Review: Fellow Ode Brew Grinder
By Coffee Expert
Andrea D.
Fellow Ode Brew Grinder
See Price and Details
16 photos
The Curated Take
4.3/5
The Fellow Ode Brew Grinder is ideal for home baristas, from beginners to professionals. It is designed primarily for brewed coffee and boasts technical features like 64mm flat burrs for consistent grinds and minimal fines. It offers almost zero retention, ensuring dose consistency, and its built mirrors commercial grinders, emphasizing durability. Easy to clean with accessible burrs, the Ode ensures clarity in coffee cups and can accommodate various brew methods. However, it might not be best for espresso and can be slightly noisy. Despite these minor drawbacks, its quality-to-price ratio makes it a valuable addition to any coffee enthusiast's toolkit.
Ideal for
- Consistency in grind size
- Dose consistency and zero retention
- Easy to clean and calibrate
- Nicely made grinder that feels durable and reliable
Not ideal for
- Can be a little loud
- Doesn't do great for espresso; primarily a brew grinder
- Can be a little messy when grinding for cold brew
Ease of Cleaning
There is a little static while grinding (as with any grinder), but it comes with a knocker to combat grounds staying in the grinder and instead knocks them into one's...Read more
Dose Consistency
It's hard to argue dose consistency on a single dose grinder, but Fellow does a nice job ensuring little grounds retention. Retention isn't as important in a brew grinder as...Read more
Durability
As with Fellow's products, this grinder is built to last. The plastic pieces it contains don't need to be metal, including the lid and some housing. This grinder is extremely...Read more
Grind Consistency
One of the main reasons I purchased this grinder was how little fines it produces compared to others in and above its price range. In addition, the grind consistency has...Read more
Noise Level
If someone has the door open, this grinder will probably wake someone up in the next room. In fact, someone probably won't hear someone in the room speak when the...Read more
Versatility
This grinder comes with the stock burrs, so I would not use it for espresso. It doesn't grind fine enough. I use a click below "2" for my V60 brews...Read more
Grinding Speed
With 64mm flat burrs, this grinder quickly works at grinding anything I throw at it. Are there faster brew grinders out there? Yes, but they are significantly more expensive and...Read more
Grind Size Control
There are so many grind size settings. Even for cold brew, I very rarely use the coarsest setting. I can dial in the right grind setting for any brew method...Read more
Curated Experts are not sponsored by brands. Their reviews are based on their honest experiences testing products.
Andrea D.
About the espresso equipment
- Model: Fellow Ode Brew Grinder
Test conditions
- When I purchased this: 2021
- Where I have used it: I have been using it exclusively for brewed coffee/cold brew, with all different roast profiles.
- How many times I've used it: 500
Expert Reviews of the Fellow Ode Brew Grinder
Andrea D. The Fellow Ode Brew Grinder is great for any home barista, whether a beginner or a prosumer. It's well-built and solid. There are some plastic pieces on it, but for the most part, it's metal and very durable. The burrs are 64mm flat burrs, matching commercial grinders that come in at five times the price of the Ode. Flat burrs mean consistent grinds and reduced fines in my brew. The Ode features a single-dose hopper and automatically stops grinding when my dose is ground. This can be a downside if someone is looking to store more coffee in their hopper, but a plus if they're looking for consistency in dose as they control how much goes in. This grinder is as close to zero retention as any brew grinder. Being a professional and home barista, I wanted a grinder that gave me everything I use in a professional setting—consistency, quality, speed, and durability—and the Fellow Ode does that.
Product Specs
| Housing material | Aluminum |
| Grinding method | Flat Burr |
| Burr diameter (mm) | 64 |
| Bean hopper capacity (oz) | 2.82 |
Review Ratings
Ease of Cleaning
4/5
Andrea D. gave 4 of 5 stars. There is a little static while grinding (as with any grinder), but it comes with a knocker to combat grounds staying in the grinder and instead knocks them into one's grounds bin. It comes with a small brush to clean around the grinder, which is a nice touch. It's easy to access the burrs to clean. Fellow Ode is built much in the same format as commercial grinders, so it's easy to take apart and clean the burrs. I use this almost daily and only need to clean it every couple of months (although someone's mileage may vary depending on whether they use darker roasts).
Dose Consistency
5/5
Andrea D. gave 5 of 5 stars. It's hard to argue dose consistency on a single dose grinder, but Fellow does a nice job ensuring little grounds retention. Retention isn't as important in a brew grinder as it is for an espresso grinder, but there aren't many places for grounds to get stuck in the way that the grinder is built.
Durability
5/5
Andrea D. gave 5 of 5 stars. As with Fellow's products, this grinder is built to last. The plastic pieces it contains don't need to be metal, including the lid and some housing. This grinder is extremely heavy for its size. I wouldn't want any more metal contributing to the weight. I've used this grinder daily for roughly two years and have had zero issues with it.
Grind Consistency
5/5
Andrea D. gave 5 of 5 stars. One of the main reasons I purchased this grinder was how little fines it produces compared to others in and above its price range. In addition, the grind consistency has given me no issue. This is evident in cup clarity and consistency between brews.
Noise Level
3/5
Andrea D. gave 3 of 5 stars. If someone has the door open, this grinder will probably wake someone up in the next room. In fact, someone probably won't hear someone in the room speak when the grinder is running. However, they won't find a quieter grinder in this price range. The Ode isn't the loudest on the market.
Versatility
4/5
Andrea D. gave 4 of 5 stars. This grinder comes with the stock burrs, so I would not use it for espresso. It doesn't grind fine enough. I use a click below "2" for my V60 brews and finer for an AeroPress. With the stock burrs, it does a great job at these. The Fellow Ode is not an all-around grinder, including espresso. Other grinders on the market are versatile enough for espresso and brew. With stock burrs, the Ode is not one of those grinders, but in this price range, someone would be hard-pressed to find one that is.
Grinding Speed
4/5
Andrea D. gave 4 of 5 stars. With 64mm flat burrs, this grinder quickly works at grinding anything I throw at it. Are there faster brew grinders out there? Yes, but they are significantly more expensive and are commercial grinders. Even grinding 100 grams at a time for cold brew, I have zero complaints about how long this takes.
Grind Size Control
4/5
Andrea D. gave 4 of 5 stars. There are so many grind size settings. Even for cold brew, I very rarely use the coarsest setting. I can dial in the right grind setting for any brew method and origin. Even with stock burrs, I can go fine enough at any roast for an AeroPress or a V60.
FAQs
What do you love about this product?
Andrea D. The Fellow Ode is a great all-around brew grinder. It's easy to use for the new home barista but gives consistent and quality results for even the most discerning professional barista's home setup. It's intuitive, easy to clean, has zero retention, and has the least amount of fines as any grinder sub $500. It's sleek and doesn't take up much counter space.
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Andrea D. My favorite moment when I started using the Fellow Ode grinder was in the first week. I had come from a conical burr grinder and was looking for less fines and more cup clarity. I was dialing in the grind on a V60 of an Ethiopian coffee with light honey and citrus notes; those first few sips once I dialed in the grind were like sweet honey. I chase sweetness and cup clarity in all of my cups (V60, AeroPress, espresso, etc.), and I finally found it with this grinder.
Why did you choose this product?
Andrea D. I chose the Fellow Ode because I wanted a budget-friendly, flat burr grinder with little to no fines or mess. The Ode delivers just that. My V60s and Chemex brews don't choke as they did with previous conical burr grinders, and I'm able to get cup clarity due to the lack of fines.
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