Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsVery good no-plastic coffee maker
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2019
Why I chose this coffee brewer?
I've been trying to get away from my AeroPress which made pretty good coffee but is made of plastic. Plastic (even if it's non-BPA) leaches into the boiling hot water that is needed to make good coffee and it makes me feel unhealthy (though more research may be needed to support my "feeling"). I looked at various options but most of them either had some plastic contact (often with boiling hot water) or had other issues. Moka Express, for example, required heavy pre-cleaning to remove white residue that builds up either due to Aluminum construction or mold during storage.
French press is great but it requires patience if you want to drink silt-free coffee. And, I like coffee that has been paper-filtered to remove the oils. So, I just about settled for pour over coffee and was about to buy a Chemex glass carafe until I discovered the Fellow Stagg pour-over brewer. I liked that Fellow Stagg XF claimed to be less tedious than a traditional, conical pour-over design. And, the Fellow Stagg dripper was metal instead of plastic.
Brewing experience & cleanup
I was pleasantly surprised that the construction quality was top notch. Everything from the ratio aid to the glass jug fits nicely with each other. The cleanup was fast too. The coffee filter stores all the wet, used coffee grinds so you can simply pick it up and throw it in the trash. The coffee filter paper is strong enough to support the wet coffee grinds without breaking and it usually doesn't drip when you're moving it from the dripper to the trash bin. The jug can handle hot coffee nicely. The outside of the jug does get warm but I was able to hold it without oven mitts and pour the brewed coffee into a cup. The glass jug cleans up nicely too even after you let it sit for a while. The metal components just need a rinse if you don't let them sit.
The storage is nice and compact because the ratio aid and funnel attach into the dripper and you can put plastic wrapped paper filters into the dripper.
Pro tip: buy a gooseneck, fast-boiling kettle that has a temperature gauge. Once you use it, you'll love the precision and it'll make for better coffee every time.
Coffee quality
The coffee I made was very good and nearly perfect. I like hot drip coffee and this made the best one I've made for myself beating my AeroPress.
Some issues
1. The glass jug is deceptively huge! While the measurement says 20oz, the jug can actually hold much more than that. 20oz is near the middle of the jug. The measurements differ wildly for different coffee brewers. In comparison to some other coffee brewers (such as MokaExpress or French press), when Fellow says 20oz, it means way more than 20oz. In hindsight, I should've bought the smaller (10oz version) because I was looking to brew only one cup of coffee at a time.
2. The brewed coffee does not stay hot for long. Even though the glass jug comes with a Silicone gasket, it doesn't keep the coffee hot for more than 5 mins. I recommend brewing just enough so you don't have any left in the glass jug to get cold.
3. The outer surface of the dripper and ratio aid has an annoying texture. This is obviously a minor nitpicking point. The pictures and videos online appear to show a smooth shiny surface which would be pleasant to hold but not so. The outer surface is rough and weird as if someone designed it to be unpleasant, texturally speaking.
4. I expect that the double-wall glass jug, by the nature of it's construction, is going weak on the inside. This means exposing the insides to quick temperature differences or dropping a heavy ice cube would probably break it quick. This is something to be careful about.
Overall, I think this is a decent investment in coffee if you like good drip/pour-over coffee that is not a hassle to make or clean up after. And, the best part is the lack of plastic touching boiling water.
![Fellow Stagg [XF] Pour-Over Coffee Maker Set - Kit Includes Stagg [XF] Pour-Over Dripper, Stagg Double Wall Glass Carafe, and 30 Paper Filters](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31MdkC7H0IL._AC_US60_SCLZZZZZZZ__.jpg)
