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A few months ago, I was getting my coffee maker ready for the next morning when I noticed a buildup of gunk in the water chamber. Maybe everyone else in the world knows you’re supposed to clean your coffee maker, but I did not! Embarrassed and grossed out, I tried and tried to descale it, but it was a lost cause.
Always one to make lemonade out of lemons, I figured this was the perfect excuse to get a new coffee maker. It felt like time to invest in something a little nicer that would actually last. Enter: the Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker ($399.95).
We like
- Super sleek design that looks great on any counter
- Easy set up and brewing, yet allows for precision and preference
- Multiple color waves available
- Easy to clean
- Allows for 1-10 cups, so you can brew for you or your whole crew
- Makes cold brew and standard brew
- Includes $50 in Fellow drops when you order direct
We don't like
- Temperature of coffee brewed doesn’t stay hot for long
- Could use some more support with adjusting temperature and cycle lengths
- Uses special size coffee filters or cones
Fellow Coffee-Levers, Rejoice!
Born in 2013, Fellow is a classic story of “see a need, fill a need.” When its founder noticed the current market didn’t offer simple-to-make at-home coffee with cafe quality, the Duo Coffee Steeper was prototyped.
Designed to combine the best of pour-over and French press, the Duo was put on Kickstarter and quickly funded. Since their Kickstarter days, the Fellow team has slowly developed a full suite of kitchen appliances designed to simplify – without losing the elegance and precision of cafés. Today, the brand’s product offerings span grinders to drinkware, and everything in between.
Something is Brewing…
I’m a mom of two toddlers who works full-time outside the home, so taking the time to make a fancy espresso or pour-over at home is unrealistic at best. I knew an espresso machine wasn’t for me, which honestly felt like it narrowed my options a lot. Most “nice” coffee makers seem to be synonymous with “slow” and “complicated.” We all need our hobbies, but spending lots of time and energy on coffee isn’t one of mine. One of the main reasons I chose the Aiden Precision Coffee Maker was because it offered simplicity without compromising on quality.
When the Aiden showed up at my door, I was pretty excited to get it set up for the next morning. Setup was easy — just a quick rinse of the parts, a cleaning cycle, and an optional Bluetooth connection to the app. I decided to use the app, which you can check out below, so I could control the coffee maker from bed without waking my kids, whose bedroom is right next to the kitchen. The app is straightforward, for better or worse, mostly letting you schedule brews and create profiles for how you like your coffee. I’m a medium roast kind of gal, so I set mine to brew 3 cups every day at 7:00 a.m. The settings get impressively detailed, down to how many grams of coffee you’re using and which basket you’ve got in.
I am still learning the settings, which are admittedly a little intimidating for someone who just wants a nice cup to be brewed, stat. My sister, who worked as a barista for 4 years, even found some of the settings to be a bit over her head (like the timed bloom cycle)! Someday I might play around with them more to see how that impacts taste, but for now, the defaults seem to work just fine. I’ve experimented a little with the two brew baskets that are offered (conical shape and standard basket), but haven’t noticed a great difference.
The coffee — both hot and cold brew — tastes great and comes out at the perfect temperature for drinking. Fellow’s site says, “When machines aren’t built for precision, you get coffee that is bitter, burnt, or sour.” I don’t think I realized my coffee used to taste that way until I switched, and now I don’t think I can go back! My only gripe is that the carafe doesn’t keep the coffee warm. I know it’s designed that way to avoid scorching, but I still get a little bummed when I go back for that second cup.
Cleaning the Aiden
Back to the moldy water tank from the intro. Aiden is designed to be super easy to clean. The removable water tank means I can actually see inside and give it a proper scrub. When you take out the filter basket, the water automatically stops dripping, so your counters stay clean. Have you ever seen a coffee maker do that?
Beyond the usual cleaning of parts, the Aiden also has a built-in cleaning cycle right in the controls, and it even lets you know when it’s time to descale. My husband’s favorite feature? A silicone seal that keeps steam from escaping, so our open shelving above the coffee maker stays safe and dry.
Worth the Pricetag?
I get it. The world is a tough place right now and budgets are tighter than ever. Nearly $400 for a coffee maker is nothing to sneeze at. That said, I really do think Fellow makes products that last. The Aiden comes with a 2-year warranty, or 3 years if you register it (which is super easy).
Considering I’ve gone through a few cheap coffee makers over the past few years, this one feels like more of a long-term investment. Plus, ground coffee never goes out of style the way single-serve pods sometimes do. And for those looking to get even more value, Fellow offers $50 in “Fellow Drops” — their exclusive coffee blends released regularly — when you buy direct.
Whether you’re early in your coffee journey (like me!) or a seasoned pro, the Aiden delivers both quality and elegance. If it says anything, I’ll be asking Santa for a few more Fellow goodies under the tree this year.
Elevate your coffee game. Brew with the Aiden today.
