The Opus prints its own grind guide inside the lid. An inner ring adds extra-fine steps for espresso.
Settings by brew method
| Method | Setting (dial) | As the source puts it | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 1 to 3 | Espresso 1 to 3 (lid grind guide) | bizarrecoffee.com Maker |
| AeroPress | 3 to 5 | AeroPress 3 to 5 | bizarrecoffee.com Maker |
| Pour-over / V60 | 5 to 7 | Pour-over / drip 5 to 7 | bizarrecoffee.com Maker |
| French press | 8 to 9 | French press 8 to 9 | bizarrecoffee.com Maker |
| Cold brew | 9 to 11 | Cold brew 9 to 11 | bizarrecoffee.com Maker |
These are starting points. Beans, roast, water and your own taste all move them, so start in the middle of the range and adjust one step at a time.
Notchbook is a free app that remembers the setting that worked on your Fellow Opus for each coffee and brew method, and keeps a journal of every brew. Get it free on Google Play. The iPhone app is coming soon. More about Notchbook.
About the Fellow Opus
- Type
- Electric grinder
- Burrs
- Conical, 40 mm
- Adjustment
- Stepped (macro dial + hidden micro wheel)
Dialling in from here
- Sour, thin or fast? Grind finer. Why coffee tastes sour
- Bitter, dry or slow? Grind coarser. Why coffee tastes bitter
- Espresso: how to dial in. Filter: pour-over grind size.
Compare with other grinders in the grind size chart.
What reviewers found
A $195 plastic all-rounder with a two-level dial. It's fine for filter, but Lance Hedrick struggled to dial in espresso on it.
Specs
| Burr | Conical, with deep pre-breaking grooves and fine finishing teeth, from the maker of the Ode Gen 2 burrs 30:07 |
| Adjustment | Numbers 1 to 11 with four macro ticks between each, about 41 settings, each 50 µm of burr travel. A micro wheel under the hopper adds six 33 µm offsets per number, but once you use it the printed numbers no longer line up 30:07. Another review measures about 16.6 µm per click 19:00 |
| Zero | There's no true zero. The fine end is deliberately set too fine so worn burrs can still reach espresso 20:20 |
| Motor | About 350 rpm with plenty of torque, and it never stalled 30:07 21:23 |
Where sources disagree
The creators don't all give the same figure here, so every value is listed with the person who gave it.
| Field | Value | By | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microns per step | 16.6 | Hedrick | 19:00 | |
| Microns per step | 50 | Hedrick | 1:37 | |
| Microns per step | 50 | Hedrick | 30:07 | |
| Microns per step | 50 | DGC | 2:03 | |
| Microns per step | 50 | Rowsell | 1:31 | Main dial. The collar's micro steps are about 33 µm |
| Microns per step | summary | Four reviews from Lance Hedrick, Daddy Got Coffee and Kyle Rowsell give 50 µm per step on the main dial. One gives 16.6 µm, which may refer to the micro wheel, though it isn't said. |
Starting settings
These are the settings each creator gave, measured from their own grinder's zero. Use them as a starting point.
| Method | Setting | Context | Confidence | By | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 1 to 2 | Fellow's printed guide. In practice 1 and 2 choked for him | stated | Hedrick | 19:48 |
| AeroPress | 2 to 5 | Fellow's printed guide (Prismo 2 to 3), only a rough guide | stated | Hedrick | 19:48 |
| Pour-over | 5 to 9 | Fellow's printed guide, only a rough guide | stated | Hedrick | 19:48 |
| Batch / cupping | 7 to 9 | Fellow's printed guide for coffee makers and cupping, only a rough guide | stated | Hedrick | 19:48 |
| Immersion | 8 to 10 | Fellow's printed guide for French press, only a rough guide | stated | Hedrick | 19:48 |
| Cold brew | 10 to 11 | Fellow's printed guide, only a rough guide | stated | Hedrick | 19:48 |
| Espresso | between 1 and 2 (with the micro adjustment) | The espresso sweet spot covers about four macro steps, and decaf needed the very fine end | stated | DGC | 5:08 |
| Espresso | about 1.5 to 2 | A just-roasted natural, slightly coarser than usual. It isn't clear whether these are numbers or clicks | unclear | Rowsell | 18:45 |
Cup profile
- Filter was livelier and more rounded than the ZP6 in Lance Hedrick's test. Light-roast espresso came out intense and acidic with little body 30:07.
- Against the Encore ESP the espresso had sharper acidity, more astringency and a waxy finish 19:00.
Strengths
- Good value for filter. It has anti-static, a portafilter dosing cup and a lid that doubles as bellows 30:07.
Weaknesses
- Holds about 0.3 to 0.75 g, chaff collects in the hopper, and it's all plastic 30:07.
- The macro steps are too coarse for espresso, and the micro system is confusing 14:41.
Verdict
In 2023 Lance Hedrick saw it as a good-value way in 30:07. He put it second to the Encore ESP for espresso but better if you only brew filter 19:00, and worth it if you'll learn the micro adjustment 1:37. In 2024 he gave it a C because it let him down when dialling in 15:42.
James Hoffmann's take
- In his 2024 test of espresso grinders under £250 it made excellent espresso, sweet, bright, textured and more like a flat burr than he expected, plus very good filter. The confusing micro adjustment under the hopper and the retention at espresso settings let it down 0:32.
Daddy Got Coffee's take
- 2023: 41 macro steps of about 50 µm, plus a micro adjustment down to about 16 µm. The ioniser and straight drop keep retention to 0.1 to 0.2 g without RDT 2:03 6:10 8:14. Compared with the Encore ESP it's quieter and better for single dosing, but harder to dial in 1:31.
Kyle Rowsell's take
- 2023: a great filter grinder under $200 that can handle espresso a few times a week. It has 41 clicks of about 50 µm and a collar for micro steps of about 33 µm, which muddle the numbers. It runs at 350 rpm, cleans easily, has an ioniser and runs quieter. It came fourth of five in his blind espresso test. It holds about a third to half a gram, the plastic scratches easily and there's no auto-off 1:31.
Sources
- Lance Hedrick: NEW FELLOW OPUS GRINDER REVIEW (2023-02-14)
- Lance Hedrick: NEW BARATZA ENCORE ESP REVIEW: Baratza Back On Top (2023-02-17)
- Daddy Got Coffee: Fellow Opus Grinder: Entry Level Endgame??? (2023-02-21)
- Kyle Rowsell: Best Budget Espresso Grinder Showdown // OPUS vs ENCORE ESP Review (2023-02-21)
- Lance Hedrick: BUDGET ALL-AROUND GRINDERS: Overview (2023-03-04)
- Daddy Got Coffee: Watch before you buy… Fellow Opus vs Baratza Encore ESP Coffee Grinder (2023-11-22)
- Lance Hedrick: Grinder Tier List (2024-09-10)
- James Hoffmann: The Best Espresso Grinder Under £250 (2024-11-18)
Summarised in our own words from the creators' videos, with every point linked to the moment it comes from. Notchbook isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of these creators, so please watch the originals for full context. Sources