Flair Espresso - Flair 58 Plus 2

Go with a Flair58+2 and an 1Zpresso J-Ultra. 😎👍 Total control and excellent results, plus you learn a lot more. You’ll need a Nanofoamer for milk though.

Flair 58+2 and a good kettle. I just saved you $1000 and if you have a good grinder your back in the high 90’s. 😎💪

I ordered an Odyssey Argos spring lever at the top end of your budget. I’d recommend a Flair58+2, good kettle and a Nanofoamer (if you like milk drinks). Then spend the rest on the best grinder you can afford. You will get unbeatable shots and learn a lot.

Have you considered the Flair 58+2? This thing feels like it could survive a nuclear war, and there isn’t a whole lot that can break. The only maintenance I do is a a monthly disassembly and re-lube of the gaskets.

58+2 represent! I now grind with an 1zpresso J-Ultra, and like you, I was middling for years on a subpar machine. I'd still drink the shots straight from my Dedica, sour or bitter as they were. Now, the tasting notes on the bag actually mean something. I had a note calling for smoke, and I tasted it and it differed from just bitterness. Melon notes come thru. It's eye opening really. I'm sure Flair won't work for everyone, but as the only coffee drinker in my home doing 2-3 pulls a day, it definitely works for me.

You can get a flair 58 right now for under $500, too. If you really want good espresso and don't mind learning on a lever, the flair 58 can go toe to toe with multi-thousand dollar machines. The flair 58+ is my daily driver and my first choice for the best possible espresso i can make

You can get a flair 58 right now for under $500, too. If you really want good espresso and don't mind learning on a lever, the flair 58 can go toe to toe with multi-thousand dollar machines. The flair 58+ is my daily driver and my first choice for the best possible espresso i can make

Flair 58, hands down

I have a flair 58+ and an e61 machine. I definitely recommend manual. The flair is a lot more intuitive and forgiving. Something like a flair pro3 or if you have the budget, a flair 58 can give you just about the best espresso one could make. I always will recommend the flair 58 over the pro just for the workflow and ability to use a ton of 58mm accessories like baskets. I have an sworks high flow stepdown that I use with my f58 and it's pretty awesome. I would challenge people with $5k machines to match or beat the espresso I can make with my f58.

Also, I forgot to include... with the flair, you don't have to worry about pumps or internals not working or breaking. All you have to do is clean and relube the orings from time to time and it will last you a long time.

It all depends what you are wanting out of a machine, and for what purpose it serves. For example, i make straight espresso and nothing else, no milk drinks. That's why I'm completely satisfied with my flair 58+ and lucca solo with flow control. They both have exactly what I need out of a machine. All i need is temp stability, profiling capabilities, and simple to maintain machines, which is exactly what I have. I never use steam, so no need for a steam wand or dual boiler. Of course, this is just me and not most people out there are drinking nothing but straight espresso, so they're going to have other needs/wants out of a machine. I could see myself getting a Bianca or synchronika some day, but i don't think i would necessarily be gaining anything out of a setup like that, besides steaming capabilities and a hot water spout.

Flair 58 it's a joy to pull back to back shots. It's become my daily driver and I pull around 4-6 shots on it a day.

Flair is still worth it for half the price. There is also less that can go wrong or break with the flair, so i believe it will outlast the new fellow. Honestly, I love my flair 58 so much if anything ever happened to it, I would just buy another one instead of a possible upgrade. I really don't see a need to ever have to upgrade from my flair 58 because the espresso quality is that good.

I’ve been using flair pro for 2 years, 58+ seems way better experience.

Howdy :) To give you context, I used a few express machines, brewed with French Press /Moka Pot and then discovered pour over V60 using light roast with natural, honey and anaerobic process . I ain't picky in detecting the flavors written on the bag but appreciate complex and multi-dimentional flavors. It's fun ! As of today, I will be purchasing myself a Flair58+2 before the end of the year. I sold my espresso machine and in the process of selling my dripper machine (Moccamaster). I won't buy the series 1. The rationale (My Opinion): - I don't think we need espresso machines at home (Dual Boiler, HX or Thermoblock) unless there are 4 people in a household all wanting espresso around the same time (e.g. 7:45am before leaving the house, hosting 6-8 adult brunch every weekend with espresso after brunch. - If you aren't into latte drinks then you don't need the stream wand. Also casein protein in milk binds with polyphenols making it somewhat less healthy drink:) - Doing a profile (saturation puck, bloom, low pressure 3 bar, high pressure 9bar, low pressure) is something that can easily be done with a lever machine (Except changing temperature which likely requires a thermoblock) - Flair+2 has the heater which seems be sufficient for light roast ! So for me, a Flair+2 is the best gear out there to make a few espresso at home ! Furthermore, I don't need to program or having to select a profile to make a espresso. I like the analgue way because you can easily do it & adjust on the fly visually! You can inspect the flow of the coffee with the mirror and adjust accordingly which is the beauty of it! - If you really want to record your espresso profile, you can still do it by getting a Bluetooth pressure sensor and scale. You can use any espresso scale that upon the 1st drop hitting the cup starts counting the time... then its easy to adjust bar pressure after N seconds or after N grams inside the cup.... I would perhaps one day re-consider a machine if they reproduce the analog lever mechanism digitally with a handle for the pressure and some type of faucet allowing you can turn left for cooler water and right for hotter water which isn't can't be one with the flair58+2. Towards the end of a shot lower the temperature of lungo :) I prefer to buy grinders with different burrs that I can use for both espresso and pour over (e.g 64mm DF DLC, SSP MP, SSP HU) Conclusion, manual lever is the way for home espresso when you don't need a steam wand and have a small household :) This is the way :) Hope this help your with your decision :)

I'm extremely biased so take my advice for what it's worth. If you want something forgiving and simple go for the Robot. If you want something with accessories that will transfer to another machine go for the Flair 58. I can't really speak to the Flair 3 (I know very little about it). Meticulous looks incredible but it's not going to have the durability of the Robot. It is a very interesting interesting machine, no doubt. I hope you find something that fits your needs.

I'm a huge fan of the Robot but I get the Flair 58+ following. If you supplement a 58+ with say a Profitec GO/Move then you can swap the portafilter and accessories between machines. You could even get on the step down basket hype train. Saying all that I'd still reccomend the Robot. It's a buy it for life type of quality and there are some accessories for it if that's your thing.

I feel the same way with my Flair 58 +2. Only repairs I foresee is a busted gasket. :)

Late to the convo but I will give my two cents. I sold my Lelit Mara X and bought a flair 58 +2 when moving to Canada. I just like you, I drink mainly espressos. The flair blows the Mara X or any other pump machine I have tried in terms of quality. I don't think that I'm going back to semi-auto machines! (maybe a decent ha!). Buy the flair, pair it with a good grinder (e.g. Lagom Casa from Option-O) and enjoy the best shots of espresso of your life.

As the owner of a lelit mara x, la Pavoni professional, and flair 58+, I pretty much only use the flair for espresso… this is the way