I recently trained with the Speciality Coffee Association to become a qualified barista, so it should come as no surprise that while I recommend drip coffee makers in our guide to the best coffee makers, my personal preference is for espresso machines. While drip coffee may be the norm for most Americans, in Britain we stick to espresso, so I'd always associated drip coffee makers with the depressing office batch brews shown on U.S. sitcoms.
Fellow set out to fix all that when it released the Aiden coffee maker — "the machine changing the narrative that automatic drip coffee is synonymous with “bad” coffee." And boy, does it deliver. I've been testing Fellow's new Aiden coffee maker for over a month now, and my beloved espresso machine is gathering dust.
3 reasons why I love the Fellow Aiden
1. It's easily programmed
For some background, my partner almost exclusively drinks long black coffee. Typically, he'll set our Breville Barista Touch to its Americano setting, which extracts an espresso and tops it up with hot water. I've often thought that he might prefer drip coffee or filter coffee, but because I tend to make espresso-based milky drinks like latte or flat whites when I'm working from home, the Breville suited our preferences just fine.
When we switched to the Aiden, I set it up to automatically brew us a 6-cup serving of coffee at 7.30am — allowing him to go downstairs first thing in the morning and pour us both a freshly-brewed cup of coffee. I've sometimes considered pre-programmed coffee makers to be a bit gimmicky, but because the Aiden can take up to 10 minutes to brew a batch, it does make a big difference to be able to set it up overnight.
2. It guides you through the process
The Aiden can make single brews, all the way up to 12 cups at a time. And when you opt for a 'guided brew', it will walk you through the exact process to get the best coffee. When I paired it with my Fellow Ode grinder, I was able to select the amount of cups I wanted, choose the roast level of my beans, and it would tell me the exact amount of coffee grounds to add. I'd then just measure this amount of beans out, grind them at the perfect consistency (usually somewhere before 4 and 5) and add them to the machine. It then runs a dedicated cycle, adapting the method depending on the size of the filter you're using, to bloom your grounds and extract coffee at the perfect rate.
My partner was immediately struck by how strong this coffee was compared to his diluted espresso. Think juicy, bold flavors without any of the muddiness you might associate with lesser drip machines. It would be a shame to not use specialty coffee with this machine, because it brings out the best flavor from every last ground. Adding milk, or anything else that would dilute the delicious taste, would feel like a waste.
3. It looks amazing
Fellow gets its designs so right, and the Aiden is no exception. Think sleek matte black surfaces and a tactile, user-friendly interface. Everything can be controlled by a simple push-dial mechanism, and the machine even alerts you when the coffee is finished brewing.
I can also appreciate the silicone seal top, designed to prevent steam from escaping out of the machine and warping any cabinetry. I've just had my kitchen renovated, so this is a load off my mind!
The carafe, too, is well-made. Coffee drips directly into a hole in its lid, and while it's not heated (according to Fellow, this can impact the flavor of your coffee over time), it is double-walled, so your brew won't get cold any time soon. Pouring is a drip-free delight, and it looks lovely sat next to any of Fellow's coffee grinders.
