FlairUPDATED PRO 3 (Black) - All manual lever espresso maker with a stainless steel brew head, pressure gauge, and a shot mirror

I recently decided to dive into the world of home espresso. I am a professional cook so the extreme manual nature of the flair ecosystem got my attention right out of the gate. I also love camping and I find the idea of really great espresso at the campsite very appealing. So I decided on the flair pro 2 over the flair 58 simply because this being my first espresso machine ever, starting out at $1000 investment after machine and accessories seemed a bit irresponsible given that I've never really even attempted to pull a real shot ever up to this point. The pro 2 put me into the $500ish range with grinder and that seemed more appropriate for me. I have had this machine for a little over a month now, have pulled roughly one full Peetes coffee bag worth of shots. So I believe I can give a decent review now from the viewpoint of a professional cook but novice beginner espresso machine user. I have spent the month watching countless youtube videos from Lance Hendrick to James Hoffman and others. I learned about bean types, grinders, grind size, dose size, water temp, brew pressures and so on. When it comes to kitchen matters, I tend to dive in and learn as much as possible. So now to using the product. It is really well built, it is pretty intuitive on how to use it and if you know what you are doing, you can pull consistent shots. I however am not good at it(yet). So with everything you get from flair you can pull shots. Sometimes great shots. And if you are good at espresso already you can probably pull consistently good shots. I struggled out of the gate because even though I created a very consistent and efficient work flow, the one variable I couldn't be consistent at was tamping. The tamper that comes with the flair is decent. It seems high quality and well made but for me, it's too small for my oger hands and getting a consistent flat and evenly pressed coffee bed with it is difficult. It didn't seem to matter what my grind size was, what my dose size was, randomly some shots would pull with little to no resistance and squirting channels everywhere. Others I couldn't even get to pull at all. And this is with me making wild grind size changes, 16g dose to 22g dose, it didn't matter. It became clear that the issue was my tamp. So I decided to invest in the normcore distributor and spring tamper. Oh, I had also bought the normcore WDT tool with the flair 2 pro. These extra tools have completely fixed all of my issues. The first shot I pulled using the distributor and spring tamper I pulled an 18g dose in 24 seconds with zero channeling which I'd never been able to do prior. I went two clicks finer on my grinder and pulled a second shot which pulled in 34 seconds, no channeling and was basically perfect. I almost cried haha. So, my very long winded opinion is this. Flair makes a great product for coffee nerds. If you are already good at making espresso, meaning your form and knowledge are there, you will have fun with this machine right out of the gate. If you are an extreme novice like me, I would suggest at a minimum getting a spring tamper until you are a pro at tamping. Tamping seems to be the most important part with the flair to getting consistent results. Having said all of that, I am most likely going to be moving this to my camping gear and replacing it with the flair 58. The work flow with the 58 is probably better for everyday use. handling the boiling hot billet water chamber and basket after every use is a little annoying but nowhere near a deal breaker by any means. If your budget is $500, get this. If you can afford $1000 all in or you already have a good grinder, get the 58.

This is by far one of the best gadgets you could have for making Coffee.It’s beautiful made and smartly crafted.You can say it’s hard to calibrate but just read the instructions.The third espresso was the first success!

First, because this is probably what matters most, the espresso this machine produces is absolutely phenomenal. In terms of taste for medium and medium light roasts, it easily beats the Robot. I attribute that to the increased bed depth resulting from the 45.5 mm portafilter. So why not 5 stars? Actually, it's the taste that pulls it up to 4 stars, otherwise I'd probably put it at 3. Quite simply, in terms of workflow, it's a pain, ESPECIALLY if you're pulling shots for other people at the same time. If you're using a hand grinder like a 1Z-Presso J-Max or J-Ultra, dosing 18 grams is not a problem, but I find that coffee ground with flat burrs is fluffier, making it more difficult to dose 18 grounds as the untamped grounds tower over the top of the portafilter. Then there's the whole preheating routine, which really requires a kettle with a removable lid to use the included silicone funnel to hold it. If you have something with a flip-top lid, it can be difficult to get the brew chamber in there. Resetting is also a pain because now you have an extremely hot hunk of metal that you have to contend with. It's probably the most inefficient workflow there is... but again, it produces phenomenal shots.If you want a manual machine and you're pulling multiple shots, get a Robot or a 58. The Pro 3 will drive you bonkers. If you're just doing a single double in the morning, it's worth the hassle. Other things it has going for it: portability! The Robot is just kind of awkward to take with you. The Pro 3 has a nice case. I also like that it has a drip tray, something the Robot lacks. With the Pro 3, once I hit the desired weight, I can just pull the shot glass and the scale out and let it drip, or I'm next to the sink, sometimes I just grab the whole brew assembly and move it to the sink. With the Robot, I have to have another catch cup ready in the wait and do this awkward transfer. So, that's one little area where the Pro 3 has a workflow edge, but overall the Robot is far less fuss.

Love it so far. Definitely makes me appreciate the art of espresso as I can really feel the shot being pulled rather than watching a machine pump water through the puck.