THE FLAIR ESPRESSO MAKER REVIEW (ALL MDOELS INCLUDED)

The Flair espresso maker turned the craft coffee world on its head with its simple design, low price, and outstanding espresso.

Flair made professional quality espresso at home available to anyone willing to tackle the manual lever learning curve.

Since that first groundbreaking release, the Flair brand has continued to innovate, growing its product line-up to include four new models. In this review, I’ll look at what has changed, what has stayed the same, and which Flair model is right for you.

A Full Review Of The Flair Espresso Line-Up

The Flair line-up has expanded considerably since I reviewed the original Flair, so I’ll start with a quick summary of the new models. Along with the three below, there is the Flair 58 series, which is such a departure from the classic models that I felt it warranted its own review.

How We Rated It

• Design
• Brewing Capacity
• Build Quality
• Cleaning and Maintenance
• Value for Money

4.4

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Flair Classic

The basic Flair Classic is the original Flair espresso maker that launched the empire, and it still delivers on its promise of exceptional espresso at a reasonable price. It includes a metal frame, stainless steel group head, and bottomless 2-in-1 portafilter. It supports a coffee dose of 12-18 grams and can yield up to 1.5 ounces of espresso.

Flair Neo Flex

The Flair Neo Flex is a new model, a variation on the older Flair Neo, which I voted one of the top starter espresso machines. Designed for beginners, it’s the least expensive and easiest to use. 

It features the patented Flow Control Portafilter, which uses a spout to restrict flow. This guarantees proper extraction, even if your grind is off or your puck prep isn’t just right. However, this Flex also includes the bottomless 2-in-1 portafilter of the Classic, so it can grow with you as you get into espresso and develop your skills. Sadly, the metal frame has been swapped for lightweight polycarbonate to keep costs reasonable.

Related: Flair Neo vs Classic: What’s the Difference?

Flair Pro 2

The Pro 2 is the most advanced model. It builds on the older Flair Pro with improvements to coffee quality and machine durability, but it costs nearly double the Classic. The Pro 2 includes a custom pressure gauge in a silicone case for greater durability, and a silicone grip was added to the handle for easier operation. 

The biggest change is the enhanced 46 mm portafilter, which has a larger capacity than the other models – holding up to 24 g of ground coffee. Unlike the others, the Flair Pro 2 brews true double shots. 

Related:Flair Classic vs Pro 2: Which is Right For You?

Intelligent Engineering and Beautiful Design

The concept of the original Flair was that it was everything you need to brew great espresso and nothing more, and that holds true in subsequent models. The minimalist design shows how little is needed to properly pull a quality shot. No matter the model, it’s essentially a sturdy base, a brew chamber, and a lever handle. 

All three models of the Flair feature a similar aesthetic, a defining feature of the brand. The smooth curves have a sculptural feel, making it a worthy showpiece for your counter. I particularly love the copper-plated Pro 2 brew head.

The completely manual Flair was designed to be portable, to enjoy good espresso from wherever life takes you. When assembled, it measures 14” long by 10” tall by just 4” wide and weighs around 7 pounds. (The plastic Flex weighs less than 5 pounds.) It can be fully disassembled and packed into the included custom suitcase for travel. 

How To Use The Flair Espresso Maker?

Brewing with a Flair isn’t as simple as pushing a button, but I found it easy once my workflow was established. It takes me about 10 minutes to set everything up, heat water, and make espresso.

Here are the steps I use to handcraft shots of espresso with the Flair Classic espresso maker:

• Bring water to a boil in a kettle. Use some water to preheat the group head while prepping everything else.
• Weigh and add ground coffee to the portaftiler. Tamp it to create an even surface, and place the puck screen on top. 
• Add 200 F water to the cylinder, and secure it above the coffee. 
• Press the lever to force water through the coffee grounds.

There are some finicky aspects to pulling shots with the Flair compared with some of the other best manual espresso machines. 

First of all, the large thermal mass of the brew group means that it must be pre-heated before pulling a shot. Otherwise, it sucks the heat right out of your espresso. Additionally, each time you prepare an espresso, you need to disassemble the device, reassemble it completely, and pre-heat it again. 

All of this takes only a few minutes, but if that sounds like too much hassle for a busy morning, the Flair 58 is for you. It was developed to tackle precisely these two inconveniences (1).

Does The Flair Make Good Espresso?

The Flair makes incredibly high-quality espresso, better than many more expensive automatic machines I’ve tested. The lever creates the ideal 9 bars pressure for brewing espresso, unlike pseudo-espresso makers like the Aeropress or a Moka pot (2).

The manual control of extraction means you can experiment with flow profiling, adjusting the brew pressure as you pull the shot. In the past few years, flow profiling has taken off, explains barista and cafe owner Fabrizio Sención (3).

Electric espresso machines with flow control paddles typically run upwards of $3000, more than ten times the price of the Flair!

Get The Pressure Kit

You need a pressure gauge to take advantage of pressure profiling when you brew with the Flair. A gauge comes standard with the Pro 2, while the Flair Classic requires the Pressure Kit add-on, which also includes a stainless steel tamper. I highly recommend it, even if you’re not interested in flow control. 

Monitoring extraction pressure improves the quality and consistency of your espresso. I was a little disappointed to see the kit isn’t an option for the Flex.

How Long Does The Flair Last?

The build quality of the Flair espresso machine is excellent, both in the materials chosen and the manufacturing process. 

The base of the higher-end models is a single piece of forged aluminum, which nicely balances strength with light weight. Most of the rest, including the group head, lever, and portafilter holder, is solid stainless steel. While a few little bits and bobs are associated with the group head assembly, they are more likely to be lost than damaged. 

All in all, the Flair is a high-quality espresso maker that should last decades, even if you plan to put it through the rigors of travel.

Cleaning And Maintenance Needs

While the Flair’s workflow is more involved than a traditional home espresso machine, the cleaning and maintenance are vastly easier – no backflushing, no descaling, and no special cleaning solutions. No need to worry about failing electronics or expensive repairs. 

After brewing each day, rinse the components of the group head assembly in warm water. Once a week, I like to give mine a more thorough cleaning using soapy water and wiping it with a microfiber cloth. A fine needle can remove any clogs from the portafilter.

And maintenance? What maintenance?

Should You Buy A Flair?

Each Flair model has a different price, but they’re all excellent value for money. The price scales nicely with the additional features, ranging from around $100 for the Neo to just under $500 for the Pro 2. Given that a traditional lever espresso machine like the La Pavoni Europiccola is over $1000, the Flair is truly a bargain – especially for cafe-quality espresso.

The value of the Flair can diminish depending on your needs. The Flair doesn’t have a milk steaming system, so if you enjoy milky drinks like lattes and cappuccinos, you’ll have to budget for a separate milk frother.

Similarly, only the Flair Pro 2 has a large enough yield to approach a true double espresso shot. So if you like a hefty caffeine dose in the morning, make sure you value your time accordingly, as you’ll need to pull two shots in a row.

Don’t Buy The Flair If…

• You want something more portable – The Flair is more portable than the average espresso machine, but you can’t exactly carry it in your pocket. Luckily, many of the best portable espresso machines are designed for exactly that.
  
  Our favourites are from the Wacaco brand: the Wacaco Minipresso, Nanopresso, and Picopresso. These all-in-one manual espresso brewers are incredibly light and compact while still generating true espresso. 

• You want a simpler workflow – If having to pre-heat your brew group before every shot sounds like too much hassle before you’ve had coffee, we get it and are happy to suggest some alternatives.
  
  You could go for the Flair 58 or Flair 58 Plus, which features an added external heater, but it is substantially more expensive. Another nice option is the Cafelat Robot manual espresso press, which uses a lower-thermal-mass group that only needs pre-heating if you plan on brewing very light roasts.
  
  Learn more in our Cafelat Robot review and our comparison of the Flair and the Robot.

• You want something more affordable – For an affordable espresso maker that isn’t necessarily targeted to beginners, take a look at our ROK Espresso Maker review. Not only is it bargain-priced, its value is increased by the inclusion of a hand-powered ROK milk frother and a 10-year warranty.

The Verdict

The Flair manual espresso maker has everything you need to brew café-quality espresso at home – in a remarkably affordable and compact package. It removes all unnecessary elements to create a simple, enjoyable espresso experience. While it has a bit of a learning curve compared to an automatic espresso machine, the quality of coffee is well worth the extra effort.

Not sure which Flair model is right for you? Here’s my advice.

Choose the Flair Neo Flex if you’re new to the world of lever machines or lack an espresso capable burr grinder. In my opinion, the Flair Classic with pressure kit offers the best combination of features and price for most users. More serious espresso lovers who appreciate a larger capacity should splurge on the Flair Pro 2.