Flair The NEO Flex: UPDATED Direct Lever Manual Espresso Maker for Home with a Pressure Gauge and Two Portafilters - Brew Cafe Quality Espresso

I've been interested in the Flair models for some time as a vacation/camping option, but the added cost of adding a pressure gauge had me look towards other options. I used the Staresso Plus last year with good results, but it started to fall apart pretty quickly with moderate use. This Flair 2024 refresh, with it's inclusion of a pressure gauge and affordable pricing, was a great purchase for my last vacation. With the correct grind, this makes fantastic espresso shots using the included black "naked" portafilter - if fact the included red one can be converted to "naked" by removing the pressurized bottom section, which is great for puck prep and pulling multiple shots in a row! The base is just two parts and is easily disassembled for portability. This refresh intentionally thinned the metal of the unit to avoid some of the pre-heating time that previous models required - again, is great for camping/vacation use cases! I've used Rancilio Silvia's for daily espresso for several decades and can attest to the quality of the shots this can produce (under the typical right conditions of grind/tamp/pressure/heat). I do wonder about the longevity of some of the components. The base is plastic, but seems sturdy, although it does make some creaking noises when pulling shots. The pressure gauge is rudimentary at best and does not specify bars - so this is something that could fail prematurely. Also of concern are the gaskets - I'm not sure if Flair sells replacements, but it would be great if they do to extend the life of the product.

Awesome device to try out manual espresso making! In the long run it gets too fiddly for me... I wanted to experiment with all the variables that go into espresso making, from pre-infusion, shot duration, temperature, pressure profile, etc. without breaking the bank. The flair neo is an awesome entry point for this to figure out whether all the hype is worth it to me and whether I want to really customize my espresso or whether I prefer to revert back to pressing a button and drinking whatever comes out. So far I'm very excited and really love what comes out so I'm inclined to continue on this path. But I will be upgrading to a less fiddly machine. The flair neo definitely works, but there are a lot of parts making it all more hassle than I would like for a daily routine. There are more pieces to collect before getting going than I'd like, cleaning up the hot cylinder after the shot is no fun, and then there's all this stuff to wash and dry. Plus there's a kettle needed, pouring to pre-heat the cyclinder (light roasts), pouring just to the line for the shot, etc. Definitely not a deal-breaker in the experimentation phase, but eventually it gets a bit old. I've pre-ordered an odyssey argos at this point... One must-have accessory if one is to do long pre-infusions is a mirror so one can see the screen filling in, not to mention a "mini" scale that fits into the base.

I think this is an excellent product. The first time I used it, after reading the instructions and watching a few videos, it felt a bit tricky. But by the second try, it became super easy to use. I didn’t give it 5 stars because, for me, a 5 is at the level of a professional espresso machine. However, after using it more than five times, I started experimenting with coffee grind size, water temperature, and other details until I achieved results that honestly surprised me. Since this is only for making espresso, I bought a milk frother, but I didn’t like it—my coffee came out too foamy. Now, I simply heat the milk and pour it into the espresso, and it makes a perfect classic café con leche. Truly excellent. The only downside, and I saw this mentioned in a couple of other reviews, is that making a shot takes a bit of time. Still, if you have the patience to enjoy a good coffee every now and then, and with some practice, you can make a double shot in about five minutes. Definitely recommended, especially for the great price.

Phenomenally good value for money, you can make very good espresso shots for $100. Nothing else comes close to it. However, I would not call this user-friendly. This is mostly for enthusiasts or those who want to get into the coffee-making hobby. This is not the coffee machine that you use if you want to have good coffee in the morning. This is the coffee machine you use if you want to enjoy the process of making excellent shot of espresso in the morning, having good coffee is the 2nd part of that process. Also this machine feels very flimsy and cheap, but thankfully this has no effect on the quality of the resulting coffee. If you decide to purchase this, you will need a tea kettle (or some other way to heat water and pour it in) and you absolutely must have a good grinder. And you probably will need to spend some time on youtube to figure out how to use it.

I loved the device for the first couple days. Then the problems started. The screws on the back of the pressure guage rusted on day two. Then after about three weeks of finally dialing in the machine, the plastic plunger completely fell apart below the o-ring. Trying not to think about the daily does of microplactics I was getting with my espresso before I noticed. Thankfully it happed a couple days before the return deadline. Too bad, I was considering upgrading but I'm probably going with a Breville Bambino instead. Too bad, but it doesn't live up to the hype if it doesn't even last a month.

Let me start off by saying I think it's better to buy this from the Flair website than on Amazon. Amazon will likely get you the product faster, but they don't sell the Nespresso pod adapter on Amazon. You can also easily find coupons for your first purchase on Flair's site. In case you're wondering why I say this and still bought from Amazon, I didn't know about the pod adapter until after I got my order from Amazon. Now, if you know that you won't ever use pods with this, then just buy it from Amazon. It's the same product, (at the time I'm writing this) the same price, and it'll likely get to you faster. But I really think the pod adapter is worth it. I've only made one proper espresso with this machine so far, and it was a bit fiddly to do. You need to separate everything, put the cylinder in its cap thing, pour hot water in to heat the cylinder, prep the portafilter (grind then add in your coffee and evenly tamp it down), empty the water chamber, assemble everything, then pull the lever making sure that you maintain the right pressure for the right amount of time of extraction, then clean everything up. It's not difficult, but it's not something that's fun when you are looking for your caffeine fix at the start of the day. I'm sure after enough practice I won't think it's a big deal, but removing the bit with the espresso grounds is amazing when I just want something quick. Though the taste of my properly made shot was better than the pods I bought. Anyway, five stars still because this thing works perfectly and makes a great shot of espresso.

Likes: portability; leaves a lot of counter space. Overall brews consistently good espresso. Dislikes: it leaks at all seals; plastic construction is unreliable and not good for sturdy use. My background and home barista performance is based typically on E 61 unit espresso machines. The fact that I can pick this thing up, break it down and put it in my bag on the way to a friends house pairs well with a pocket scale an hand mill grinder. When the seals don’t leak, their performance of this machine is amazing. Living my life Of the grind on the fly being able to speedily build this up and break it down lends well. I don’t doubt that this will hold up to consistent use, but the reason I am returning it is because it doesn’t provide for perfection. I want to be able to trust my machine, not just provide espresso, but provide fantastic results. This provides results, but the atmosphere of having something creaking and leaking, slipping, regripping, shaking and bending is just too much.

Lattes on this will blow your mind. I primarily make lattes. Smoother workflow than expected; preheating is a non-issue with the kettle steaming trick. The super narrow filter gives a ton of body to all my shots compared to my wider portafilter machines, which complements milk EXTREMELY well. But also the flavors are so blended now that all my lattes taste the same. this is both good and bad: I lose the nuances of flavor on one hand, but on another hand it makes both expensive and cheap beans taste good. I can just go for the cheapest beans now in bulk! I suggest: -lengthen the lever and slap a grip on it. i've tried the flair 58 with both of these which, along with metal, make it 10 times easier to pull and keep pressure steady. i highly recommend wearing grippy gloves as keeping a constant 9 bars will be challenging for most people. it's sort of like holding a plank for a minute -workflow is still a lot slower than an electric machine but mainly due to lack of volume per shot (update: actually turns out not that bad with the extra portafilter) -i surmise the perfect middle ground for lattes is 46mm, so widen it just a little. I've tried lattes from 51 54 58 and now 40mm basket widths. i think sitting between 51 and 40 would give you the best balance of body + clarity. I admit between the plasticy feel, the terrible grip, tiny shot volume, this still feels like a toy. But wait! all of my suggestions are already in the pro 2. i guess they already had it all figured out. (well, minus the price tag since I don't think a basic lever machine should cost more than a Breville Bambino.) i will be getting that to test out once on sale.

機械と違った手押しの良さ！自分の感覚で出来るようになってくるとより一層楽しさが増します！

Gostei é muito boa

Excelente para preparar expreso

Exactly what I wanted, this product makes consistently good coffee even when use a spice grinder to grind my coffee

I like having the manual control to make my coffee and this Flair Neo Flex model does that for me, at what I thought was a reasonable price from Amazon Canada. However, I later found out about the Canadian distributors of Flair products and the price for this item is about CAD 80 cheaper! Too late for me but here’s the lesson learned: check your local distributors.