'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
Picky about your coffee? This compact grinder has over 30 settings to brew the perfect cup
Recently, I wrote about how the Tiger Siphonysta had become my new favorite siphon coffee maker. If you didn't catch that article, there's an asterisk to be had any time I talk about coffee.
I don't drink the stuff. Never have.
Also: Roborock's new 2-in-1 vacuum is expensive, but my floors tell me it's worth every penny
My wife, on the other hand, does and I made it my goal (over a decade ago) that I would make the best cup of coffee she'd ever had. Thanks to siphon coffee makers (especially the Tiger Siphonysta -- which is finicky but makes a very nuanced and flavorful drink) and a pricy little bean grinder by Fellow, I believe I've achieved that goal.
The Fellow Ode Gen 2 grinder includes its best-in-class brew burrs, a 100-gram capacity hopper, 31 grind settings, fairly quiet operation, single dose loading, a magnetic catch (so the grind cup is always located under the grinder), a grind knocker, and a compact footprint.
View at AmazonBefore I continue on, do note that the Ode does not grind for espresso. So, if your cup of choice is espresso, move along because this device will not do the trick.
I've had the Fellow Ode Gen 2 for about 3 months now and my experience has been mostly outstanding. The device grinds coffee beans to my exact specifications, such that I can seriously refine the flavor of my wife's coffee. You might think that's a bit of hyperbole, but it's true. With a single click of the grind dial, you can completely change the flavor profile of your coffee.
Also: Best smart air purifiers for allergy season
If your coffee is too bitter, turn the dial clockwise a click or two, and try again. Of course, bitterness can also come down to over-extraction, which could be a problem with your brewing method. But the point stands because the Ode gives you serious options for grind size.
The dial is large and tactile for easy adjustments.
The second iteration of the Fellow Ode did two things: 1) It introduced improved burrs which are more consistent and can grind considerably finer than the Gen 1's burrs and 2) The Gen 2 burrs aren't nearly as susceptible to ground retention.
This leads me to my only gripe about the Fellow Ode. The Gen 2 grinder includes anti-static technology that is supposed to prevent ground retention in the hopper. After the grind finishes, you hit the knocker 2 or 3 times, which should eliminate all the remaining grounds.
Also: 12 gift ideas for coffee lovers (besides a Starbucks gift card)
That bit of marketing (at least in my case) was all hype. From day one, the Fellow Ode retained a good amount of coffee grounds, and no matter how many times I use the knocker, it didn't drop. That is why I purchased after-market bellows which sit atop the hopper. During and after the grind, I press down the bellows and it helps blow and knock the statically-charged grounds into the collection cup. That add-on was purchased for around $49. Using the bellows doesn't clear all of the grounds from the chamber, but it's a marked improvement.
Even with the caveat of statically-charged coffee grounds sticking to everything, the Fellow Ode Gen 2 coffee grinder has really helped me achieve the perfect cup of coffee for a wife with very discernable taste in her java. I've finally reached the point where my wife turns her nose up to coffee shop coffee and would choose mine any day.
For those who are curious, the price of the Fellow Ode Gen 2 grinder is $345. It's steep, but if you're looking for the perfect grind size for your coffee (not espresso), this is the grinder to have.