Life in Cuba Under Trump’s Pressure Campaign: No Electricity, No Oil, and Impossible Choices
As the United States takes new steps against the regime that has ruled the island since 1959, the Cuban people face 20-hour blackouts, decreased internet access, and shortages of basic supplies.

There aren't a lot of game changers among espresso machines. But after testing the Fellow Series 1 for three weeks, I feel confident in saying that it will almost certainly change the conversation about what a home espresso machine is supposed to do.

For decades, most home espresso makers have aimed at mostly the same goal: a consistent temperature and a consistent 9 bars of pressure, delivered with precision and reliability. Nine bars is, after all, the traditional ideal of an espresso shot. According to popular imagination, this was the pressure that baristas were able to exert back when espresso was pulled manually with spring-loaded levers. It was also the pressure chosen for the first electric-pump espresso machine from Faema, in 1961.

But there's no particular magic to this number, especially not for medium and lighter roasts. The brand-new Fellow Series 1 Espresso machine, which began shipping this week, seems willing to leave this convention behind. The Series 1 will still make you a traditional 9-bar shot, if that's what you want. But unlike any accessibly priced home espresso machine I've tested, Fellow's machine lets home baristas adjust flow rates and pressure curves to elicit new flavors and new character from their espresso.