enough to get decent extractions. When it comes to my twice daily pour over routine, 9 times out of time, I am going to with Niche. I just can't seem to get the desired sweetness I want from the flats in the Ode. The Ode can be a great platform once some properly pared burrs are developed and sourced. Also, I would like a stepless dial, the steps in between the Ode are just a little to big for my liking. Either at the current retail of $300 or at $500 with the SSP burrs, I would say the Ode is a pass. There are simply better valued grinders out there and the Ode does not do enough well to justify its cost.
@@Sprometheus this is a little thought, the Fellow Skagg X dripper drains out fast. I like the Skagg X has it seems to keep the slurry temp more consistent than other drippers. I typically go a bit finer on the grind when using it when compared to a v60 style dripper or a flat bottom like a Kalita. So why is the Ode not optimized for their own dripper? Unless everyone is buying their $100 French Press. I really want to see Fellow knock out all their products out of the park, but it is frustrating to see that behind all advertising they do and mostly nice design language that they often miss the mark when it comes to function.
Haha thanks for watching, and honestly Baratza doesn’t get the love I see for a lot of other grinder companies (myself included) but for the price it’s hard to beat the quality and the customer service.
Great video thanks, noticed your audio have little more echo, did you change your microphone?, Anyway I been interested in ODE with espresso burrs. Keep the good work.
I bought one of these, and about two months later I ordered a Niche. As noted in the video, how they didn't design this to grind finer is beyond me. Loved the grinder and features, but ultimately it won't do what I want it to. Gave the grinder to my nieces and they use it for cold brews and to grind for Kuerig reusable filters.
So I’ve decided to ditch my bladed grinder , I’ve been using drip style. But have recently bought a pour over setup , which grinder would you recommend for pour over , French press and maybe expresso /moka pot? Around $300-400 . I love the style and form of the ode. Thanks
I currently have a Comandante and have considered the Ode, this might deter me from it now. What do you think matches the cup quality of a C40 but with an electric motor?
I have a Comandante and I prefer using the Ode. Extremely similar quality, but I might give the nod to the Ode in flavor. I brew mostly 30g in the Clever Dripper and V60. I use the Comandante during the weekdays when my family is sleeping, and the Ode on the weekend whenever I can.
I am hopeful that v2.0 of the Ode will end up as a suitable replacement for my Encore w/ single-dose hopper and Virtuoso burr. The size, speed, low noise, and price are so attractive. But I struggle to understand why Fellow opted for their original burr design. I (and I think many users) would gladly trade away adjustability and uniformity at the coarse end in exchange for more of both at the fine end.
Totally love my Ode(stock burrs) for french/cold pressing and cupping. I'm not a fan of paper filtered coffee. But maybe I wouldn't be if I liked paper filtered coffee. I do wish it ground fine enough for my moka pot though. I use a hand grinder for that and espresso
Oh yeah, any coarse application this thing shines, and immersion brewing as well. Flat bottom paper filters seem to work alright since they need a bit coarser grind to flow smoothly, but cones just fell off for me.
@@Sprometheus I used to use it on its coarsest setting to cheat so I could grind really light beans to a fine grind in my junky hand grinder. I don't have to do that now that I have a good hand grinder. But it helped a great deal. Hoping their next grinder does solid espresso too though. I'll probably buy it to match IF my Knob grinder isn't significantly better than my Chestnut Slim Plus.
Another excellent review - thank you! I do not brew espresso at all & I use a lot of great Fellow products. So i was a good candidate for serious consideration to buy the Ode. I am also a big Fellow products fan overall. However, for the price, the Ode has a couple of of features that seem lacking (as you indicated). I got two of the newest 1Zpresso hand grinders for close to the price of the Ode & am very happy with my decision. I have a Baratza Enore that is mostly sufficient for my needs. But my results are much improved when I use the 1 Zpresso grinders.
Been watching vids on the ode since it was released and to this day, I still find it enigmatic. In theory it has a lot to love but at the end of the day, we're left with more questions than answers. My best faith guess is that we're simply not the target audience. And that is baffling truly. PS the source of my Fellow ire comes from an email exchange where they ignored a clear and reasonable question multiple times, so it's good to know they are consistent in that area :)
In the first let me Thank you for this great video I'm very satisfied until now with my Vertuso+ still better from my old ODE on my coffee corner In most uses filter drip french press and i found the burrs is very expensive for no more different as i see in your review finally thank you again 🌹
Thanks for comparing it with the Niche! Now I really wouldn’t consider having this as a secondary brew grinder. Shame cuz it’s so pretty, fast, has nice big flat burrs but meh. Great video
Yeah I figured it was worth comparing it quickly. I was pretty blown away that a 47 on the Niche was as coarse as the finest setting on the Ode. Thanks for watching and the kind words my friend!
You can remove the spring behind the adjustment knob that makes the clicking noise when adjusting the grind size. However; if your setting is too fine, the burr will drag itself to courser size unless you hold the knob in place. The burr distance to the adjustment knob rotation is also quite large for fine tuning your grind. I tried making my ode stepless once and immediately reverse it lol.
I bought it to upgrade to a modern single dose since I rarely make more than a single cup for me once or twice a week. After all the reviews and almost 2 years using it, it just feels like a basic home appliance that takes up counter space. I'm not really impressed with it anymore. You can control the static with a simple spray of water, but then the beans stick to the feeder and you need to assist them down the shoot. I guess it's a pick your battles, I don't make espresso at home and have been content with the Fellow bar I set up for myself.
It's odd that such a 'big name' grinder falls short on such an important point. It seems to be the consensus that while it's a good grinder, it won't be good enough for a lot of people
I’d say that’s a fair consensus. Both people who I borrowed the grinders from have said it’s too coarse, and even the SSP upgrade just doesn’t tip the scales enough to use it daily over an Encore or a Comandate.
We've recently purchased the Ode for the office. It lives there paired with a Moccamaster and eats light roasts. The workflow and combination is really quick and user friendly. Also for people who didn't fall into the Rabbit Hole of specialty coffee (yet ;). The relatively bigger batch sizes (27.5-30 grams coffee for 500ml at the low end) might explain why we love it so much. Also, the static has a really easy fix: spray the beans with a little bit of h2o. This keeps it really clean. When you do this the knocker is just for show. Making you feel like you're a pro :P
I think the coarser grind would likely work pretty well for the bigger batch sizes, but for a single pour over it just runs way too quick. I know that the RDT is a popular thing to do, I just haven’t really gotten into the habit myself, and I think when reviewing things it should be used essentially “as designed” for lack of a better term as I think that’s how most people would use it.
I suspect they delayed in providing you with one because they didn't want it reviewed with the version 1 burrs. Many of us had that exact issue with it. They developed two burr sets since its release - V1.1 and V2.0 - and I've been using it with the pre-release of the V2.0 burrs for a few weeks now with very good results. Mid-range on the grind dial and very standard 3-4 minute brew times with good results in the cup. I've yet to compare it head-to-head with my Vario but I've definitely enjoyed the brews that I'm getting from it, nonetheless.
I don’t think that was the case at release, they were getting it to those who are safe bets and also like I mentioned, affiliates. I don’t affiliate with manufacturers for that exact reason. I’ve heard good things of the pre-release v2, but the fact remains they released a subpar, in some cases hardly useable grinder to a community of coffee lovers. As a consumer I am not so quick to forgive and forget these kinds of missteps and recommend that others shouldn’t be either, this kind of thing is a slippery slope.
@@Sprometheus Totally agree! I was a Kickstarter backer and always wiling to risk that the product wouldn't live up to expectations - that's life on Kickstarter. But I've also said, since receiving mine, that I would not recommend it to anyone doing anything other than full immersion brewing. I just kinda figured they might be hoping to get you one with V1.1 or V2.0 burrs before you had a chance to review it. Sounds like they were getting it out to only all those who they could count on giving it good praise, regardless.
In the end that’s one persons opinion, but the cup quality really didn’t elevate like I had expected. Used a couple different coffees and all of them were a little flatter than they were on the standards. Not sure why exactly, maybe the lack of fines really just ups the clarity by dropping the extraction a bit too much for my palate.
I thought about it, but honestly sifting is just such a pain already and the results were fairly clear in the cup so it just felt like overkill at that point.
I suggest you to try a simple Switch recipe: medium-fine grind, closed valve, 15-250, 10min immersion time, release. I get very stable results like this. No voodoo, no fancy recipe, just a long immersion time.
A well put together ode to Fellows grinder. Shame. They were so close to something great and completely owning this segment of the market. To end this comment on a more fun note; when I “discovered” coffee I would regularly confuse Sprometheus with Chris Baca. 😂
Thank you my friend! They absolutely just missed the mark of making a grinder that really would own that segment for sure! Haha, well I guess there’s worse people to be confused with.
I have an old Breville Dose Control Pro (basically the dumb version of the breville smart grinder) cost about $160 4ish years ago. Have a friend who got the Ode. Brewed some pour overs with it, and while I wouldn't say the gap was huge, I def prefer the results I get from mine over the Ode. There are just too many grinders that can produce better or at least equal results that cost way less to justify the price...I guess unless aesthetic is that important to you.
Maybe Fellow is subtly trying to get users to stay within their ecosystem with an Ode, Stagg EKG, and brewer. Sounds like the Ode is just barely not able to grind fine enough for a JH V60. And the EKG is just barely not able to pour fast enough for a 500 ml JH V60 (without dribbling out the top). Wait, maybe they just have something against JH [thinking emoji]
I was frustrated with the Ode and V60, with very quick brews at #2 (I avoid 1 because the scraping noise). But I prefer Chemex, and set it to 3 and get equal or better cups than my Sette 270 (with the benefits of much quieter and faster grind).
Bro you have a successful RUclips channel. You don't need them to send you a free unit when the review itself is gonna net you enough to buy 20 of them.
Got it from kickstarter, mainly because love the looks of the Fellow products. I agree it is a bit limited, one of the perks is the grind speed but the inability to grind finer, you somewhat have to use a slower brewer to make it function really well. Waiting for their new burr, I think kickstarter gets it for free or something. The 3-5 settings, and use a slower brewer like the black ceramic v60, or any of the immersion brewers and it sings. Plus it looks so pretty especially next to the Fellow kettle. Can't convince the wife that we need a better grinder when everyone else in the fam loves the Jura Superautomatic, and I already have the Kinu and the C40 for those rarer coffee and espresso.
The thing is that commandante and kinu m47’s grind quality is just so ridiculously good for their price, the only downside being that you actually have to grind the beans by hand. But we already got used to the hand grinding part, and if we look for something that produces a higher grind quality, it probably cost 3 to 4 times the price.
@@eddiezhou659 yeah, i actually switch from hario v60 electric grinder to comandante. The difference in the result is huge. Furthermore, I actually enjoy the process of grinding by hand. It’s not like i make coffee for a bunch of people anyway, so it’s not a big deal.
Would like to see an update to this video with a review of the Ode Gen 2
Used the ode quite often when it came out, but I find myself reaching for the Comandante much more often than I should.
I’ve heard that from a quite a few users, including the people I borrowed both Odes from. Kind of a shame.
Comandante is simply great. Even though I have a M47 classic next to it.
The same here. Bought the ode few months back and right now i’m even more impressed with the comandante (taste wise)
@madrian what are your thoughts comparing the commandante and kinu?
Same here, wanted to replace my Comandante with something electric but ended up keeping my C40. Guess I'll have to keep saving for the EK...
I recently bought the Ode as my electric pour-over grinder. Personally I think you've got it completely backwards with to your assertion that Fellow doesn't consider how their grinder would be used in the real world. Quite the contrary, I think they have targeted a very specific market and optimized the product for that market (instead of being a watered down general purpose grinder that tries to be all things to all people). I make relatively large 500ml cups of coffee that call for 30 grams doses of beans. I find the grind range for this application more than adequate. I typically use med-light specialty coffee roasts (currently an unwashed Ethiopian) and get a virtually perfect V-60 draw downs at a setting of "4" (which leaves PLENTY of room to go either finer or coarser). I think the Fellow approach is very smart... instead of trying to create a moderately priced grinder that covers all the bases only marginally well, they have created a moderately priced grinder that does what it does a notch above the comparably priced completion. BTW, it's not like I don't have a fairly decent benchmark by which to judge. I have a Comandante C-40 Mk4 and a 1Zpresso K-max (neither of which is a slouch) and I find that Ode is roughly in the same league but with the added convenience of being a fast and simple to use.
P.s. It does require a significant seasoning period before the fines begin to mitigate (which neither my C-40 or K-max seemed to require).
This was really helpful, may I ask how long of a seasoning period?
Like about how much did you have to grind before it felt right
@@heckandahalf1634 Sorry, I didn't really keep track. Ballpark... I'd guess I ran about 2 or 3 lbs through the grinder before I noticed a difference in fines. That's going to vary depending on the roast you tend to use. Also, it is interesting to me that virtually every review claims the "auto off" function is not consistently reliable while I have used the grinder at least 100 times and, NEVER once, has it not shut off automatically.
@@nternalPractice oh no worries, it makes sense that you wouldn't
I tend to brew lighter roasts for pour overs so it may be a similar experience to you
I appreciate the info either way
I just bought one cus there was a sale happening and I figured now is as good a chance as ever and I'm really excited to try it out
I work as a barista so I'm kind of going into this as I would at work
The grinder is never going to be "perfect" I have to work with it to get what I need out of it so I'm relieved to hear that someone who uses it at home seems to have a similar attitude and is having a good time with the machine
I own one which I keep in the office and use a niche at home alongside my decent. I like it in the office because it’s quiet and fast so it doesn’t attract crazy attention or disrupt my coworkers. I do find the static and mess annoying but not a deal breaker. Solveable with some RDT. I do find the burrs too coarse. I’m grinding at a round a 2 +/- for my moccamaster which works but I definitely would have a hard time going to smaller brews. I also find it’s steps are a little big. I find I’m in between every know and then. Basically I’ve solved all of this by having more developed coffee in the office that’s easier to extract and save this nice Kenyans for home.
Overall I do find fellow lacking a a brand. They make me feel like they belong in a crate and barrel and not a 3rd wave coffee bar. They seem to be very focused on this design aesthetic at the expense of function. The only piece that seems reliably awesome is the stagg kettle but that may just be luck as much as design. But the rest I find meh, except maybe the stagg brewer. But it’s in a dense field where differences are marginal.
makes me glad i went with the baratza encore over the ode. recently just did the m2 upgrade, and i couldn’t be happier. great video as always, sprometheus!
The Encore is a classic. Still have mine, thanks for watching!
Same, just did the M2 as well. Makes a big difference.
Good choice , the encore always gave me better tasting brews than the Ode. I couldn’t sell the Ode fast enough.
Used the Ode with the first issue burrs for six months and after thorough seasoning. It was really pretty good and single dose is a huge winner. Have been using the SSP burrs for six months and after a thorough seasoning. The SSP burrs are excellent and keep improving over time. I’d happily pay for this form factor-ish in an all ‘round grinder.
Is it worth it ? What ssp burrs did u bought ?
I found myself with similar sentiments when I got the Ode during the kickstarter campaign. Things changed when I stopped using fine grind pour over techniques. All of a sudden the cup quality drastically improved. I how routinely brew with a V60 at a setting of 5 and get great results. I also own a Ditting 804 Lab Sweet and find that the Ode holds its own with it in the filter coffee side of the house. I fail to understand why Fellow continues to sell the grinder with the grind bin cap as it serves no obvious purpose and seems to make static issues worse. I use a spritz of water with the RDT technique and eliminate all visible static, which also improves grind retention. When static is causing retention issues, I have found that removing the bin and then reinserting it before hitting the knocker seems to help with the static charge issue. While I like the grinder, I do agree that having more range on the fine side of the house would make sense, but for whatever reason Fellow has refused to heed the markets feedback on this issue. It is a good grinder for what it is, but I would purchase it with the intent of upgrading the burrs. At that point, you might as well be looking at a grinder in the $500-600 range that has more range.
I do think there is magic in coarser grinds, at least when it comes to clarity. It is interesting though to see the varied experiences with the Ode. Both units I got are from Kickstarter supporters as well, only one took the plunge into the SSP burrs and find it sits out most brew days in favor of an Encore and Comandate respectively.
What is the courser techniques that you implemented?
@@teck67josh I am short on time at the moment, but at the end of the day I found pour over brew methods that did not require finer grinds to restrict the water flow to stay within normal brew times. On the extreme course end, you have the 4-6 method for the V60. When I get some time tomorrow, I will post more.
@@teck67josh It just dawned on me that I forgot to follow up with you, but again am short on time. I started tinkering around with pour over methods primarily with a V60 that involved lower water flow into the bed of coffee, less water volume at one time, devices like the Gabby dripper, etc. The goal was to slow the water flow and increase the contact time. On the extreme, the 4-6 method uses extremely course coffee settings on the Ode and can still result in over extraction if you are not careful with your water temp. On the other end, you have methods like the Tales one pour method that works well at a 5 on the Ode. If you have a technique that works for finer settings say in two pours following a bloom, try slowing the flow down by making it three pours following the bloom. This is what I did and do with very good results.
If you got yours through the Kickstarter they will be sending out the new burrs once there released.
loving the new look of the channel
Thanks Christian, it’s a work in progress still but it’ll only get better!
I was planning on picking one of these up eventually to replace my entry level grinder I have currently but it seems like I will just save up more and get something with better consistency and more positive experiences. I was going into the thought of purchasing the grinder knowing that it isn't suited for espresso, but that is fine as I don't have a machine nor do I plan on getting one, don't have the patience or desire to go into that rabbit hole. I just want a good consistent electric grinder for my pour overs. Looks like I will probably be pointing myself towards a Baratza product.
I really like mine, I believe it has the 1.1 burr set. The workflow is clean with a very tiny bit of water stirred into the beans, and the quality in the cup is great. For a single dosing grinder dedicated to immersion brewing, it was hard to find something better for the price.
With immersion brews this thing does great. Percolation is where it falls short for sure.
@@Sprometheus I have had issues getting a good grind size for the V60, but with the Kalita and chemex i haven't had as many issues. But even then with the kalita my grind range is anywhere from 1-3.1 . Im hoping when they finally release updated burr's this will add more range.
@@garrettd1494 I think the steps/clicks are a bigger issue than the new burrs will be. Without replacing the mechanism that pulls the burrs further apart, you're getting moderately large changes between each click. That can only be compensated for so much with a new burr design. And until someone else figures it out and many copy, I don't really want to even try adapting the Ode to make it stepless...assuming it can be done without custom parts
I've had the Ode for a year and its great and looks good for sure but not everything is A OK. The static and chaff gets quite ridiculous at times. This is perfectly solved with a small spray of water. I had to get a replacement grinder because the burrs literally would not pop out when trying to clean everything (I'm pretty sure the newer unit also has the issue too) The grind size is a big issue for sure and I'm literally at step 1 and haven't moved it since day 1 and knowing that I might want to dip my toes into more espresso like coffee in the future, I know Im going to have to fork out a tonne of money for ANOTHER grinder.
Glad to see it’s been working for so many people. I guess I’m just slightly confused if that is more a difference from the factory in terms of tolerances etc, or if it’s a difference in the end user.
@@Sprometheus I got one with bad tolerances its a factory issue per the conversations I had with fellow and SSP. Customer service has been excellent in taking care of the issue though.
Love my ode with 1.1 burrs. Not interested in espresso. Beautiful machine and quick and quiet. Grind setting is smooth and has a quality feel. The magnetic cup centering is cool. Coffee ground “mess” is really minimal. Who knows how effective the knocker is, I just tap the top cover. A great machine.
This validated me not wanting the Ode as my filter grinder and just sticking with the Niche. Saved me $300- thanks!
I think the Ode is a decent option, but I really do find myself preferring the Niche and conicals in general for all of my current brewing options.
Use a cheap 200 or 300 micron filter to remove some of the fines that a conical grinder like the Niche Zero produces more of than any flat burrs grinder when you are brewing coffee and you'll be golden. Don't remove the fines when grinding for espresso because fines are fine for espresso.
@@Sprometheus interesting I have both coming in the mail. I have the SSP lab sweet burrs for the ode which are supposed to be amazing for pour over, so it will be a fun comparison with the niche.
Any plans to check out the Ode gen 2? with and without the SSPs?
What puzzles me is that the burrs are touching at pour-over settings. The wilfa uniform also has 64mm burrs, but can go fine enough for espresso (although the steps are a bit too big for that). Baratza Vario also touches at the espresso range. Maybe because of the vertical placement?
Fellow has some oddly designed burrs, if you see James’ Ode review he goes more into it but I think that rim design that they have is what holds it back.
Dany It’s not the vertical placement that determines how fine you can grind. It is the design of the burrs. Of course proper alignment helps as well. With the Ode, the stock burrs have deep teeth on the outer edge which directly affects grind size.
My guess is that the Uniform has a lot more room to house a bigger, more powerful motor.
@@Sprometheus Indeed. The outfall of the stock burs is really deep. I’m betting the V2 burrs will fix that. 😉
@@aramse the motor doesn’t dictate grind fineness. It will help with lightly roasted coffee, but the issue with the Ode is not the motor. It is the burrs.
I roast some of my own coffee pretty light at home, usually stopping a minute and a half after first crack starts or like 12~18% development time, and I have had plenty of third wave light roasts. But I have no problem with the Ode, actually I like it a lot. I have a Comandante C40 for when I don't want to wake the kids early in the morning, but I use the Ode on the weekend and find it more than capable of producing nice coffee out of the V60. I do perform a lot of agitation by default in pour overs and use boiling water, so maybe that helps. But I find the Ode actually makes a slightly more clear cup of coffee than my Comandante does.
For sure, that clarity is likely a lower extraction. Not to say that it’s a bad thing, just a general experience I’ve had when it comes to tasting lots of coffee.
you guys are bad at flat burr grinders, stay away. you have to align the burrs to make the extraction higher, the beverage sweeter and denser, and you can grind finer then. But yes if you want something easy, that anyone can make, then this is not it, or any flat grinder, unless you cash out 2.5-3k.
@@deenman60 not sure what you’re getting at here, inferring I don’t know how to align burrs? Like I didn’t give it enough effort?
The fact of the matter is I do and I did. But the real issue is this grinder should be capable of out of the box appeal for those who don’t considering it’s price point.
@@Sprometheus I appreciate all your work you put into this videos and I also appreciate your honest reviews even if there are some moments when I do not agree with you (not for this video) but that's okay. However I fully respect and agree with you that the product should be ready out of the box, to be able to grind fine enough a brew, what will people who brew 12 g do? not everyone doses 25-30g in their morning brews. Again, I respect your opinion, and as you see and know there is a trend that cheaper flat burr grinders have problems even from respected producers, this was the same with Mahlkonig k30 back in the day, with the X54 you reviewed and now the Ode. For anyone reading, that has an ode but wants finer grind, an easy fix is to buy a set of italian burrs like the stock burrs in a mazzer SJ or the stock burrs in g-iota/df64 and put them into the Ode if they fit. I feel like the market has no real flat burr grinder at a lower budget like 200-500$ yet.
@@deenman60 by aligning you are refering to making sure the burrs are parallel to each other or the grind size calibration? Because I think spro has used the word alignment for the latter a couple times. In the x54 review he said it "came aligned way too coarse" or something like that, which makes me think he is mistaking aligning with calibrating the touchpoint of the burrs.
If I'm wrong please do correct me!
I agree that I doesn’t do finer v60s well as the cup will still be lacking some body. It does perform well for coarser methods like the 4:6 and produces great cups there.
Was your test ode the original or the recently updated version with the better burrs?
Go for the Ode v1.1 ;-) with new version burrs, its can be recognized on the motor is upgraded to 150W
I think the Ode is a completely different grinder with the SSP high uniformity burrs. Super consistent and goes plenty fine (and grinds light roast for espresso). It’s still frustrating though because there just aren’t enough adjustments on the dial. I use it very often, though I reach for the Lido OG or Option-O Remi more (still waiting for my Niche).
It definitely is consistent and I would say a different grinder with them, but not in the way that it really impressed me as a $200 upgrade.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for espresso, I feel like the motor wouldn’t like that much, and like you said the steps on the adjustments are too wide to have the control you need for shots.
@@Sprometheus some friends have asked me if they should get the Ode with SSP burrs for espresso (one even asked me if they should get it for making espresso and French press, which I certainly replied with an emphatic “no!” I think it will and can grind wonderful shots, but also can’t and won’t. :)
I do really like it for pour over, though.
You use your Fellow Ode Brew Grinder with SSP burrs to make espresso with light roast coffee?!?! What are the results of this? I find it hard to believe. I mean that motor is going to fail any day now. The motors in those grinders are underpowered and poor quality which is also true for the stock burrs.
If you want a "flat burr" version of the Niche, Eureka Specialita seems to be the best choice, right? Like, if you enjoy that type of cup...
Wondering how this $300 grinder compares to the $300 Sette 270 that can also do espresso grinds.
The sette excels at espresso but falls a bit short for brewed coffee. The Ode is a purely brew focused grinder.
Will you be reviewing the new Gen 2 burrs?
The real question here is how does it compare to the wilfa uniform grinder
Not a clue, never used it. But I think James had a comparison if I remember correctly.
bought one when it came out, using the original stock burrs with the hario switch I grind pretty universally at 2 for all the medium roasted coffees I have easy access to. Its does well, I don't think I will upgrade the burrs as its doing well for me
I think if you’re running any kind of immersion program the Ode will be great. It’s just the percolation that falls short for me.
@@Sprometheus I have had good luck running the Ode with the April brewer using Patrick Rolf's recipe and April light roast coffee.
My experience is that you need to alter the recipe a bit, normal recipes typically don’t work well with stock burrs. It needs to be one that is centred around coarser grinds. If you do that it can be good, but it counter intuitive performs best between 2-4, grind setting near touching simply don’t give great results.
The SSP when aligned (necessary) deliver the same results as in other 64mm grinders, the grind is very unimodal, but it’s very clinical and clean, can tend to be rather one dimensional in that regard I found the cup profile to be very much like SSP 98mm HU burrs. It’s not really my preference, but Option-O is set to release a cast burr set I intend to purchase and install and see if it changes things, I’m probably also going to get the new Ode burrs that should get out at some point, these should solve the problems related with the original not grinding fine enough. I really think it was a mistake by Fellow to use interlocking burrs to begin with, it’s just mostly suited to dark roast.
Is it possible to align the SSP burrs on the ode? It seems like the spring attempts to auto align. Would this be done through the screws then?
Yeah I mean I live a clean brew, but what the SSP burrs created just didn’t hit right for me.
The interlocking burrs are definitely the biggest issue here, and I just don’t understand how they went that route considering I don’t think many people at Fellow drink dark roasts…I assume.
@@Sprometheus yeah this is quite baffling. It seems like they went for form over function as Fellow seem to do quite often. My guess is that they spent a lot of time creating a beautiful looking product that just didn't have the room to hold a motor that was powerful enough to produce the torque required to grind lighter roasts at a fine settings. Or a capable motor of that size would significantly increase the price. The interlocking burrs prevents people from going finer than the load the motor is capable of handling. Either way, it's a shame.
@@aramse The motor can handle espresso grind if you don’t toss all in at once on v1, on 1.1 you can do it as it has a bit more torque. So I don’t think that is the main issue.
To be fair I think Fellow kettle and carafe works very well and allot like their brewer too so I think those products are worth the money, but there other certainly other products from Fellow I don’t like as much.
I have an Ode, and have used the original OEM burrs, the updated OEM burrs, and the SSP gold burrs. Your findings mirror mine, except that I prefer medium, full house, dark, and very dark roasts, with correspondingly much coarser grind settings, and the Ode with the new factory OEM burrs works exceptionally well for these darker roasts for my tastes.
I just got mine and prefer dark roasts as well. I am finding beans not making it out of the hopper and retention problems. I thought it might be because of the dark beans. Has that not been your experience? Maybe I just got a faulty unit.
I just got the Ode and am very perplexed that, on course settings (6 and even 7), I am getting drawdown times of 6-7 minutes using the 4:6 method. Strangely, going from 6 to 7 actually seemed to INCREASE the drawdown from about 6:45 (setting 6) to 7:00 (at setting 7). The burrs are not yet seasoned (having only put about 9 x 33g doses of coffee through it). Can anyone explain why I'm getting slower drawdowns at a higher setting of 7 and more fines?
Did you season the SSP burrs before analyzing the cup?
Were these burrs the new re-designed set?
Also, isn't hotter water recommended for extracting light roasts anyway? James Hoffmann did a very good video on that topic.
They haven’t released the v2 burrs yet. Latest update from fellow is early next year for Kickstarter buyers.
Seems odd that they limited the range of grind size so much. Maybe just focused on speed and retention too much?
I’m not sure how it fell through the cracks, would love to know but I don’t think they would tell us.
I really like my Ode, but it seems like the burr screws get loose easy, and I often run it down to the “1” for single cup pour overs. The SSP burrs should help, though. It’s on my Christmas list.
I also use the RDT technique to prevent static. The beans often times don’t all slide into the auger, I have to push them along in the hopper. It’s a small issue that I also have with the Niche, but considering it’s a problem I caused myself, I can’t hold it against them.
Interesting. The burr screws seemed pretty secure on both of the grinders, but they are also pretty lightly used. The SSP burrs are an upgrade, but didn’t feel like the massive swing i imagined.
I just bought the Ode to replace my Boddem I've used for the past 6 years and I'm extremely disappointed in the amount of retention. The knocker doesn't remove them all even after 20 smacks! I'm thinking about returning it.
Did you have a chance to try the v2?
Just got one new for $170 directly from Fellow. Man what a great grinder for the price. RDT and you're golden. Great for filter
I like mine but its definitely got issues. Its gotten much louder over time. Also very difficult to take apart as the burrs wont slide out as they should, due to poor machining on the shaft/center hole on the burrs. No issues with it not going fine enough, though I only do drip and aeropress.
Interesting, The owners of these Odes didn’t share any issues they have with them in those respects, but they are lightly used, even though both are from the original Kickstarter campaign.
My ode grind setting never moves beyond 1. It's a very frustrating design.
Reading it already frustrates me and I don't even own an ode
The Fellow Ode Brew Grinders are scams.
When I first bought this with the SSP Burrs last year it was very frustrating. I had a rough few months to the point of wanting to back out and sell it for whatever I could salvage. Now after heavy seasoning, lots of trial and error, and a few curse words I feel I figured this thing out. I'm now getting excellent pour overs consistently and with the RDT method and the custom bellows I got everything stays clean with easy quick workflow. It took like 6 months but I can say I'm pretty happy with the value at $500.
i wanted the ode but after the reviews came in i bought a comandante instead and could not be happier with it as a light roast/v60 drinker, the cups are worth the small amount of effort imo
for the V60 the scale should not matter at the ode. with the aeropress it does. i have a commandante as well. biggest difference though, you have to grind it yourself ;-)
Anyone know how the Ode's grind quality compares to OE Apex? Are they even in the same ballpark? I haven't seen any real reviews of the OE Apex
Hey man- Thanks for doing this review. I agree with most everything stated- ESPECIALLY with what seems to be Fellow's ETHOS at the moment. . I was kickstarter backer and have been using it on the daily. I have had to switch up my recipes when doing V60s, or using Cafec filters that allow for a slower drawdown in order to compensate with the limitations on dialing into finer grinds. Fellow KNOWS the issues, and has said that they would be upgrading the stock burrs (free to KS backers) to allow for finer grinding. They also kept pushing off the release date of these. Last time Fellow mentioned a ship date, they had said by the summer. ((...and granted, I am very well aware of the current situation in world wide manufacturing/shipping/delivery these days))....BUT,...come on! I didn't upgrade to the SSP because I felt that Fellow needs to fix the issue (for free) and they say they will. But I am still waiting,...
Yeah, I’m with you. I don’t think this is on the end user to find a fix for. I think they really should’ve just done it right the first time, but I think it may have been pushed out as the pandemic kicked off and people were at home and they saw a need in the market.
@@Sprometheus Maybe, but the Kickstarter happened BEFORE the pandemic. So, dunno. I think they wanted to be the ones to offer a flat burr of that size for grinder in this price range. I just would have hoped/expected that they would have done more R&D/protypes to address the fine range BEFORE they manufactured and shipped out models
@@brentroman yeah the funding happened just before it started, but maybe they had a good enough sort of view as they prepared for manufacturing just as the pandemic kicked off to get them into production ASAP.
I think it's for batch brew grinder mostly. Grinding fast and large coarse grind settings...
I like very coarse grinds using the April style. Ode performs very well between 3 and 5.
I do love the April, and it does use a coarse grind. I would say it’s one of the few options, mostly flat bottoms, that would work well with the Ode. Cones are a rough one, especially with smaller doses.
Great video again! Guess ill have to wait some more for a good flat burr grinder for single cups.
Greetings, what do you recommend in a flat burr, single dose grinder?
Hard to upgrade to the Ode from my Encore. I like the faster grind time and noise reduction. Maybe Ode 2.0 or 3.0
Wait till next year when they release the v2 burrs.
@@JT-zy2ft new burrs and a few tweaks.
So right now I am working with a Clever Dirpper and a cheap conical burr grinder (bottom of the market, got it second hand and I doubt it was ever more than 50$). I drink mostly these light, third wave coffees that you speak of. I would love to upgrade, but I would also love to really experience a good uptick in results. I am not sure if the ode would do that, I must say that the caveat given here and in most other good reviews is huge... But I also feel that I do not know of alternatives at the price point. Should I just go encore, and how that is a good enough improvement? Or is there something I am missing?
Have you tried wilfa uniform?
Any review of the DF64 coming out?
I’d definitely like to. Just need to find one locally since I don’t want to have to buy it just to review it.
I just bought an Ode after reading / watching numerous reviews saying it can brew v60 just fine below the 2 setting. At least for me and the water I use, it's impossible to get anything decently extracted, even pushed all the way to the finest setting. Like this video says, it's a real shame, because it's such a nice machine, and it's very pleasant to use. I sadly plan to return mine. I wish I had watched this review before purchasing mine.
What people tend to forget is the people that watch these videos are hard core coffee people (like myself) but my wife that just want to make a cup of coffee and look after the screaming children at the same time finds this grinder to be super easy to use. She fills the beans up to the marking and the pours it into the mokamaster. So I do think fellow got it right for an ease of use for non coffee nerds witch we tend to forget
Exactly! The majority of people who drink coffee want a lot of convenience with a little bit of quality. These are the same people who made Keurig a superpower corporation.
Surprising to see such a recent review that's still complaining about the original burrs that you can no longer buy! This is an out of date of review from the get go - Odes now come with improved burrs that get you a decent way towards the SSP burrs
Have you been able to get your hands on the Wilfa Uniform? I find it is reallly good for grind retention - about 0.1g or less for me! Can get finer for pour overs too though!
The new camera set up and shooting area look great man! Videos are looking clean. Content itself is as good as always
Wilfa Svart Uniform comparison please. They are almost in the same price bracket.
I backed the Ode pretty early as a Kickstarter backer. Getting right down to it, Fellow missed the mark where it matters. Out of the box, it simply does not grind fine enough for the light to medium roasts I drink. I ended out swapping in the SSP burrs and swap did allow me to grind fine enough to get decent extractions.
When it comes to my twice daily pour over routine, 9 times out of time, I am going to with Niche. I just can't seem to get the desired sweetness I want from the flats in the Ode.
The Ode can be a great platform once some properly pared burrs are developed and sourced. Also, I would like a stepless dial, the steps in between the Ode are just a little to big for my liking. Either at the current retail of $300 or at $500 with the SSP burrs, I would say the Ode is a pass. There are simply better valued grinders out there and the Ode does not do enough well to justify its cost.
Well said. I’m in full agreement.
@@Sprometheus this is a little thought, the Fellow Skagg X dripper drains out fast. I like the Skagg X has it seems to keep the slurry temp more consistent than other drippers. I typically go a bit finer on the grind when using it when compared to a v60 style dripper or a flat bottom like a Kalita. So why is the Ode not optimized for their own dripper? Unless everyone is buying their $100 French Press.
I really want to see Fellow knock out all their products out of the park, but it is frustrating to see that behind all advertising they do and mostly nice design language that they often miss the mark when it comes to function.
Most anticipated Ode review of 2021🙌. I'm going to keep saving for a new Vario with the single dose hopper.
Haha thanks for watching, and honestly Baratza doesn’t get the love I see for a lot of other grinder companies (myself included) but for the price it’s hard to beat the quality and the customer service.
I'd love to see you compare the Lagom Mini to the Niche!
Great video thanks, noticed your audio have little more echo, did you change your microphone?, Anyway I been interested in ODE with espresso burrs. Keep the good work.
It is time to reach out to the French viewer for Ode 2.0. He must be in a good mood since France is about to win it back to back
Are you still using your Lux D? Or are you a full time Niche convert?
I bought one of these, and about two months later I ordered a Niche. As noted in the video, how they didn't design this to grind finer is beyond me. Loved the grinder and features, but ultimately it won't do what I want it to. Gave the grinder to my nieces and they use it for cold brews and to grind for Kuerig reusable filters.
So I’ve decided to ditch my bladed grinder , I’ve been using drip style. But have recently bought a pour over setup , which grinder would you recommend for pour over , French press and maybe expresso /moka pot? Around $300-400 . I love the style and form of the ode. Thanks
You may be interested in a manual grinder, check out 1zpresso or Helor.
@@thelargest5131 I ended up with the 1zpresso k-max . I really like it so far .
I currently have a Comandante and have considered the Ode, this might deter me from it now. What do you think matches the cup quality of a C40 but with an electric motor?
I have a Comandante and I prefer using the Ode. Extremely similar quality, but I might give the nod to the Ode in flavor. I brew mostly 30g in the Clever Dripper and V60. I use the Comandante during the weekdays when my family is sleeping, and the Ode on the weekend whenever I can.
I am hopeful that v2.0 of the Ode will end up as a suitable replacement for my Encore w/ single-dose hopper and Virtuoso burr. The size, speed, low noise, and price are so attractive. But I struggle to understand why Fellow opted for their original burr design. I (and I think many users) would gladly trade away adjustability and uniformity at the coarse end in exchange for more of both at the fine end.
Totally love my Ode(stock burrs) for french/cold pressing and cupping. I'm not a fan of paper filtered coffee. But maybe I wouldn't be if I liked paper filtered coffee. I do wish it ground fine enough for my moka pot though. I use a hand grinder for that and espresso
Oh yeah, any coarse application this thing shines, and immersion brewing as well. Flat bottom paper filters seem to work alright since they need a bit coarser grind to flow smoothly, but cones just fell off for me.
@@Sprometheus I used to use it on its coarsest setting to cheat so I could grind really light beans to a fine grind in my junky hand grinder. I don't have to do that now that I have a good hand grinder. But it helped a great deal. Hoping their next grinder does solid espresso too though. I'll probably buy it to match IF my Knob grinder isn't significantly better than my Chestnut Slim Plus.
Another excellent review - thank you! I do not brew espresso at all & I use a lot of great Fellow products. So i was a good candidate for serious consideration to buy the Ode. I am also a big Fellow products fan overall. However, for the price, the Ode has a couple of of features that seem lacking (as you indicated). I got two of the newest 1Zpresso hand grinders for close to the price of the Ode & am very happy with my decision. I have a Baratza Enore that is mostly sufficient for my needs. But my results are much improved when I use the 1 Zpresso grinders.
Been watching vids on the ode since it was released and to this day, I still find it enigmatic. In theory it has a lot to love but at the end of the day, we're left with more questions than answers. My best faith guess is that we're simply not the target audience. And that is baffling truly. PS the source of my Fellow ire comes from an email exchange where they ignored a clear and reasonable question multiple times, so it's good to know they are consistent in that area :)
In the first let me Thank you for this great video I'm very satisfied until now with my Vertuso+ still better from my old ODE on my coffee corner In most uses filter drip french press and i found the burrs is very expensive for no more different as i see in your review finally thank you again 🌹
Thank you for watching and the kind words my friend. Glad you’re enjoying the Virtuoso, I don’t think Baratza gets much love in the coffee world.
Thanks for comparing it with the Niche! Now I really wouldn’t consider having this as a secondary brew grinder. Shame cuz it’s so pretty, fast, has nice big flat burrs but meh. Great video
Yeah I figured it was worth comparing it quickly. I was pretty blown away that a 47 on the Niche was as coarse as the finest setting on the Ode. Thanks for watching and the kind words my friend!
Im confused, you said the niche produced more fines, but it only produced .4 g? That seems like way less than the ode?
I have this in the mail and the new SSP cast sweet burrs to install on it
Is there a way to mod it to be stepless?
No the ode can’t be made stepless. It’s only meant for pour overs not espresso.
You can remove the spring behind the adjustment knob that makes the clicking noise when adjusting the grind size. However; if your setting is too fine, the burr will drag itself to courser size unless you hold the knob in place. The burr distance to the adjustment knob rotation is also quite large for fine tuning your grind.
I tried making my ode stepless once and immediately reverse it lol.
I bought it to upgrade to a modern single dose since I rarely make more than a single cup for me once or twice a week. After all the reviews and almost 2 years using it, it just feels like a basic home appliance that takes up counter space. I'm not really impressed with it anymore. You can control the static with a simple spray of water, but then the beans stick to the feeder and you need to assist them down the shoot.
I guess it's a pick your battles, I don't make espresso at home and have been content with the Fellow bar I set up for myself.
I did buy the ode, but I think I bought it too early casue now they have a white now; but yes I did a SSP upgrade and its been great
Tell me that wasn't a sneak peek at the Espro French press review to come...
Haha not really a speak peek, but it’ll be around eventually. I’ve got a ton of equipment reviews to get done and that’s one of them.
It's odd that such a 'big name' grinder falls short on such an important point. It seems to be the consensus that while it's a good grinder, it won't be good enough for a lot of people
I’d say that’s a fair consensus. Both people who I borrowed the grinders from have said it’s too coarse, and even the SSP upgrade just doesn’t tip the scales enough to use it daily over an Encore or a Comandate.
It's a scam. It's not an accident. Fellow is making money hand over fist with this polished turds.
We've recently purchased the Ode for the office. It lives there paired with a Moccamaster and eats light roasts. The workflow and combination is really quick and user friendly. Also for people who didn't fall into the Rabbit Hole of specialty coffee (yet ;).
The relatively bigger batch sizes (27.5-30 grams coffee for 500ml at the low end) might explain why we love it so much.
Also, the static has a really easy fix: spray the beans with a little bit of h2o. This keeps it really clean. When you do this the knocker is just for show. Making you feel like you're a pro :P
I think the coarser grind would likely work pretty well for the bigger batch sizes, but for a single pour over it just runs way too quick.
I know that the RDT is a popular thing to do, I just haven’t really gotten into the habit myself, and I think when reviewing things it should be used essentially “as designed” for lack of a better term as I think that’s how most people would use it.
@@SprometheusEd
I suspect they delayed in providing you with one because they didn't want it reviewed with the version 1 burrs. Many of us had that exact issue with it. They developed two burr sets since its release - V1.1 and V2.0 - and I've been using it with the pre-release of the V2.0 burrs for a few weeks now with very good results. Mid-range on the grind dial and very standard 3-4 minute brew times with good results in the cup. I've yet to compare it head-to-head with my Vario but I've definitely enjoyed the brews that I'm getting from it, nonetheless.
I don’t think that was the case at release, they were getting it to those who are safe bets and also like I mentioned, affiliates. I don’t affiliate with manufacturers for that exact reason.
I’ve heard good things of the pre-release v2, but the fact remains they released a subpar, in some cases hardly useable grinder to a community of coffee lovers. As a consumer I am not so quick to forgive and forget these kinds of missteps and recommend that others shouldn’t be either, this kind of thing is a slippery slope.
@@Sprometheus Totally agree! I was a Kickstarter backer and always wiling to risk that the product wouldn't live up to expectations - that's life on Kickstarter. But I've also said, since receiving mine, that I would not recommend it to anyone doing anything other than full immersion brewing.
I just kinda figured they might be hoping to get you one with V1.1 or V2.0 burrs before you had a chance to review it. Sounds like they were getting it out to only all those who they could count on giving it good praise, regardless.
The cat needs more cameos
Thank you.
You’re welcome, and thanks for watching my friend!
Yes. Ode owners everywhere waiting a fix. What gets released? A new colour. Fellow is missing the mark
the lack of surprising change from the spp burrs surprises me
In the end that’s one persons opinion, but the cup quality really didn’t elevate like I had expected. Used a couple different coffees and all of them were a little flatter than they were on the standards. Not sure why exactly, maybe the lack of fines really just ups the clarity by dropping the extraction a bit too much for my palate.
Same
You should have sifted the SSP grinds, too.
I thought about it, but honestly sifting is just such a pain already and the results were fairly clear in the cup so it just felt like overkill at that point.
I suggest you to try a simple Switch recipe: medium-fine grind, closed valve, 15-250, 10min immersion time, release. I get very stable results like this. No voodoo, no fancy recipe, just a long immersion time.
Yeah but what if you want to do an actual pour over and not a full immersion brew?
Ty for this review.
A well put together ode to Fellows grinder. Shame. They were so close to something great and completely owning this segment of the market. To end this comment on a more fun note; when I “discovered” coffee I would regularly confuse Sprometheus with Chris Baca. 😂
Thank you my friend! They absolutely just missed the mark of making a grinder that really would own that segment for sure!
Haha, well I guess there’s worse people to be confused with.
@@Sprometheus protip to tell the difference; one has a hat one has a beard!
I have an old Breville Dose Control Pro (basically the dumb version of the breville smart grinder) cost about $160 4ish years ago. Have a friend who got the Ode. Brewed some pour overs with it, and while I wouldn't say the gap was huge, I def prefer the results I get from mine over the Ode. There are just too many grinders that can produce better or at least equal results that cost way less to justify the price...I guess unless aesthetic is that important to you.
I think when it comes to coffee preferences play a massive role, and not just in taste but style as well.
@@Sprometheus 100%
Cat Purrs grinder Burrs.
I show my self out...
Haha I love cats, so you’re welcome here anytime.
Maybe Fellow is subtly trying to get users to stay within their ecosystem with an Ode, Stagg EKG, and brewer. Sounds like the Ode is just barely not able to grind fine enough for a JH V60. And the EKG is just barely not able to pour fast enough for a 500 ml JH V60 (without dribbling out the top). Wait, maybe they just have something against JH [thinking emoji]
This is a good point and maybe possible, after all they do seem to be like the Apple of coffee, and that’s a distinctly Apple move to make.
@@Sprometheus Well then, I'm looking forward to their 2022 release of a DRMed coffee bean
The best in the business well done bro!
My Ode motor died after 11 months of once a day use. Sent it to the dump and moved on.
I was frustrated with the Ode and V60, with very quick brews at #2 (I avoid 1 because the scraping noise). But I prefer Chemex, and set it to 3 and get equal or better cups than my Sette 270 (with the benefits of much quieter and faster grind).
Bro you have a successful RUclips channel. You don't need them to send you a free unit when the review itself is gonna net you enough to buy 20 of them.
Got it from kickstarter, mainly because love the looks of the Fellow products. I agree it is a bit limited, one of the perks is the grind speed but the inability to grind finer, you somewhat have to use a slower brewer to make it function really well. Waiting for their new burr, I think kickstarter gets it for free or something. The 3-5 settings, and use a slower brewer like the black ceramic v60, or any of the immersion brewers and it sings. Plus it looks so pretty especially next to the Fellow kettle. Can't convince the wife that we need a better grinder when everyone else in the fam loves the Jura Superautomatic, and I already have the Kinu and the C40 for those rarer coffee and espresso.
Love it for French press and pour over
"even a font James Hoffman approved of" ,, LOL
Im staying with my comandante grinder
I really like the looks of this grinder and wanted to buy one, until I realize it’s a downgrade from my comandante c40.
The thing is that commandante and kinu m47’s grind quality is just so ridiculously good for their price, the only downside being that you actually have to grind the beans by hand. But we already got used to the hand grinding part, and if we look for something that produces a higher grind quality, it probably cost 3 to 4 times the price.
@@eddiezhou659 yeah, i actually switch from hario v60 electric grinder to comandante. The difference in the result is huge. Furthermore, I actually enjoy the process of grinding by hand. It’s not like i make coffee for a bunch of people anyway, so it’s not a big deal.
oooooooh finally!
Cheers my friend!