Crew Review: Fellow Duo Coffee Steeper

How Does It Compare? A new twist on immersion brewing has found its way into SCG’s coffee collection—meet the Fellow Duo Coffee Steeper. How do you make coffee from this tall, handsome brewer? Simply fill, twist and watch it pour! OK, so there’s a little more to it than that, like letting it steep for four minutes—sound familiar? It’s similar to a French press but this new coffee maker has reimagined immersion brewing with style and ease of use. Instead of a plunger, the Duo Steeper uses gravity to drain your freshly brewed coffee into the carafe, which of course stops extraction! And it looks pretty sharp if you ask us. Check it out and tell us what you think in the comments below. The Fellow Duo Coffee Steeper is looking sharp. Brew Similar to a French press, Fellow recommends medium-coarse grounds for the Fellow Duo Coffee Steeper. We ground up 45 grams of coffee for the whole 24-ounce pot—we know sounds like absolutely no coffee at all, but it’s actually only one ounce short of the Bonavita 5-Cup Coffee Maker—and added in the usual 205-degree water right into the top chamber of the Duo. The Duo pours the coffee out of the top. This design actually makes the Duo a great, well, dual brewer! Experiment with it and try making a pot of cold brew or Japanese iced coffee. In fact, it’s sort of designed like cold brewers such as the Toddy, but with a stainless steel chamber for hot coffee. Instead of a filtered plunger, the Duo uses a cone with a very fine mesh—which reduces sediment too—that sits inside the chamber. The cone is placed in, what you think is, upside down, but rest assured, that’s the correct way! Then we let it steep for four minutes and then comes the cool part— Brains The coffee extraction. The Fellow Duo Coffee Steeper uses simple pegs on the side of the dual-walled stainless steel chamber. When you’re brewing, insert the inside chamber into the pegs and twist it on tight so that the rubber gasket seals in water to allow the grounds to extract. Once you’re done, twist the top to release and the coffee drains into the glass carafe. It’s that simple! The Duo uses a fine, reverse cone to filter out coffee grinds. Beauty The Fellow Duo Coffee Steeper features sturdy stainless steel and borosilicate glass, secured with silicone bumpers for added protection. There’s a thick silicone bottom to cushion the impact on the counter as well as one between the brew chamber and carafe to reduce the heat on your hand. It’s actually quite nice and the cool gray is elegant and stylish. Fellow uses borosilicate glass for their carafe. Weighing in at 2.88 pounds, even with a full pot of coffee, it’s not too heavy to pour. However, it is awkward thanks to its staggering height—a whole foot! Surprisingly, it doesn’t fall apart when we tip it upside down. Though, the real complaint is cleaning all those pieces—the cone, the gaskets, the two chambers—and not being able to fit your hand in with a sponge. Maintenance is more of a chore but it does make fantastic coffee—French press lovers will definitely agree that it’s phenomenal. Conclusion Designed with a sharp-looking stainless steel brew chamber, glass carafe and simple, innovative brew method, the Fellow Duo Coffee Steeper is a favorite! It’s a popular brewer amongst customers too, and we suspect that’s because of its unique design and, frankly, great coffee. The Duo reminds us of a French press, but thanks to its finer filter and gravity-extraction the coffee has less sediment and doesn’t over extract, creating a cleaner cup. Do you have the Fellow Duo Coffee Steeper? Tell us how you like it in the comments below!