Flair Espresso Maker - Manual Press

Product Information

FULLY PORTABLE - All Flair Espresso Makers come standard with our precision cut and padded carrying case meaning you can take your manual espresso maker anywhere you’d like. Having a built in pressure gauge is a nice feature, and it shows you how much pressure you build up using the built in hand pump. This enhancement of thermal management is key to delivering consistent, beautiful espresso shot in and shot out. Variants of this brewing device have been around since 2004, when it was first introduced as an ESE espresso pod brewing device. The completely manual, lever espresso press is capable of brewing between 6-9 BAR pressure, exactly that needed to brew cafe-quality espresso from wherever you are.

The Flair 58 brew head features an industry standard 58 millimeter portafilter with a wooden barista handle. Flair Espresso has five different models of manual espresso makers to fit the needs of anyone, but choosing the right model is an important first step.If you are putting 16, 18g of coffee in there, you’re creating a much taller packed path for the water to travel through than it would in a 58mm filter. When I ignored the instructions in this regard and dosed with 14g, I seemed to get the best results, at a more coarse setting than I'd usually use with the La Pavoni Euripicolla and The Rok. It’s a relatively small device that can actually be used when backpacking and lightweight travel, since it clocks in at around 475 grams (just over a pound). There’s a caveat here: if you want to brew a true “single”, as in 8-9g of coffee used for 15-25ml output, this machine can do that with nearly the same grind fineness a traditional espresso machine with a pump and electricity would require.

As it stands now, I’d probably wrap something protective (but thin) around the extra brew group so it doesn’t flop around too much while travelling. Bottom line is this: if your goal is an authentic shot of espresso brewed at proper temperatures, the Handpresso can’t hold a candle to the Flair. But the important question is: Which is the best non-powered lever style manual Espresso maker, Rok or Flair Espresso? I finally got through to one of their retailers who told me it’s been discontinued, and who didn’t have anyone to contact to even check!

Once you’re ready, consider upgrading your NEO, to brew with two Flow-Control Portafilters, or purchase a Bottomless 2-in-1 Portafilter and Pressure Gauge Kit. But that doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate and get enthusiastic about Kickstarter success stories, because they do exist.

When I heard about The Rok “Espresso Maker”, and then the more recent invention along these lines, Flair Espresso Maker, I was thinking of them as “Espresso style” coffee makers, as with Aeropress and Moka pots, in that they probably make something which is similar to Espresso, but not quite true espresso with all of the body, flavour and crema that we expect with a proper Espresso. Each Classic comes with everything you need to brew café-quality espresso, anytime, anywhere, including a custom carrying case. We bring together over 350 brands and 8,000 references: a wide range of manual espresso coffee maker, espresso glasses, slow coffee makers, manual coffee grinders, the best teapots or insulated mugs. I should note I was not trying to go especially fast (or slow) for these tests; I tried to mimic how a normal user, with experience, would bang out shot after shot on the Flair Espresso maker. In addition to Rok, there's a new(er) kid on the block in the form of Flair Espresso, so I got hold of one of these too and gave it a go – see Flair Espresso Maker Review.It’s a bit tricky remembering the configuration of all the parts so they are snug and secure in the case, so definitely do not lose that printed how-to. In other words, after using it for grinding a lot of coffee, you may find that you need to adjust these a bit finer. This is a question I asked when I reviewed the Rok, and as with Rok, Flair certainly makes true Espresso, with no electricity, no pumps, and no steam involved – which I do find amazing.