Fellow Stagg XF Dripper - Page 3

Coffee preparation techniques besides espresso like pourover.
User avatar
Shawnaks5
Supporter ♡
Posts: 169
Joined: 5 years ago

#21: Post by Shawnaks5 »

tv79 wrote:I've found Fellow's instructions to be rather inconsistent. Both their video and the instructions that come with the brewer recommend the Fill-Up method. Then there's this Q&A where they recommend pulse pouring.

I reached out to them for clarification and it turns out they (or at least the guy that emailed) actually do recommend pulse pouring, at least for larger volumes. What he suggested was a 16:1 ratio, pouring in 50-100g increments, with TBT under 4:00. Apparently there is an issue where doses over 25g can clog the filter if you pour in large increments. Side note: If this does happen, you can try gently pulling up on the filter to create some space between the filter and floor of the dripper.
Thanks for the info Doug! I will give it another shot with the info you got from Fellow. It's interesting that they didn't tell me that when I talked to them but they sent me another box of filters. Also my issue was happening even when I had no coffee in the filter. Either way, I will give it another shot.

jevenator
Posts: 640
Joined: 5 years ago

#22: Post by jevenator »

I should be getting a XF dripper on Sunday, it's going to be my first pour-over dripper and this discussion has gotten me a bit worrisome!

tv79
Posts: 237
Joined: 7 years ago

#23: Post by tv79 »

Shawnaks5 wrote:<image>

Thanks for the info Doug! I will give it another shot with the info you got from Fellow. It's interesting that they didn't tell me that when I talked to them but they sent me another box of filters. Also my issue was happening even when I had no coffee in the filter. Either way, I will give it another shot.
You bet - let us know how it turns out!

Btw, the XF apparently works with Kalita filters as well. I tried one and it does seem to fit, but it's so short I can't imagine you'd be able to brew very much (especially with freshly roasted coffee). But if you can get your hands on a few, might be worth trying without coffee to see if it drains any faster than your current ones.
jevenator wrote:I should be getting a XF dripper on Sunday, it's going to be my first pour-over dripper and this discussion has gotten me a bit worrisome!
Heh, I wouldn't be too concerned. Like Tom mentioned, there doesn't seem to be a lot of discussion on the XF, so I think what you're seeing is more us trying to get things dialed in.

This morning's brew was a step in the right direction - went 2 notches finer and the resulting cup was significantly better, though I do detect some slight astringency. My hope is that 1 notch coarser will be close to ideal for this coffee.

User avatar
Shawnaks5
Supporter ♡
Posts: 169
Joined: 5 years ago

#24: Post by Shawnaks5 »

Gave it another shot this morning. As I was pre-wetting/heating the brewer and filter it was not draining fast as expected. This time I did what Doug said and gently pulled up on the filter and that worked. The water drained right out. I then added my coffee (35g) this time for a 1:16 ratio. I decided to use hybrid pours (50g bare kettle/50g melodrip). Just to try something different. Since I pulled up on the filter a little the brew drained just fine! Finished around 3 minutes. Definitely under extracted and also had muddy grounds around the edges. I wish I had taken a picture of the coffee bed. I guess it's back to dialing in again. Thank you again for the tip of pulling up on the filter Doug! Btw does anyone on here have a Baratza Forte BG (steel burr)? If so I'd be interested to compare grind settings for brewing with the Stagg XF. Of course your grinder would need to be calibrated to 2Q as well. I'm not sure how the Vario compares to the Forte BG. Doug I wonder if I calibrated my Forte to 1A if our grind settings would be similar?

jevenator
Posts: 640
Joined: 5 years ago

#25: Post by jevenator »

Shawnaks5 wrote:Definitely under extracted and also had muddy grounds around the edges. I wish I had taken a picture of the coffee bed. I guess it's back to dialing in again.
So I'm curious as I have a bit more experience with espresso drinks. Do you still finish your cup of coffee even though it's under extracted/flawed such as in previous attempts? It's like a lot larger volume to drink compared if you a bit under extracted espresso shot it's only like 2-3 sips and it's over.

I have some Ethiopia Guji on the way to try once I get the dripper and don't want to be drinking soft sour-lemon water :lol:

User avatar
Shawnaks5
Supporter ♡
Posts: 169
Joined: 5 years ago

#26: Post by Shawnaks5 »

The coffee was still drinkable so yes I did finish the cup. I think with a couple more tries I will have some better tasting coffee.

tv79
Posts: 237
Joined: 7 years ago

#27: Post by tv79 »

Shawnaks5 wrote:Thank you again for the tip of pulling up on the filter Doug! Btw does anyone on here have a Baratza Forte BG (steel burr)? If so I'd be interested to compare grind settings for brewing with the Stagg XF. Of course your grinder would need to be calibrated to 2Q as well. I'm not sure how the Vario compares to the Forte BG. Doug I wonder if I calibrated my Forte to 1A if our grind settings would be similar?
Glad to hear that worked for you! As for grinder comparisons, my understanding is that the adjustment systems on the Vario and Forte are the same. I may be wrong, but seeing as how they both have 10 macro settings (though the Forte has a few more micro adjustments), I'd think they'd be pretty close if calibrated at the same setting.

sirknighting
Posts: 43
Joined: 5 years ago

#28: Post by sirknighting »

I picked one of these up a while ago from a coffee roaster. They were no longer selling it in the front, but they had some in the back, and I got a free pack of 50 filters with the purchase due to that. I have not actually used any of the filters that came with it yet, and have been using Kalita wave 185 filters.

I've been brewing 20g coffee, 340g total water, at 200F. (I don't go higher due to boiling point being low in Denver)
Pour 60g, stir.
Wait until 30 seconds after first pour, then every 30 seconds, pour 40g
Total brew time ends up being around 4:30.

I've also been getting the issue with a lot of ground sticking to the side, and am not quite sure how to fix it.
My grind is around half turn (5 numbers) above my espresso range on my Kinu m47, which is finer than what I usually used for v60. However, I'm not adept at dialing in, so I haven't been very precise on dialing in the grind.
One thing I like about this more than the Kalita is the fact that smaller bottle/glass mouths are more usable with the Stagg XF, due to the gaps on the silicone foot allowing airflow, whereas the Kalita's air hole is far enough from the center that brewing into my reusable bottle is slowed due to the difference in pressure.
LMWDP #666

User avatar
Shawnaks5
Supporter ♡
Posts: 169
Joined: 5 years ago

#29: Post by Shawnaks5 »

tv79 wrote:Glad to hear that worked for you! As for grinder comparisons, my understanding is that the adjustment systems on the Vario and Forte are the same. I may be wrong, but seeing as how they both have 10 macro settings (though the Forte has a few more micro adjustments), I'd think they'd be pretty close if calibrated at the same setting.
Sounds good. After you dial in the XF do you mind taking a pic of your grinds and telling me your setting? You said you have your Vario calibrated to 1A right?

User avatar
Shawnaks5
Supporter ♡
Posts: 169
Joined: 5 years ago

#30: Post by Shawnaks5 »

Tried again this morning. Got a much better result in the cup by changing a couple variables. Went from 210deg down to 201deg and changed grind setting to 5A instead of 5m on the Forte (again I am calibrated at 2Q). I still have the issue of grinds sticking between the edges of the filter. Definitely not a fan of this. I have a long glass stir that I got from Melodrip and I used it to try and get the grinds out from the edges during the brew. It helped some but not as much as I would like. I wish Fellow would post a video of someone brewing with this device. Maybe I don't know what I'm doing. I'd love to see a picture of their brew bed after finishing. Mine is muddy around the edges and I can't seem to fix this unless I grind way coarser but then I get really underextracted coffee. I'm about to give up on this device and get back to brewing with my Origami and Blue Bottle drippers.