This is the new Fellow Ode Gen 2. A revision to 2020’s arguably most anticipated coffee product.
On the outside, there’s not a lot that looks different. But, they have made a few changes that make this a nice upgrade from the original.
The small changes that were made here really make this grinder all the more compelling, especially at its $345 price point.
Now full disclosure, this was sent to me by Fellow under no obligation and no money exchanged hands, and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Review my ethics statement here.
Okay so on the outside, this grinder looks, very very similar. It has the same footprint as the original in a relatively compact 24x10 cm size and 25cm tall or just under a foot.
The matte black finish is still very premium feeling as well as the magnetic catch cup, dial, and knocker. We do also still have 31 grind adjustments here.
Everything feels well built, as did the original. But this iteration of the Ode has 3 big differences.
The first being an ever so slightly taller hopper with a 100g capacity versus the 80g of the original.
The second being this grinder comes standard with the new Ode Gen 2 brew burrs, which solves one of the biggest complaints with the original Ode burrs and its lack of being able to grind fine enough.
And finally, is the new anti static feature. So let’s talk about that first.
This new iteration of the Ode has really perfected the anti static and anti chaffing-ness, if that’s a thing, of the grinder.
In my original review, you can see some shots of the knocker, knocking out a fairly good amount of grounds. There was also a ton of chaffing and static with the original.
This new iteration has some unique technology that tremendously helps with static and retention. In fact, I noticed that this was seemingly the same technology used in the xBloom’s built in grinder.
Unsurprising when you consider there is some overlap behind members of the respective companies.
In testing, I’ve found that even without the knocker, the grinder does very very well with retention. Over the few days I’ve spent with the grinder, I’ve been able to get within 0.1-0.2g of my original dose with many times hitting the mark exactly after the knocker.
All the grinding footage you see here are WITHOUT RDT as well, which is even more impressive.
The knocker itself is needed much less, really only getting out that last 0.1 of a gram.
Finally, we also have the brand new Ode Gen 2 burrs! These burrs have been much improved, able to grind way finer than the original Ode burrs, yet still not quite for espresso.
And they do make it very clear that this is not for espresso on all the packaging and marketing materials.
Okay so going more into the burrs itself, the Ode gen 2 burrs are 64mm stainless steel uncoated burrs and are advertised to grind in the 250-300 micron range and up, while the original burrs were around 550 microns and up.
So over the last few days I’ve been doing side by side brews with the DF83 and the Ode Gen 2. Keeping all variables the same, even down to the draw-down time of both cups, the DF83 had a much sweeter cup.
That’s not to say the Ode brews were bad by any means. The clarity was there and flavor notes were still identifiable. The texture was balanced and had a heavier body to the cup which I personally enjoy.
The DF83 brew had much higher levels of sweetness and clarity, and even to an untrained palette my girlfriend distinctly enjoyed the DF83 brews more. But for me the DF83 produced a more tea-like body and was a little bit lighter than what I’d like.
But focusing on the Ode again, it’s been a really good brew grinder. From having to grind at essentially 0 on the original Ode for 1-cup brews, now I’m closer to between the 3-4.5 range.
So there’s a lot more positives to say about this iteration of the Ode. It can produce a sweet, clean, and balanced cup while also having a massively improved workflow and almost no static or chaffing remaining.
I’m inclined to almost call this iteration of the Ode as the Niche Zero of filter grinders as far as workflow perspective goes.
Now oddly enough, at the time of this video, the original Ode with standard brew burrs is available for $300 and $380 with the optional Gen 2 Burrs. However, this improved grinder, at least at the time of recording, has a $345 MSRP. So if you’re in the market for a new brew grinder - this seems like a no brainer.
While I don’t think you need to upgrade the entire grinder itself, if you have the original Ode, the gen 2 burrs are definitely worth the upgrade at the very least.
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