My Isomac Zaffiro dual use boiler machine died several years back after a dozen years of faithful use. No one locally would touch it for repair and shipping back East wasn't something I wanted to deal with.

So it's been an SCA certified drip maker, Clever Dripper, and a cold brew pitcher to take care of the needs here.

But I've been hankering for good espresso again. I already have a stand alone heated milk frother and the notion of a simple, minimalistic, lever unit appeals to me. The Flair 58+ is on my radar, especially with their Memorial Day sale.

Thoughts?

https://flairespresso.com/product/flair-58-plus/

https://youtube.com/shorts/bmi...?si=WSQoktY4-yPZIqBz

I now feel fortunate to have found a nice LaPavoni Europiccola off eBay for about that money. When I get good beans re-familiarize myself with real coffee. That machine is interesting. Now I want a shot. Good shopping.

Bald1
I just replaced my Rocket Chellini with a ECM Puristica because I don't do milk drinks for my wife anymore.
Might want to put a hard eye on one.
Pure espresso.
Outstanding!

Well this may shock or disappoint some.

I'm the only coffee drinker. My son and his family aren't. And at my advanced age, acquiring a unit that will last generations would really mean that it would have to be disposed of when my time is over. The Flair 58+ is quite appealing but I don't need to be investing that much at this stage of my life.

I did a lot of research and found the reintroduced improved Flair Neo Flex 2024 is capable of producing decent espresso for a bargain price. I already have a commercial 60mm burr grinder (Cunhill Cafe Tranquilo) and a milk warmer-frother on hand, so.... Just placed an order for it only available on the Flair website.
https://flairespresso.com/prod...kers/flair-neo-flex/

Shown next to a Flair 58

My son has one of those and loves it. He added the pressure gauge kit on his.

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:
My son has one of those and loves it. He added the pressure gauge kit on his.

Good to hear Jeff. The re-launch now comes with the pressure gauge, two portafilters, and a few other refinements. Everything I've seen indicates it is quite capable of pulling great shots although a smaller volume than traditional 58mm units which won't be an issue for me.

Just arrived. Laid out the parts along with some older stuff I had like the knock box and cups. Had a small 1000g scale w/o timer (DigiWeigh DW-100AS scale) which I'll use along with my Cunhill Tranquillo Cafe grinder, Fino goose-neck kettle, and a bar strainer to put over the kettle to support the brew head for pre-heating.

May pick up a WDT tool (like this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CQJHZFRK/ ) although this was not a "thing" back when I was pulling shots with my Isomac Zaffiro E61 boiler machine. And a 39mm tamper (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09FPPLVK4/ ) if the supplied combo dosing cup - tamper disappoints.
Some have suggested an inexpensive folding makeup mirror for observing shots pulled from the bottomless portafilter.

Next step is to dial in the grind, pressure profile, and extraction times for a good espresso shot.

Success!

14g medium roast in, 35g tasty espresso out. Took a bit to dial in the correct grind for the Flair Neo Flex.

Now to refine my workflow so I can get back to back shots as well as syncing my frother to allow me to craft breves and piccolo lattes.




Oh and I ordered both that WDT tool and tamper. Should be here Monday.

Funny aside...back in 2011 my neighbor and I visited a South Dakota School of Mines professor's home unbelievable espresso setup who was quite the authority with posts on both barista.com and coffeegeek.com. Had long forgotten his name. Neighbor reminded me. It was John Weiss and yes he's the one who published an analysis of his distribution technique which gave rise to all the related tools now on the market.

Nice crema! Great looking cup.

Decided to try something other than straight espresso with my new lever setup.

Threw caution to the wind and pulled two espresso shots which, with the Flair Neo Flex requires emptying, cleaning, and drying the hot portafilter and recharging it with grounds for the second shot. Using 14 grams of fine ground beans to give 35 grams or roughly 35ml of espresso output. Used the Redmond milk frother I bought in 2019 to steam 75ml of half n half.

Result was about 1:1 between espresso and half n half. The later had a nice portion of foam just topping the 5 ounce (150ml) capacity of the double walled cup I used. Very smooth and tasty!
https://www.roastycoffee.com/what-is-a-breve/

I remain very pleased that my commerical Cunhill Tranquillo Cafe 285w 60mm flat burr dosing grinder I bought in 2003 is still delivering the goods!