FLAIR 58 Espresso Maker

I had been searching for an upgrade to my breville automatic machine for a long time. I wanted something that I could play a bit with. After many hours of research i landed on a manual machine which are actually extremely flexible in terms of the shots you can pull and are also much cheaper than a pump machine. So far this thing has worked flawlessly for me and I am hoping it will last for a long time.
Pros - Not many parts to break, lever is easy to pull, shot quality is excellent, easy to clean and maintain. Cons - filling the chamber with water usually results in some air in the system. I have to jiggle the handle to release the trapped air. It takes up a bit of space on the counter and the power brick is large (i hide mine with a fake plan).

"Craig S", I share your sentiment! My semi automatic is down for repairs and appreciate the redundancy of having a second machine. The flair 58 exceeded my expectations by having the flexibility to set your own pressures for an extraction. To be honest, I think this makes a better tasting espresso than my 3k machine. Although having temperature control/PID from a semi automatic adds a different dimension to making an espresso, I think the value of manual pressure control suits me better. I'm concerned with this being my daily driver ... because I'll just be staring at my fancy semi every morning - ha. Nonetheless, this is a gem. The workflow is actually not that bad, but if you're making over 4 or more espresso drinks at the end of a dinner party, it does take longer. Morning coffee for 2 in the morning is almost perfect. One thing to consider is that you will need a smaller scale to fit underneath. I have a timemore nano that fits perfectly, but the side buttons for tare make it inconvenient to set since you either have to adjust the scale to get your finger to press the side tare button. Having a scale with controls on the top (probably an acaia pearl) would probably have been a better option, but a first world problem and I'll likely survive. I was looking at the La Pavoni lever machines, and although the history of the line is intriguing, I believe the absence of a boiler makes the flair 58 more reliable with less parts to worry about and also provides an option to take it into the wild. Eightounce was also great with the free and quick shipping.

I absolutely love my flair58 and can’t recommend it more. Cafe quality if not even better at an amazing price point.

OK - here are my thoughts. Currently have ExpoBar Brewtus IV rotary pump, Mazzer grinder HG grinder, Mocca Master Brewer. Gene Cafe roaster. Sooooo, I live the espresso maker - reason why I am switching, is that my Expobar has been down for awhile, and getting parts has been a big hassle. Also, just started asking myself if there was another way to do this, rather than having a big, honking 70 pound machine on the counter all the time. So, boiled down the coffee making process - I already roast, so that doesn't change. Already weigh my coffee so that doesn't change I already grind, so that doesn't change. So, basically heating up water, and physically pressing is what changed. I LOVE the speed at which the brewhead heats up. I use a NESCAFE foamer for making lattes or foaming milk. So, getting the flow down has been a bit of a challenge, but a first world problem eh? I haven't noticed much difference in the shot quality, for me it's more about the coffee in the shot, and whether I am using a blend or single entity. I do play around a bit with the volume of water in the receptacle, but have figured out a little trick to increase that a bit. But, other than that - no big whoop. I like it! Simple, great quality. and yeah, it works for me.....

As a coffee geek, I am going to say I am impressed with the Flair 58. Initially I bought the Flair pro 2 from eight ounce, which I returned because I could not get past the workflow all thanks to their amazing return policy. With some hesitation about the temp stability of the flair 58, I still made the purchase. I wanted a manual espresso machine that would allow me to experiment with pressure/flow profiles without spending thousands. After having this machine for 1 month, I can honestly say I've had some of the testier shots I've ever had. After some practice, the workflow is not that much of a hassle and I can get a drink in about 10-15mins; much better than having to wait 30mins on average for my e61 HX machine to heat up. I can also cart this thing around in a basket from office to office without much hassle. Best purchase I've made to date!

It's good for home baristas and an excellent manual espresso machine.
easy to use and easy to set for your own recipe.

Really Recommend for home baristas