Fellow Opus Review - Is It Really Espresso Capable?

Fellow has been out of the espresso game, their current grinder the Ode V2 only grinds for pour-over. This changed with their brand new espresso grinder - the Fellow Opus. The Fellow Opus released on February 21st and is going is a direct competitor to the Baratza Encore ESP. In the article, we will examine the Opus and see if it does what it claims to do.

Fellow Emphasizes the Affordability of its Opus Grinder

Fellow has concentrated on the cost-effectiveness of their new Opus grinder, aiming to provide home users with café-quality grinding solutions without the usual high cost or complexity. Although the Opus does not quite provide the grind quality of higher priced grinders, it does makeup in other areas like size and style.

Fellow recently revealed their newest creation, the Opus, at CES 2023 in January. After three years in development, the Opus presents a departure from its predecessor, the Ode, but retains several of its essential features and contemporary design. The Ode concentrated on a more restricted grinding range, whereas the Opus strives to achieve the all-in-one solution. Consequently, Fellow switched from the previous flat burr configuration and implemented a 40mm conical burr for the Opus

Features of the Opus Espresso Grinder

• Automatic timed stopping function
• 40mm conical steel burrs
• 41 adjustment settings
• Anti-static technology

Adjustment system 

The Opus has an interesting grinding adjustment system to say the least. It has two different adjustments. The first one being the large ring on the outside and another one bellow the hopper to do micro adjustments.

The large ring has 41 steps to adjust. The steps are quite large with each one resulting in a 25 micron burr distance increase. This level of resolution in grind size is not enough to properly dial in for espresso. So how do you dial in espresso?

This is where the micro adjustments some in handy. With the blue dial under the hopper, you can adjust with 13 micro steps. Those steps are 17 microns and that is enough to dial in espresso.

This can be a disadvantage since moving the inner ring will move the outer one. It then becomes tricky to remember where you were. It's also not very user friendly to remove the hopper to calibrate.

Conical Burrs

The Opus grinder by Fellow departs from its predecessor, the Ode Gen 2, with its innovative C6-40 Burrs, a set of six conical burrs measuring 40mm in diameter. Unlike flat burrs, conical burrs don't inherently offer an advantage or disadvantage. However, they are more cost-effective to produce, a factor worth considering.

The Fellow Opus Anti-Static Feature

Fellow introduced the anti-static part of the Ode Gen 2. This technology results in a much cleaner and more efficient experience, as mentioned in our review of the Gen 2. This same anti-static technology has now been carried over to the Fellow Opus, giving users the benefit of a clean grind from the get-go.

The Coffee Quality

The Opus grinder produces coffee with a satisfactory body in both espresso and pour-over, accompanied by a noticeable acidity. For an entry-level device, it holds its own against higher-priced competitors.

What Makes the Fellow Opus Grinder Different From the Ode V2

The Fellow Opus Grinder is a standout option for coffee enthusiasts and home baristas alike. Here's what sets it apart from their current grinder:

Despite its affordability, the Opus grinder offers numerous features such as an automatic timed stopping function, single-dose loading, a volumetric dosing lid, a grind guide, a transparent 110-gram capacity hopper, and tool-free calibration

• Conical burrs: The Fellow Opus Grinder features 40mm conical steel burrs, which provide consistent and precise grinding for all types of coffee.
• Wide Adjustable Settings: With over 41 steps of grind size adjustment, you have complete control over the coarseness or fineness of your grind.
• Affordability: The Fellow Opus Grinder is $195 instead of the $345 of the Ode V2

Fellow Opus vs Baratza Encore ESP

If you are looking for an all purpose grinder, the Opus is a great choice. Both grinders produce a similar coffee quality when properly dialed in. When purchasing a grinder for espresso, we lean towards the Baratza Encore ESP for its ease of dialing in and outstanding customer service provided by the Baratza team. You can read the review of the Encore ESP here.

We created a grinder comparaison the Best Entry Level Espresso Grinders. Read our full comparaison here!