Fellow Opus Conical Burr Coffee Grinder – Electric Espresso Grinder for Home Use, 41 Adjustable Settings for Drip, French Press, Cold Brew & More, 40mm Stainless Steel Burrs, Matte Black

What more could you ask for in a grinder? Selecting your grind is extremely easy with the large handle and obvious markings, and it gives you a chance to really dial it in perfectly. Little things like the cup snapping gently into place with a magnet go to show how much care went into designing it to be delightful and simple to use. It's beautiful when you look at it up close, and subtle enough to hide in the background of your kitchen. Just a gorgeous appliance. As an added bonus, this might be the most quiet grinder I've ever used. I'm used to grinders being loud enough to wake everyone in the house, but the Opus somehow manages to minimize that noise, and keeps it to a manageable volume. I've paired mine with the Aiden brewer, and I'm absolutely loving the flexibility of both in combination, and really dialing in my process.

The Fellow Opus Conical Burr Grinder has exceeded my expectations. It produces very consistent grinds and works well for multiple brew methods, from espresso to pour-over and French press. The grind quality is noticeably better than cheaper grinders, and it has definitely improved the taste of my coffee. The design is sleek and compact, fitting nicely on the counter, and it feels solid and well-made. Once you understand the adjustment system, it’s easy to dial in your grind size. It’s also relatively quiet and has low retention, which is a big plus for daily use. Overall, this is an excellent grinder for the price. It offers great performance, versatility, and Fellow’s signature design. Highly recommended for anyone looking to upgrade their home coffee setup.

I've used the same Baratza Virtuoso grinder for over a decade. Hundreds of pounds of coffee have been ground with very little issues and all were very easy to fix because it's designed to be serviceable. It has its shortcomings, grind consistency being one of them, but you can work around it, especially since it generally will allow some coffee through that's slightly larger then desired. Not a dealbreaker. But when it started getting loud I knew it needed some parts replaced but I decided to "upgrade" my grinder instead. Here's where the Opus comes in. Researching options I kept reading that the more expensive Fellow Ode grinder was very prone to clogging and unclogging things was a lot of work. Many said it happened every couple weeks. Oddly I wasn't seeing as many complaining about the Opus so I opted for this. When first setup it seemed to be a great looking grinder but that was short lived. I measured out 50g of medium roast beans for a partial pot of electric coffee maker coffee, set the grinder to 8 which is in the middle of where they recommend per the inside of the grinder lid (props to them for the neat chart), and told it to grind. . . Grinder turned on but the beans weren't feeding down to the burrs. . . Once I helped them along it started to grind. When I removed the catch bin it was immediately obvious the coffee was ground too fine. I tried brewing it anyways and the basket ran over, leaving grounds in the coffee. Let's try this again. I pulled the lid off the top of the grinder and the bean load bin had chafe all over in it. The top lid creates an air tight(ish) seal when you slide it on so upon removal it pulled the lightweight chafe into the bin. Cleaned it out, poured beans in, adjusted the grind to 9 which is the coarsest they recommend for my coffee method, and put the lid back on. But now the air tight lid forced trapped coffee grounds out the bottom of the grinder, all over the place. . . Right in their description they say "mess-free mornings" and "anti-static technology" yet I'm not seeing either here. Cleaned things up and ground the coffee beans and immediately noticed there barely a difference in the grind, still being much too fine. Tried again with a grind setting of 10, and again at 11. Even at 11 (the coarsest it goes) the grind was too fine for the brew method even though this is the setting for cold brew, what should be a very coarse grind. And I didn't give up here. I proceeded to use the grinder for a week, trying to figure out what's going on, and as time went by I couldn't get a good grind but did notice the grind time was getting longer and longer, and it seemed as though the grind was getting finer. . . It was clogging, just like Ode reviews complained about. It was taking 4 minutes to grind 50g of medium roast beans- I can hand grind faster than that. We're done with this grinder. Before boxing it back up I ran a little test for others to see what I'm dealing with. In the pictures the left dish is a grind setting of 5, the middle is 7.5, and the right is 10. Very little difference, especially considering 5 is the middle grind setting but was so fine that it's espresso fineness, and 10 is the coarse cold brew setting. All that being said, avoid this grinder. Other reviewers give it praise but that's not what we saw. The Encore that replaced this (for less money) worked right out of the box, with the grinder set to the recommended setting and we finally had a good pot of electric brewer coffee.

The function is so simple there's not a whole lot to say about it, but I like the grinder. I have a new Fellows coffee maker on order, but in the meantime, I'm using it with my current coffee maker. I was using a Krups blade grinder with a momentary "on" button, but this Opus grinder now makes it clear to me that a blade grinder like the Krups will never produce consistent results--at least I never was able to achieve consistent results. I immediately started getting better results with the Opus. Because I really have no control on my current coffee maker over parameters that affect extraction, at least I now can set the grind level to optimize extraction results for that coffee maker. So, I really believe that this grinder will enable you to achieve better results even with simple coffee makers. I would also recommend that you get a digital kitchen scale to measure your beans. I scooped out beans for a batch using my typical method and got a feel for how many grams I use for a batch. That's another parameter that's worth controlling. Small changes in amount can be noticeable especially in small batches. Obviously you want to carefully measure you water as well. Reviews regarding retention are mixed. I don't see a problem in that area, but I do need to tap on the grinder to clear it out. When the grinder is finished grinding but still running, I just tap lightly on the top and sides with my knuckles to knock loose retained grounds, and then stop the grinder and empty the bin. I then start the grinder again and repeat the tapping process. There probably will be some more coffee grounds in the bin. I typically need to iterate a couple of times until no more grounds come out. A bellows product is available, but my experience is that tapping and the bellows produce the same results. I recognize that operating this grinder is a little simpler than piloting a 747, but the manual is a bit weak. When I initially opened the package, the catch bin had the espresso attachment in it. It had me scratching my head for a minute, and the pictorial in the manual of the various parts did not show it. Of course I eventually figured it out, but I don't know why the tech writers would skip that detail in the pictorial. And, as has been documented in reviews, the internal grind level control is not documented. Kinda slack in my opinion. Overall, I expect this Opus grinder to work out great.

The Fellow Opus is a solid choice for anyone getting into espresso or pour-over brewing. It made a noticeable improvement in my espresso quality right away—much more consistent and flavorful shots compared to my previous grinder. It looks great on the counter, has a quiet grind, and I love the magnetic catch can—it clicks into place easily and keeps things tidy. However, there are a few drawbacks. Grind retention is definitely an issue; it tends to hold onto grounds and can get clogged, especially with finer espresso settings. The build is mostly plastic, which doesn’t feel quite as premium as it looks. That said, for the price and performance, it’s a strong entry-level grinder. Just be prepared to give it a little maintenance and regular cleaning to keep it running smoothly.

I bought this because I wanted to get something that could grind espresso, since I have an espresso machine now. More on that later, but the short version is that if you're using the same type of machine I am then you probably can't make espresso with real espresso grind. I have been using the Fellow Ode Gen 2 for a while, and it's done a pretty good job for my pour over, French press, Aeropress, and the espresso machine. My boss got the Opus though, and I decided to look into it, and on the Fellow website they say this machine is for making espresso, and that the Ode explicitly DOES NOT make espresso. I used my Kruve sifter to check the size of the grind on my Ode at the lowest setting, and... they're right. I looked around, and the general belief is that espresso should be between 200 and 400 microns. A comically low amount of the grinds were in that range from my Ode. So I decided to get a grinder that can handle the espresso grinds, and figured I was happy with the Ode, so I might as well get another Fellow product. Once I received the thing, I set about making espresso with it at the lowest setting, and it... didn't work. It turns out my espresso machine isn't actually able to make espresso if you have the grounds between 200 and 400 microns, but this review isn't about my espresso machine - it's about the Opus! So let's talk about the Opus. The noise level is lower than many of the other grinders I've used. I can't say I'm thrilled with how the push button system works on this. I've become accustomed to the automatic stop that comes from the Ode, so having the burrs keep spinning LONG after the grinding was done is a bit of a disappointment. Does this machine ACTUALLY grind espresso? Yes, and no. Right out of the box it comes with the inner ring at the middle point, and with it at the factory settings on the lowest setting of the outer ring I took 20 grams of grounds and put it through the Kruve and it looks like 10 grams was in the 200-400 micron range (50%) and 9.5 grams was above 400. The remaining .5 grams was below 200. I am going to say that it's very likely that if I were to adjust the inner ring and make it finer there's no question that this machine would be able to get more of the grounds below the 400 mark. I don't want to sit here forever trying to get the exact right setting though, because it takes a lot of effort to sift things in the Kruve (really... a LOOOOONG time). I put about a pound of beans through trying to dial it in for my espresso machine (and that took about 2 hours) only to find out that my machine can't actually use anything finer than what my Ode was able to produce. If I happen to get fired up and want to REALLY dig in on the particle size, I will update this review; but I don't foresee that happening. Pros: - Grinds espresso fine all the way up to French press (or whatever you use that's coarse). Exactly as advertised. - Lightweight. - Reasonably quiet. - You don't need tools to adjust it. Cons: - The grind consistency is lacking. Can't say I'm terribly surprised. I think every grinder I've encountered has had puffed up claims about grind consistency, and they have all fallen quite short. This one is no different than the rest. - Retention. Oh, my gosh... the retention on this thing is INSANE. Watch the video. I don't remember where, but when I first saw this thing (probably last year...?) and as I was perusing around they were mentioning it had "Zero Retention" which I guess was a misnomer. They advertise "Low Retention" now that I look back at their marketing material. I don't know who on their team defined "Low" but that person needs a dictionary. SWEET MOTHER OF MERCY this thing has a lot of retention. If you want to get the grounds out, you CAN get it to where you get out all that you put in. You just gotta smack, shake, jostle, and otherwise abuse the thing to make it give up the grounds. - The build quality is lacking. The magnet in the bottom of the grounds container is really weak, and doesn't do a great job of centering it. Also: the whole thing is made of really cheap feeling plastic that gets scuffed and scratched amazingly fast. The lid on the hopper is covered in scratches. Yes, I used it like a bellows to try and cope with the absurd levels of retention (it doesn't help, by the way. Don't bother trying. You gotta shake it like it owes you money to get the grounds out). It still got scratched up SUPER fast. Like... within the first 3 times I used it the thing looked like it was taken through a war zone. The whole machine is light as could be, and it really tells the tale of how much they decided to skimp on materials and engineering. If you're going to get a grinder, I honestly can't recommend this one. For the price - It's REALLY not that great. I was torn between getting the Baratza Encore ESP and this, and decided since the Ode was really quiet compared to the Baratza Encore I owned previously that I'd go with the Fellow product again. Yes the Encore was louder, but it felt a much higher quality. I might go looking for a bellows for this thing, and I'll probably keep using it for a bit. More than likely I'll go back to the Ode though. I'm pretty disappointed. Maybe someday I'll get a REAL espresso machine that can handle actual espresso grinds, and I'll be able to dust this thing off and let it go to work.

Over the years, I've had over a dozen different grinders and I can say this is the best one I've found. It's the quietest grinder I've had and the grind is very consistent. The best feature is the ionizing static removal. Even in the low humidity of the winter, the coffee grounds are not statically charged at all. The only drawback I've found is that with oily dark roasts, the beans tend to stick to the hopper and not fall into the grinder. You have to push them around a bit to help them drop. A nice feature (not mentioned and maybe unintended) is that the hopper lid fits snugly and can be lifted and dropped a couple of times after the grind finishes to force the remaining grounds through the channel and into the cup. This tends to keep the blades cleaner. I've had good luck with all of the fellow products. The pro water kettle is amazing also.

For some context, I like to brew coffee in multiple ways (espresso, pour-over, french press, etc) and do not want multiple grinders. I also did not want to pay anything more than about $250 for a grinder from a reputable brand. Prior to the Fellow I had a standard Baratza Encore (non-ESP) which was basically impossible to get a good grind for espresso on. Other issues I had with the baratza were its chute where grinds would come out, it would just constantly get clogged and oily which made it quite a high maintenance device. So now we arrive at the Fellow Opus. I had a hard time deciding between this and the Baratza Encore ESP, and now Baratza offers the ESP Pro which is a good competitor. I tried an ESP for a week, but the main thing that made me switch from Baratza was that the ESP uses the same chute design as the non-ESP and I hated how clogged and blocky my espresso came out on both machines. Pros: -The anti-static tech works wonders for me. With my Baratza, I would have to do a lot of WDT puck prep because all the espresso came out in blocks. I have had virtually 0 clumps in my espresso grinds on this machine. (pro-tip, you should still clean the contact points every few weeks to keep the anti-static tech working as intended) -Its pretty quiet for a grinder which I was actually really happy about since the Baratza is like a banshee in the morning by comparison. -The hopper cover is a great large dose cup for my drip coffee grinds, and it doubles as a bellows decently enough. -The grind cup and the espresso grinds insert are great, I never have a mess after grinding except for a few sprinkles. I have yet to come across any grinder at this price range that doesn't make at least a bit of a mess after grinding. -The Beanie App is your best friend for adjusting grind sizes using the inner ring! Micro-adjustments with the inner ring are not that hard, many reviews blast this mechanism WAAAAAY to much for the price of this machine. Yes, its not the most intuitive system, but its a single dose hopper. Once you realize your grind is too coarse/fine, its already empty and is easy to take off to adjust. Using Beanie and the same beans makes this easier because it means less adjusting once you find your grind size. -SOOOOO easy to clean, the baratza by comparison was a huge PITA to clean and it would just gather grinds in every darn corner of the chute. -Looks pretty nice for a grinder at this price point. Yes, its plastic and not metal, its an entry-level grinder.... -I find the grind timer button intuitive and simple. I like to do other coffee prep tasks while my stuff grinds, so having everything on a timer is nice. I never have to manually shut off the grinder. Recommend one press for espresso and two for pour-over/french press Cons: -The bottom plate where the dosing cup does scratch easily. I don't think its a huge deal as it mostly gathers really small scratches and even so, it wouldn't be hard to put some felt down if I cared more. Keep it clean of excess grounds and you'll be fine. -The hopper does sometimes catch a few beans. This happened in my Baratza as well, so no big deal to just run the grinder again for 5s to get the last few bits. -Inner adjustment ring is still not the most intuitive design, its NOT nearly as bad as I see so many reviews say for the reasons I put in my Pros section. (Use the Beanie app, it helps so much) -I have to knock the hopper 2-3 times with my hand to get any sticky grounds out. Not a big deal since I have had to do this with my Baratza even more cause of its chute design. Summary: I really love this grinder and think its a perfect entry-level grinder that can basically grind anything decently. Its a jack of all trades, master of none in particular. Especially when its on sale for around $150, I don't think there's as good a versatile grinder with this fine of an adjustment system on the market, including Baratza for all of its clogging issues.