Flair 58

There are plenty of great machines in that price bracket (Profitec Go, Odyssey Argos, Lelit Victoria, or even pure lever espresso machines like the Flair 58 or Cafelat Robot)

He is using the flair 58. I also have the flair 58. Before taking out the portafilter, we have to flush the excess water out. So I do 2-3 additional lever pulls where I am flushing any excess water through and out of the puck. It’s why my pucks and ops are so try.

It would be arrogant of me to say that the quality of espresso that I produce on a manual machine is qualitatively better than a shot from a semi auto machine, but with so many variables that can be tweaked with a manual lever machine it’s easier for me to make espresso exactly how I like it. So even though I have a favorite coffee shop in town that can pull some really good exotic single origin shots, and I do go there a few times a week, I still tend to prefer the espresso from my Flair 58.

what my Flair 58 needed. This Mazzer is so quiet by comparison! I expected to go through a lot of beans to dial it in, but what I find with the Flair, and why I like it is that I can feel right away whether my shot will turn out well or not.

The shots I pull on the flair far outmatch most specialty cafes

I’d say the F58 is able to make espresso as good as any machine. ... I keep the F58 around even after I got my espresso machine for experimentation, even though the Primus is capable of real-time pressure profiling, nothing beats the feedback of a direct lever like the Flair.

A year ago I was hesitating about selling/giving away the ROK and getting a Flair (specifically the 58) but in the end I decided to keep the ROK.