Fellow’s novel Aiden coffee machine is proof that we live in an age where there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy coffee. There’s something for you, no matter your caffeine tastes or desires. Want something chilled that you can drink quickly? There’s chilly brew. Looking for a latte that’s more like a slice of cake than a coffee? There are plenty of them, especially from a company named after a character from Moby Dick.
Then there’s specialty coffee, which has been elevated over the past two decades to a level previously reserved for fine wine. Specialty coffee (and the coffee nerds who are passionate about it—and I’m proud to be one of them) has become a subculture. And there are companies like Fellow that make a range of products (grinders, gooseneck kettles, and coffee brewers) aimed at satisfying our snobberies.
Fellow’s Aiden Precision Coffee Maker takes it all to the next level, offering convenience and customizable controls. The Aiden can brew a pot of drip coffee with the push of a button, but its brewing cycle can also be customized based on the coffee beans you exploit. All of that detailed control comes at a price higher than what you’d pay for a typical budget coffee maker.
The Aiden model, which will go on sale later this year, is expected to be priced at $365, which puts it in a direct duel with Moccamaster coffee machine. But few, if any, other coffee makers can match Aiden’s coffee-making capabilities—at least on paper.
“When it comes to making quality coffee at home, people either have to accept the manual brewing process for a perfect cup or settle for tedious drip coffee. We created Aiden so no one has to compromise,” said Jake Miller, Founder and CEO of Fellow.
Miller showed me the cube-shaped Aiden at the Fellow products lab here in San Francisco. The coffeemaker has a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde feel to it. It can brew a 10-cup carafe or a single cup, using a more intensive process similar to drip coffee. To that end, it comes with two different brewing baskets: a flat-bottomed one for batch brewing and a smaller, conical basket for single-serving. The showerhead is adjustable to optimize both brewing styles.
Inside, things get special. Fellow has separated the heating unit from the water pump, making them both customizable and controllable. This means you can control how long your coffee blooms or change the water temperature during brewing to bring out the flavor of certain roasted beans. It also means you can brew chilly brew, as the pump isn’t dependent on boiling water to operate like most drip coffee makers these days.
Using the circular LCD display and knob, you can select built-in workflows designed for different roast levels (delicate, medium and gloomy).
Aiden is available with a flat-bottomed and cone-shaped brewing basket.
Fellow also works with specialist roasters to create specific brew profiles for each roast. So, if a particular roast type of coffee does better with a longer bloom phase or a higher temperature at the beginning of the cycle, that can be programmed and saved as a profile. All you have to do is add that profile to the Aiden via the app and select it when brewing that particular roast. In fact, roasters like Verve Coffee have a code on their packaging that you can scan with your phone to add their brew profile. It’s almost like having a coffee roaster brew you a cup of coffee the way they like it, but in your home.
This Fellow Aiden is available for pre-order for $365 and will ship in September. If you pre-order the machine, you’ll also receive three bags of coffee from Onyx Coffee Lab, La Cabra, and Verve Coffee Roasters — made specifically for Aiden with scan profiles.
“Whether you’re a coffee connoisseur or just curious, Aiden is here to make your journey more enjoyable,” Miller added.
Look at this: You can break this disposable cup and leave it on the ground
Amendment, April 15: Updated shipping date
