Flair Espresso Maker - Classic with Pressure Kit: Manual Lever Espresso Machine with Stainless Steel Tamper, Pressure Gauge and Carrying Case

The media could not be loaded. I’ve been roasting my own coffee beans since 2001 and for the past 15 years my home setup has been a Rancilio Silvia/Rocky. I also inherited a Pavoni Europicola that I toyed with for a couple years and for anyone who has used one, the Flair will feel familiar, although the Pavoni was far less forgiving. I travel months at a time, and my rig-on-the-go for many years was a Mypressi Twist. The nitrous cartridges were a pain to source and felt wasteful (not to mention expensive), but paired with a Porlex Mini the espresso quality was astounding, as in on par with the Silvia/Rocky. Sadly, my unit gave up the ghost in 2014, by which time the company was defunct. I’ve been on the hunt for a suitable replacement ever since. Enter “The Flair.”I somehow missed the Kickstarter Campaign and only realized it existed mid-February when I happened onto this Amazon listing. I’ve had my unit two weeks, long enough to run it through its paces (around 35 shots). As with any new set up, you’ll have to work out a routine and dial in the grind, but as far as I’m concerned the Flair is exceptionally forgiving. It allows enormous control (over temp and pressure) still the margin of error is wide, so it’s not as though it requires excessive precision or skill. In fact, I’d say the Flair is slightly easier to use than the Mypressi, and while the shots aren’t exactly on par, they’re darn close. In any case, the Mypressi is no longer in production and the units had very limited life-spans. By comparison, the Flair seems designed and built to last.In early 2015 I bought a Minipresso by Wacaco. It seemed worth a go for the money, but despite my best efforts, the shots were subpar. The Minipresso utilizes a pressurized portafilter to “enhance” the crema, which is to say “cheat,” and it made only single shots, not doubles. I was so dissatisfied with the results, I binned it and bought an Aeropress, which makes excellent coffee—not espresso mind you (the hype on the box claiming it makes espresso is laughable) but strong coffee. I know the Flair costs 3x the Minipresso and has a larger profile, but if you care at all about the quality of the espresso, there’s no comparison.I’ve never used or even seen a Handpresso, but like the Minipresso it uses a pressurized portafilter system and reviews seem split as to whether the Handpresso or the Minipresso deliver better results, in which case the Flair is almost certainly going to deliver better results. The other mainstream alternative is the Rok, which costs slightly more than the Flair. I prefer the aesthetic of the Rok (it’s pretty), but the Flair won me over for its portability. I also took seriously reviews by Rok owners who compared their results with the Flair. One last unit I considered is the Espresso Forge, which gets excellent reviews from serious espresso geeks, so much so I might still give one a go some day, but for now I’m quite satisfied with the Flair given the price difference.Am I ready to retire my Silvia and use the Flair full-time. No. But I’ll probably sell the used Siliva I purchased a couple years ago as a backup. And since I generally drink only 2 espressos a day, I can almost, maybe, possibly imagine resorting to the Flair full-time if the remaining Silvia has a catastrophic failure. On the plus side, The Flair is portable so I could put it away when not in use, allowing me to reclaim a chunk of kitchen counter.In conclusion, if you’re looking for a travel espresso rig and aren’t prepared to pay the premium for an Espresso Forge, the Flair is definitely worth a go. And if you’re seriously budget-minded, the Flair is probably a better choice than most consumer semi-automatics at the same price point, and probably even better than many costing twice as much, or at least the ones that use pressurized portafilters. Yes, you have to trade a bit of effort and learning curve for the relative ease of use provided by prosumer semi-automatics, but if you’re willing to learn to actually craft espresso, the Flair Espresso Maker is a worthwhile investment, particularly as a travel machine.______________________UPDATE: April 23, 2017The video attached to my original review shows a shot being pulled using 18g of coffee ground in my aged Porlex Mini. Obviously the shot quality from that pairing was not just satisfactory but quite impressive for a machine at this price point. That said, a friend recently gifted me a Helor 101 and also bought himself a Commandante MK30. Both are wildly expensive manual grinders. We spent the last week running them through their paces on the Flair and the shots we pulled were insanely good. That's not to say you need a $250 manual grinder to get quality espresso out of the Flair (you don't) but with a quality grinder, there is a marked improvement in the cup, and wjth just a little effort, we were able to consistently pull shots on par with what I get out of my Rancilio Silvia/Rocky combo. I haven't had a chance to see how well the Rocky and Flair pair (or the Helor and Silvia for that matter) but it's safe to say the Flair is even more impressive and capable than I originally thought.

Summary: For the price, portability, and simplicity of the Flair, it produces great espresso with control over temperature and pressure. This combination cannot be beat. It is hard to find this much control unless you spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on an espresso machine, which would permanently sit on your counter. I can easily make good quality espresso with the Flair, the process is simple, quick, and easy. You have to let expensive espresso machines heat up for half an hour to get a good temperature (but can still have little control over the precise temperature). But with the Flair, you can heat the parts up in minutes and easily control the temperature. The process takes about 5 minutes, including setup, hand grinding, heating up parts and water. Cleanup is quick and simple. Flair allows me to enjoy hand-crafted espresso even when I travel. If I had purchased a typical espresso machine, I would have spent hundreds more, would have to wait longer to let the machine heat up, and at best I would have had the same level of control over temperature but without control over pressure throughout the shot. The Flair is also a great looking device, and I can't stop taking pictures of it for my Instagram!I've owned the Flair (Signature, Black) for just over a week now. When I was first looking for an espresso machine, things quickly got out of budget. Sure, you can find inexpensive machines (at least twice the cost of the Flair), but they offer very little control. Basic setups that included control over temperature were looking in the $600 range for used machines, and for a new machine with a good quality of parts and features you can expect to spend $1,500+. With the Flair, you can get control over the temperature and the pressure very easily, and for a fraction of the price. If you want to make milk drinks with the espresso, you can purchase other products to pair with your Flair in order to achieve that, and still be under the cost of even the lower-priced semi-automatic machines, and overall you'd have more control and better milk steaming capability than those lower-priced semi-automatic machines could offer.To get control over temperature with the Flair, you simply need a thermometer and a way to heat up some of the parts (mainly the brew cylinder). You can simply preheat by boiling the parts in water, or for metal parts you can use a direct heating method if you like (this is my preferred method because you can get temperatures above the boiling temperature of water, to better maintain higher brewing temperatures). Please note that if you use a direct heat/dry heat method, that you need to be careful not to get the metal parts too hot, because it will flash boil the water when you add it. For best results, heat it slowly and no higher than 250° F. This takes only a couple minutes. Before you insert the piston, you can use a thermometer to check the water temperature, which allows you to control at what temperature you begin brewing.You have control over pressure through how fine you grind, how hard you tamp, and how hard you press the lever. You are able to change the pressure throughout the press, which can give you different taste results. With the ability to control temperature and pressure, you can easily customize the taste of your espresso to how you like it.I am brand new to espresso making, so I had to hunt for the right grind size to use (which is typical for any espresso machine). Once you find the grind size that gets you the right amount of pressure; the taste, mouthfeel, and crema production of the shots are very similar to what you will find in coffee shops produced by equipment that costs thousands of dollars. The only requirements you need at home are the Flair, a good quality burr grinder, fresh coffee, water, and a heat source.Overall it only takes about 5 minutes from setting up the Flair to enjoying your shot of espresso, and that's at a relaxed pace. Cleaning up is also quick and simple.The quality of the parts are good. The only thing is that if you are not careful, you can damage the plastic parts. I have somehow managed to gouge the plastic on my portafilter. Luckily all the individual parts are available from the company, and I can replace that portafilter if I want to for a very low cost. The damage does not affect use, so I don't mind for now. If you are less clumsy, you should have no problems. I would appreciate seeing all-metal premium parts in the future, for those of us that are clumsy :)My biggest struggle with the Flair has simply been the learning curve for getting the right temperature, the right grind size, the right tamp pressure, the right lever pressure, and the right brew time. I had staler coffee for this first week of ownership and that makes a huge difference, especially with light roasts, so I'm looking forward to using fresh coffee that's roasted a little darker for espresso.Another big selling point for the Flair is its portability. If I had purchased a semi-automatic machine, it would have to sit on my counter taking up space. With the Flair, I could leave it set up if I want to, or just pack it away in its case so it isn't in the way. Setup takes no time at all. For this first week of ownership, I actually traveled with it and made espresso very easily while I was away from home—you can't do that with a typical espresso machine.The Flair is very impressive for how simple the design is and for what it can produce for such a low price. The biggest challenge is getting a good brew temperature, which is vitally important for lighter roasts but not so much for darker roasts. Temperature management for light roasts is easy enough to achieve, and should be easier with the stainless steel piston option and through the use of dry heat on the metal parts.The only true con I can think of is that you are doing a lot of the individual parts of espresso yourself, rather than the machine doing it. Such as heating up the water and parts, and applying pressure. However, these are also benefits, since they give you more control than you could affordably find in a typical espresso machine. The only other con is durability of the plastic, since I'm surprised at how quickly I gouged a part, but that is also my fault for being clumsy.Overall, I'm very happy with the Flair. I'm able to produce quality espresso after only a few days with it. I can put it away so it isn't taking up space on my counter in my tiny apartment kitchen, and I can take it with me when I travel since I have a hand grinder. I easily get good control over temperature and pressure, which are features that you only get otherwise on very expensive machines, and rarely together. The Flair can also do cold-pressed espresso, which will be fun to play with for cold drinks. I'm surprised at how quickly and easily I can produce espresso with the Flair. I'm finally able to make cafe quality cappuccinos and drinks for my wife (since I already had a separate milk steamer), as well as affogatos and straight espresso for myself!