The Flair Espresso Maker
We're going to share in this review what makes the Flair Espresso Maker a good choice for your homemade espressos. Most coffee fanatics love espresso. To tell you the truth, it’s hard not to love it.
As you can see in our best manual espresso machine list: a good lever machine can set you back a pretty penny. Sometimes up to $1000 or more. These are artesian, well built machines. While that’s a noble investment for some, it’s not feasible for most. So our options are to either go to a coffee shop everyday, or to find a much cheaper way to make espresso at home.
The Flair solves this issue. It costs a fraction of what a typical lever espresso machine would cost and it still powered completely by hand.
After inserting the coffee grounds, you fill the water chamber with hot water and secure it above the coffee. Then you pull a lever which forces the water through the coffee grounds producing a shot of espresso.
This action creates enough pressure to properly extract the coffee and make a great tasting shot of espresso.
PROS
- Simplified design makes it easy to use.
- Piston creates the perfect amount of pressure for espresso.
CONS
- Multiple smalls parts that need adjusting and washing with each brew.
- More expensive than most manual espresso makers.
Things To Consider Before Buying A Manual Espresso Maker
What do you need to know before jumping in and purchasing a manual lever espresso machine?
Ask yourself some of these questions.
How much time do you have every morning to make espresso? While the Flair is convenient in that it doesn’t require electricity and is quite affordable, it takes a little bit of time to pull each shot and clean up.
It could take 3 minutes or more, depending on how particular you are.
While this is comparable to crafting a pour over, your yield in this case is tiny for the amount of time you invest in each shot.
At a coffee shop, it typically takes a barista 60 seconds to prep, pull and serve a shot of espresso.
How hands on do you like to be?
The Flair is quite hands on. If you are used to brewing coffee with an automatic dripper, be careful when you purchase this.
Every part of the brewing process requires your time and attention.
You cannot simply set it up and walk away.
Do you need to take it with you?
The Flair is definitely not something you'd take on a plane with you (like an Aeropress)
In fact, there are quite a few pieces to take into account. Plus the shape and size of the brewer would make it difficult to pack up and use elsewhere.
But for camping trips, local trips, or if you have lots of extra luggage room, it could work (it comes in its own suitcase).
If you plan to only make espresso in your own home and are prepared to spend a few minutes on your morning routine, then read on to find out why the Flair might be the coffee maker for you.
The Flair Espresso Maker Review
You are determined to find the perfect espresso maker at a reasonable price.
You are determined to enjoy the strong, sweet taste of espresso in the morning without having to drive all the way to the coffee shop just to wait in line.
You are ready for the Flair.
Grind your coffee, add it to the portafilter. Insert the screen and place in the Flair. Pour just enough hot water over top and begin pulling the lever.
Aim for between 30 and 45 seconds for a well balanced shot.
Enjoy your espresso!
Simplified, Stripped Down Design
The Flair prides itself with being everything it needs to be to brew great espresso, and nothing more. It's minimalist design shows that not much is needed to properly pull a quality shot of espresso.
Really, all you see when you look at the brewer is a handle with a tiny brew chamber, under which you can place a cup.
All of the magic happens within this tiny chamber, which is removable to easily prepare your espresso.
Detachable Brew Head
The brew head is removed in one piece, but disassembles into 4 separate pieces.
The bottom portion is the portafilter.
This is where you place the ground coffee and “tamp it,” that is, press it down to create an even surface. Then you put a screen on top of the coffee.
Next, you add hot water to the cylinder and and place on top of the coffee.
Finally, you top the cylinder containing the water with the piston, which is what the long handle attaches to to force the water through the coffee grounds.
Each time you would like to prepare an espresso, you need to disassemble the device and reassemble it completely, which doesn’t take more than a minute.
Optimal Pressure
The piston creates the perfect amount of pressure for brewing espresso.
Typically, you want around 9 bars of pressure (1) to produce the best espresso, and the Flair can create 8-16 bars. In comparison, the hand powered Aeropress can typically only reach 1-3 bars.
The pressure is what is able to extract the coffee properly to replicate the strong, bittersweet taste of espresso.
It’s what creates the crema, the light colored, thick layer on top of a properly brewed espresso.
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