Which Flair Espresso Maker is Right for You?

Which Flair Espresso Maker is Right for You?

Flair Espresso broke onto the home espresso scene in 2016 with the Flair Classic espresso maker with the overarching goal of helping people make home espresso more affordable and approachable. In 2024, Flair’s mission is now more relevant than ever—minimizing the number of gadgets needed to make espresso, shrinking the footprint on your kitchen counter, making espresso more mobile, and appealing to the user who loves the craft of making espresso. Flair’s raison d'être is that the experience and the journey of making espresso is an art form, a skill worthy of praise, reinforced through experience and passion. Flair puts humanity back into the craft of espresso making, emphasizing our unique impetus for invention and creation. Is the Flair a throwback to simpler times? Instead, the Flair is a shining beacon of what drives us, the desire to express ourselves, in this case, through the complex beverage we have come to love—espresso. 

What you will need with all Flair Espresso Makers: 

  • Espresso Grinder—for space saving and portability, choose a hand grinder like the Saint Anthony Industries Millwright or an on-demand grinder like the Eureka Mignon Silenzio. If your grind isn’t right, your espresso will not taste on point. 
  • Any kettle that can boil water will do, but a temperature-controlled one will give you the most control and precision. Check out the Stagg EKG Pro. 
  • Your favorite coffee with a roast date. No best-by dates allowed! If you’re new to espresso making, we recommend starting with a medium roast espresso blend like this—Creamery Blend by Ruby Coffee Roasters. 

Flair Classic Espresso Maker $165

Flair Classic espresso maker knockout

The Flair Classic is the most affordable and best-built 100% manual espresso maker. It was invented by coffee enthusiast Sergio Landau, who had over three decades of experience working as an engineer. A tactile and intentional 100% human-powered espresso-making experience, the Flair is perfect for beginners, espresso purists, and tinkerers. The Flair is also fully mobile and breaks down into two main parts (brew lever and base); it is easy to clean with its unique detachable brew chamber. It comes with a carrying case to travel with you on the road, into the woods, or in international waters. 

What the Flair Classic comes with: 

  • Espresso maker base
  • Post & lever with a red portafilter base
  • Bottomless 2-in-1 portafilter with Flair puck screen
  • Stainless steel brew chamber with plunger
  • Stem with pressure gauge (pressure kit only)
  • Dosing cup
  • Dosing funnel
  • Stainless steel tamper (pressure kit only)
  • Carrying case

Flair Classic with a woman pulling a shot knockout by Flair Espresso

 How to brew with the Flair Classic:

  1. Set up the Flair Classic 
  2. Grind your coffee for espresso 
  3. Prep your water. If using an electric kettle, set the temperature between (194-205F)
  4. Preheat the brew chamber with water.
  5. Dose 12-18g of ground espresso into the bottomless 2-in-1 portafilter and tamp. 
  6. Fill the brew chamber up to the line (60ml) with water. 
  7. If you have the additional Pressure Kit, add the pressure gauge to the brew chamber.
  8. Press the lever down to brew.
  9. Enjoy!
  10. Do your shots taste bad? Consider making some grind or brew ratio changes.

Flair Pro 2 Espresso Maker $325

Woman pouring water into the brew chamber of a Flair espresso maker lifestyle photo by Flair Espresso

The Flair Pro 2 takes the full manual experience of the Flair Classic, gives the home barista more control, and increases performance in spades. Notable upgrades include a stainless steel drip tray, a removable spout, an enhanced stainless steel brew cylinder, a stainless steel portafilter, a silicone grip on the brew handle, and an attractive copper portafilter base. The Flair Pro 2 includes a durable brew pressure gauge with an updated guage clip and a stainless steel tamper. While these are optional add-ons to the Flair Classic, these thoughtful upgrades come stock. The pressure gauge is essential to espresso brewing because it can indicate in real time what your actual brew pressure is and can help you troubleshoot extraction issues more quickly. Lastly, it can help you pull shots at variable pressure from 6-9 bar and extract for espresso ratios from 1:1-1:3. The Flair Pro 2 takes your espresso journey to the next level. 

  What the Flair Pro 2 comes with: 

 The Flair Pro 2 comes with everything the Flair Classic does, with notable additions: 

  • Post & lever with copper portafilter base
  • Stainless steel brew cylinder with plunger
  • Stainless steel removable spout
  • Preheat and tamping cap
  • Stem with pressure gauge
  • Two-piece stainless steel drip tray 
  • Stainless steel tamper

Flair Pro 2 pressure gauge close shot knockout by clive coffee

 

How to brew with the Flair Pro 2: 

  1. Set up the Flair Pro 2
  2. Grind your coffee for espresso 
  3. Prep your water. If using an electric kettle, set the temperature between (194-205F)
  4. Preheat the brew chamber with water.
  5. Dose 16-24g of ground espresso into the bottomless 2-in-1 portafilter and tamp. 
  6. Fill the brew chamber up to the line (70ml) with water. 
  7. Press the lever down to brew. Watch pressure gauge. Yield up to 56ml of espresso.
  8. Enjoy!
  9. Do your shots taste bad? Consider making some grind or brew ratio changes.

Flair 58 Plus Espresso Maker $640

Woman pulling an espresso shot on the Flair 58plus lifestyle photo by Flair Espresso

The Flair 58 Plus is the Cadillac of manual espresso makers. Its sleek black powder-coated frame and walnut accents make espresso exciting to prepare and to behold. The Flair 58 Plus uses commercial 58mm accessories and comes with a walnut bottomless portafilter and palm tamper. Like the other makers in the Flair 58 line, you can expand your brew ratio potential from 1:1 to 1:3 and beyond. The most significant upgrade is the addition of thermal management and the ability to choose three heat settings based on your coffee’s roast level. The pre-heat cable can be detached for brewing on the go as well. The upgraded valve plunger, pre-heat system, pressure gauge, and T-grip lever all combine to make working with the Flair an incredible espresso-making experience. 

What the Flair 58 Plus comes with: 

  • It comes with everything the Flair Pro 2 does, including: 
  • Detachable preheat controller
  • Articulating shot mirror
  • Walnut 58mm portafilter
  • Walnut palm tamper
  • Valve plunger with locking hook
  • High and low-flow baskets
  • Power adaptor with plug

Ultimately, the choice between which Flair espresso maker is right for you comes down to what kind of experience you want to have. The Flair Classic makes it easy to get your foot in the door and learn the fundamentals of making espresso. The Flair Pro 2 is a great upgrade option if you desire more substantial build quality, brew versatility, and the ability to change brew pressure. Lastly, the Flair 58 Plus is the ideal choice if you want the most seamless and fully manual espresso making experience, while having the ability to control temperature and pressure for more consistent espresso shots. No matter which Flair you choose, you'll surely have a more intentional espresso making experience for years to come.