Also, I was using a medium roast, I can get great results with medium roasted beans via the Europiccola, but I believe that it's slightly harder to get the same results with medium roasts with the manual non-powered espresso makers vs. It is portable, relatively light weight (certainly a lot more light than lugging around an electric espresso machine in your travels), looks great, and once you figure out how to use it and grind for it, very easy to use. The PRO 2 comes standard with our custom pressure gauge, and features a removable spout for naked or bottomless brewing.

On cleaning, the bottom is sealed and you cannot disassemble it to get every stray grind or coffee build up out of those enclosed areas. Experience the incredibly efficient workflow that’s made possible with the 58mm system, elongated lever, and Flair’s custom preheat controller, capable of setting three different heat levels to correspond to light, medium or dark roasts. This enhancement of thermal management is key to delivering consistent, beautiful espresso shot in and shot out. The shots are more “espresso” like, with proper temperatures, better crema, more viscosity and overall, just a much better shot.

Aeropress is often described as an Espresso maker, as are Moka Pots and other manual coffee makers, but Rok and Flair are the first manual coffee makers I've used that do, in my opinion, make true Espresso. In addition to Rok, there's a new(er) kid on the block in the form of Flair Espresso, so I got hold of one of these too and gave it a go – see Flair Espresso Maker Review. I should note I was not trying to go especially fast (or slow) for these tests; I tried to mimic how a normal user, with experience, would bang out shot after shot on the Flair Espresso maker. It easily takes twice as long, if not longer, to pull consecutive shots with the Flair, and this is why they offer the bigger packages featuring two grouphead assemblies with the Flair.

The Mypressi had problems though, including gas leaks (normally a N20 canister was good for 3-4 shots, but it would leak and empty in a few hours in the Mypressi, making the operating cost quite high), and ultimately, the company folded. If you’re looking for espresso options while travelling, while camping, for the weekend, or up at the cottage, this is a great solution. Flow-Control Portafilter – Perfect for espresso beginners, the Flow-Control Portafilter features a restricted exit port, meaning the portafilter does the work of building the appropriate pressure needed for an espresso extraction. In other words, after using it for grinding a lot of coffee, you may find that you need to adjust these a bit finer. Comparing the classic Flair with the solid steel tamper, to the standard Rok which comes with a plastic tamper, I have to give this one to Flair.This design also means the Flair PRO 2 can pack into an included, precision cut carrying case, meaning you can take your espresso anywhere you’d like. The good thing about this machine is this: it doesn’t take long to figure out how to use it, and what kind of grind to use. We offer a number of additional options to enhance your brewing experience, including an extra portafilter and brew head to brew consecutive shots without cleaning first.

What is also handy, is that it shows you in the instructions how to put it all back in ;-), although this is fairly straightforward once you've done it once or twice.Feeling the travel itch, the 58+ features an easy detachable preheat controller, meaning that you can go off-grid and brew espresso anywhere. As a fully capable espresso machine, the Flair PRO 2 requires freshly roasted beans, a kettle that can boil water, and most importantly, a high-quality, espresso capable burr grinder. The Classic is the original Flair, and is perfect for those looking to get into espresso, in a system that has room to grow. Another issue I had with the machine was the mounting pin for the piston wheel would fall out if I held the upper assembly sideways (like when taking the Flair apart for storage).

Overall, the fit and finish of the Signature model is very impressive (except for the minor scuffing on the handle from the spare piston / grouphead). The problem with the La Pavonis is, the brew head gets too hot after pulling one shot; you can cool it down with a ghetto fix — wrapping a cold cloth around the piston assembly to draw off excessive heat — but it’s a crap shoot and even if you get the second shot pull okay, the third one is going to be a torched, burnt shot. It is a sort-of travel espresso maker, being that it’s side profile is relatively slim and it can lay flat in suitcases, no problems.A lot of people will compare the Flair Espresso Maker to the La Pavoni lever machines (since both are direct-lever shot pullers); here’s a little secret about the La Pavonis that not many people know: they can’t pull more than two consecutive shots either, without them still tasting good. The Flair PRO 2 is made from durable materials like cast aluminum and stainless steel, so you can be sure your manual espresso maker, by Flair, is built to last.