Flair Manual Espresso Maker - White

For the attention is that this Neo Flair 1st generation. The 1st gen chamber can’t be opened to clean. So be careful to get clogging. My advice is every week you can clean that chamber with hot water to reduce a chance to get clogging.

I GUESS ONE CAN'T EXPECT IT TO BE THE QUALITY OF AN ESPRESSO MACHINE, KETTLE TEMPERATURE DOESN'T COME CLOSE TO STEAM FROM AN ESPRESSO MACHINE. POOR DOCUMENTATION, HAD TO GO ON LINE AND WATCH A YOUTUBE, WHICH WASN'T THAT GREAT, THE OPERATOR USED HIS RIGHT HAND TO INSERT COMPONENTS - BLOCKED THE VIEW OF WHAT WAS THE COMPONENT PLACEMENT, SO HAD TO REWATCH TO MANY TIMES TO FIGURE IT OUT.

こんなアナログでエスプレッソつくれるんや！しかもフィルターいらんやんけって感動した。

An sich ein prima Gerät mit dem ich tolle Espressi hinbekommen habe. Leider verstopfte sich der Porta-Filter mit der Zeit mehr und mehr, obwohl ich diesen immer direkt nach der Nutzung gespült hatte, daher ist das Gerät für mich leider wertlos. Siehe auch die Fotos die ich von dem aufgesägten Filter gemacht habe. Ein Anschreiben der Deutschland-Vertretung brachte mich auch nicht weiter. Die wollen sich nicht mit dem Thema beschäftigen und verweisen lediglich drauf, dass ich die FLAIR bei AMAZON bestellt habe und ich mich so an AMAZON wenden soll. Ich kann nur von dem Gerät abraten. In itself a great device with which I got great espressos. Unfortunately, the Porta filter clogged with time more and more, although I had always rinsed this directly after use, so the device is unfortunately worthless for me. See also the photos I took of the sawn open filter. A letter to the Germany representation brought me also no further. They do not want to deal with the issue and only refer to the fact that I ordered the FLAIR from AMAZON and that I should contact AMAZON. I can only advise against the device.

Oh boy, I was so excited to try out Flair's new edition to their manual espresso lineup! If you're a novice coffee brewer that is starting to get bored of your french presses, V60s, Chemex, Aeropress, Mokapot, etc. and really want to get that Starbucks/coffee shop taste at home, this is your entry into espresso at home. For reference, this is my current NEO coffee setup: * 16g coffee with 1:2 ratio (32g of espresso out) * Timemore Slim Coffee Grinder (dialed in at 10-11 clicks, ymmv) *Hamilton Beach Gooseneck Kettle at 212F *Some cheap scale that can only do +/- 1g Pros: This machine is cheap. 120 for a espresso press is a cheap entry into the world of espresso. There's other cheaper options (even electric espresso machines for this price range) but they don't generate a good shot. They're variable and inconsistent (you pay for what you get!). The Flair Neo has the potential to make a great shot, given that you're willing to keep testing. The Neo comes with a pressurized portafilter (namely called the flow controlled basket), opposed from a bottomless one you'd find on expensive espresso machines. The plus of this is that the pressurized portafilter is it is very forgiving. To have good, legitimate espresso requires a good bur grinder that you can dial down. I for one, don't have that. My grinder can grind espresso but dialing in is hell. This portafilter is forgiving in that it still taste good even though the grind isn't! Jumping directly into a Flair Signature or Classic with my current set up would not be great. This makes a great stepping stone because.... The Neo is upgrade-able! for 24 more buckaroos, you can upgrade the pressurized to a bottomless portafilter and have a setup like the Flair classic. Like burning more money? 56 more buckaroos gets you a pressure gage so you can really dial in your shots. Having options like this makes any espresso beginner ease into the hobby instead of jumping into expensive gear that has a high learning curve. Cons: For the price you're getting this, there's not many cons that a standout, but definitely to consider if you're planning to get into the hobby. The Flair Neo is not a top notch device. It's an entry level machine with the ability to be better with a few extra parts. If you want to get something great from the get go, Flair has the signature line or Pro2. A pressurized portafilter is not going to get you a coffee shop shot from your favorite barista Monday morning; but it gets damned close if you put in the effort. One of the difficult things to deal with is thermal management of the press. You will have to preheat everything from the portafilter, to chamber, and piston. This is annoying but that's the trade-off with manual presses and , in my opinion, a worthy trade-off compared to spending x3-x6 as much for a electric/automated machine. Another thing that disappoints is the shot size, 60ml. If you want to make multiple shots, this will take a while. If you like lattes, this device obviously doesn't steam milk like a double boiling espresso machine would. The lack of a carrying case, compared to the other models, is sad but also I don't find myself using carrying cases often so that depends on what you plan on using this for. Conclusion: I think the Flair Neo is a great entry into espresso. It's definitely not the best manual press, but it's best cheap manual one. If you're a beginner with interest into making espresso, there's no reason not to try the Neo. If you like it, upgrade it! If you don't, not much of a loss! Perhaps, I might need a second Neo ;-)