Review: Flair Espresso Flair 58 Manual Coffee Espresso
By Curated Experts
Michael Stumpfig and Peter T.
Flair Espresso Flair 58 Manual Coffee Espresso
See Price and Details
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The Curated Take
4.1/5
The Flair Espresso Flair 58 Manual Coffee Espresso machine is ideal for espresso enthusiasts who want precise control over their extraction process. Its key technical features, such as the electrically heated brew chamber with adjustable temperature settings and a pressure gauge, suit these users well. The electrically heated brew chamber eliminates the need for time-consuming preheating, and the pressure gauge allows real-time pressure adjustments, creating various flavor profiles. The commercial-sized 58mm portafilter ensures accurate dosing. Overall, it offers excellent value for those seeking manual espresso control.
Ideal for
- Controls espresso extraction
- Commercial-sized naked portafilter
- Ability to create different pressure profiles
Not ideal for
- Temperature settings
- Cannot steam milk
- Workflow can be complicated
- Multiple cords for the heating element
- Requires space to operate the lever
Steam Wand
The folks at Flair have primarily focused on espresso extraction and have currently put all their eggs in that basket. While many of us out there enjoy beverages like lattes...Read more
The Flair 58 does not come with any steaming capabilities. This is one of the machine's major drawbacks. Users who want milk frothing capabilities will have to purchase a separate...Read more
Pressure Control
Easily one of its best features, the Flair 58 has a pressure gauge to give real-time feedback on my brew pressure. On traditional espresso machines, during extraction, the brewing pressure...Read more
The Flair 58 includes a standard pressure gauge. It is clearly marked and easy to read. The pressure is provided by the user physically pressing down on the lever. The...Read more
Portafilter Size
Dosing is such an important part of espresso extraction. The fact that the Flair 58 provides a standard 58mm portafilter is a huge upgrade when compared to their previous models....Read more
The Flair 58 uses a commercial standard 58mm brew group. It comes with a 58mm bottomless portafilter. The bottomless portafilter helps monitor puck saturation and detect puck preparation issues, such...Read more
Heat Time
There are three different temperature settings on the Flair 58. I generally use the highest setting. It roughly takes about three and a half minutes for the brew chamber to...Read more
At room temperature, the Flair 58 warms up in a reasonable amount of time. At the highest setting, it takes 5-7 minutes for the unit to warm up. I found...Read more
Quality
Given the price of the Flair 58, it is most certainly backed up by its quality. The device is mostly made out of die-cast aluminum, which will promote its longevity....Read more
The Flair 58 comes in a nice, even black powder-coated finish. The hardware used to hold the Flair 58 together is made of high-quality stainless steel. The piston and the...Read more
Temperature Stability
There are three different heat settings on the Flair 58: High, Medium, and Low. I will only use the high setting. It seems the temperatures of the "medium" and "low"...Read more
The Flair 58 comes with an electrically heated brew head and a control module to modulate the heat. There are three heat settings: low, medium, and high. The rated water...Read more
Espresso Extraction
What's beautiful about extracting espresso on the Flair 58 is that I have all the power in the palm of my hands. Here's how I've been extracting my espresso: I...Read more
The Flair 58 does an excellent job of espresso extraction due to the electrified brew head and 58mm brew group. The electrified brew group helps maintain temperatures for a variety...Read more
Boiler Capacity
Traditional espresso machines have boilers in the 1-2 liter range. But the Flair is built differently; it's a lever machine. The Flair 58 is more for hobbyists who want to...Read more
With the valve plunger closed, the brew head will have a maximum capacity of 90ml. With the valve plunger open and using an 18g dose of a medium roast bean...Read more
Ease of Use
The folks at Flair really made espresso extraction as simple as possible with the 58 model. The base of the machine is larger than those of previous models. And what's...Read more
The Flair 58 is a lever espresso machine without a grinder or water-heating capabilities. It has an electrified brew head that helps maintain temperatures and is not intended to heat...Read more
Versatility
Pulling espresso shots is the point of the Flair 58. There is only so much one can do with these parameters. While Flair allows me to play with my extraction...Read more
The Flair 58 is lightweight, compact, and can easily be disassembled. The unit can operate without electrical power (disconnecting the power cord from the brew head), enabling it to be...Read more
Curated Experts are not sponsored by brands. Their reviews are based on their honest experiences testing products.
Peter T.
About the espresso equipment
- Model: Flair Espresso Flair 58 Manual Coffee Espresso
Test conditions
- Where I’ve used it: Home
- How many times I've used it: 70
Expert Reviews of the Flair Espresso Flair 58 Manual Coffee Espresso
Michael Stumpfig I've been using the Flair 58 as my home espresso device since January 2023, and it's easily the best part of my morning. On top of being a beautiful and interesting-looking appliance, it's one of the best machines at controlling espresso extraction. Because this is a lever machine with a pressure gauge, I can view and adjust the pressure of my extraction in real-time. Another prime selling point of the Flair 58 over its lower-level products is its electrically heated brew chamber. Other Flair models require a pre-heat of their brew chambers which can be more time-consuming. There are just a few setbacks. It's great the Flair 58 has an electrically heated brew chamber. I just wish the wiring was a little less convoluted. Too many breaks in the wires to heat such a small heating element. Also, I only recommend using the highest heat setting. The other two settings are too spaced out and simply not hot enough, even for darker roasts. This can lead to a sour-tasting espresso. I can't speak highly enough about this machine. Over the past three months, I've extracted some beautifully-tasting espresso. I'm excited to test out different roasts and extract them at different pressures to see all the flavor profiles the Flair 58 can produce.
Peter T. After using the Breville Barista Express for some time, I wanted more granular control over the espresso brewing process, but I didn't want to spend a fortune. The Flair 58 was the ideal solution.
The Flair 58 features a 58mm brew group. The brew head is electrically heated and has three adjustable temperature settings (85˚C, 90˚C, and 95˚C). This allows the 58 to adapt to a wide variety of roast types. The current 58 features a new valve plunger that simplifies workflow by keeping it in place during filling. Also included is a pressure gauge, a bottomless portafilter, and a tamper. The overall build quality is good. The frame has a black powder-coated finish and wood accents on the handle.
With the 58, the workflow is more involved than with a normal pump machine. I must boil water in a separate kettle and pre-heat the brew head before pulling a shot. Filling the brew head requires some technique. With the piston down, the valve plunger needs to be open so that water can displace air; otherwise, it can be trapped and reduce water volume.
Pulling a shot requires surprisingly much effort to reach nine bars. It also helps to have a shot mirror to gauge how the espresso flows out of the basket and adjust grind settings/dose if needed. So far, I have yet to pull an undrinkable shot.
Some of the drawbacks of the 58 are cable management, kitchen cabinet clearance, and the inability to steam milk.
Product Specs
| Housing material | Aluminum, Stainless steel |
| Water capacity (oz) | 2.02 |
| Available portafilters | Commercial |
| Portafilter size (mm) | 58 mm |
| Portafilter material | Wood |
| Amps (A) | 4 |
Review Ratings
Averaged between reviewers, view below how all experts voted.
Steam Wand
1/5
Michael Stumpfig gave 1 of 5 stars. The folks at Flair have primarily focused on espresso extraction and have currently put all their eggs in that basket. While many of us out there enjoy beverages like lattes and cappuccinos, Flair has yet to dip their feet into milk steaming ability of any kind. It goes without saying if milk-based drinks are the preference, there are better choices than the Flair 58.
Peter T. gave 1 of 5 stars. The Flair 58 does not come with any steaming capabilities. This is one of the machine's major drawbacks. Users who want milk frothing capabilities will have to purchase a separate device to froth milk. Flair offers a handheld milk frother, the "Nanofoamer." It is marketed as providing extremely fine micro-foam milk from a handheld device in seconds.
Pressure Control
5/5
Michael Stumpfig gave 5 of 5 stars. Easily one of its best features, the Flair 58 has a pressure gauge to give real-time feedback on my brew pressure. On traditional espresso machines, during extraction, the brewing pressure is out of our hands until we decide to adjust after extraction. With the Flair 58, all the control of pressure is literally in the palm of my hands. It's an extremely satisfying feature that I can use to invoke different flavor profiles in my espresso.
Peter T. gave 5 of 5 stars. The Flair 58 includes a standard pressure gauge. It is clearly marked and easy to read. The pressure is provided by the user physically pressing down on the lever. The user can then monitor the pressure while brewing and easily adjust by increasing or decreasing the applied pressure. This makes it very easy to create pressure profiles for different roasts.
Portafilter Size
5/5
Michael Stumpfig gave 5 of 5 stars. Dosing is such an important part of espresso extraction. The fact that the Flair 58 provides a standard 58mm portafilter is a huge upgrade when compared to their previous models. Because of this, I can dose out the proper 18-22 grams of ground coffee to extract my perfect double shot of espresso.
Peter T. gave 5 of 5 stars. The Flair 58 uses a commercial standard 58mm brew group. It comes with a 58mm bottomless portafilter. The bottomless portafilter helps monitor puck saturation and detect puck preparation issues, such as channeling or incorrect grind settings. It also helps monitor the extraction level of the espresso throughout the brewing process.
Heat Time
4/5
Michael Stumpfig gave 4 of 5 stars. There are three different temperature settings on the Flair 58. I generally use the highest setting. It roughly takes about three and a half minutes for the brew chamber to reach temperature. Given this is such a minimal device, to begin with, I've personally never been impatient over the heat-up time.
Peter T. gave 3 of 5 stars. At room temperature, the Flair 58 warms up in a reasonable amount of time. At the highest setting, it takes 5-7 minutes for the unit to warm up. I found that it is more efficient to heat the Flair 58 with the piston at the top of the stroke and the valve plunger closed to retain heat. The Flair 58 can heat up even faster by filling the brew head with boiling water from a separate kettle and emptying it after 30 seconds.
Quality
5/5
Michael Stumpfig gave 5 of 5 stars. Given the price of the Flair 58, it is most certainly backed up by its quality. The device is mostly made out of die-cast aluminum, which will promote its longevity. The stainless steel brew path ensures no boiling water will come into contact with any plastic. And the wooden accents play beautifully with the primarily matte black frame.
Peter T. gave 4 of 5 stars. The Flair 58 comes in a nice, even black powder-coated finish. The hardware used to hold the Flair 58 together is made of high-quality stainless steel. The piston and the portafilter basket aren't perfectly concentric. The included portafilter is very light, and the tamper is odd to hold. Lastly, the control module is made of lightweight plastic that feels cheap. Overall, after a month of use, the Flair 58 has held up well.
Temperature Stability
4/5
Michael Stumpfig gave 3 of 5 stars. There are three different heat settings on the Flair 58: High, Medium, and Low. I will only use the high setting. It seems the temperatures of the "medium" and "low" settings are far too cool to give me a good extraction. Whenever I've used a temperature setting other than "high," the shot I extracted tasted sour. Because nothing else was abnormal about my extraction, I determined the low temperature was the culprit.
Peter T. gave 4 of 5 stars. The Flair 58 comes with an electrically heated brew head and a control module to modulate the heat. There are three heat settings: low, medium, and high. The rated water temperature for each setting is 85˚C, 90˚C, and 95˚C, respectively. During testing, the Flair 58 did well to maintain temperatures, but after 30 seconds, temperatures rose quickly and reached up to 94˚C.
Espresso Extraction
5/5
Michael Stumpfig gave 5 of 5 stars. What's beautiful about extracting espresso on the Flair 58 is that I have all the power in the palm of my hands. Here's how I've been extracting my espresso: I slowly pull the lever down until I begin to see little drips of espresso. Then I ramp up my pressure to nine bars until I've extracted around 25 grams of espresso. I then lower my pressure to around six or seven bars until I've extracted around 40-50 grams of espresso. The fact that I have that much control over my extraction makes using the Flair even more satisfying.
Peter T. gave 5 of 5 stars. The Flair 58 does an excellent job of espresso extraction due to the electrified brew head and 58mm brew group. The electrified brew group helps maintain temperatures for a variety of roasts. The temperature for each setting is 85˚C for low, 90˚C for medium, and 95˚C for high. With the 58mm brew group, the coffee grounds have to be finer in order to provide the resistance necessary to reach adequate brewing pressures, which helps to increase extraction.
Boiler Capacity
4/5
Michael Stumpfig gave 5 of 5 stars. Traditional espresso machines have boilers in the 1-2 liter range. But the Flair is built differently; it's a lever machine. The Flair 58 is more for hobbyists who want to pull their shots and enjoy the experience. The heated brew chamber accommodates enough water for one extraction and then must be refilled for another. But that is by design.
Peter T. gave 3 of 5 stars. With the valve plunger closed, the brew head will have a maximum capacity of 90ml. With the valve plunger open and using an 18g dose of a medium roast bean in the standard basket, the capacity will be around 110ml. This limits the types of espresso shots the Flair 58 can pull.
Ease of Use
4/5
Michael Stumpfig gave 5 of 5 stars. The folks at Flair really made espresso extraction as simple as possible with the 58 model. The base of the machine is larger than those of previous models. And what's more, the T-grip lever is also longer. Because of these two design elements, pulling the lever and forcing water through my puck is easy and less strenuous.
Peter T. gave 3 of 5 stars. The Flair 58 is a lever espresso machine without a grinder or water-heating capabilities. It has an electrified brew head that helps maintain temperatures and is not intended to heat water. To use the Flair 58, the user needs to have a separate water kettle and grinder. It can take some trial and error to figure out the proper workflow. Brewing the espresso is easy; just push down on the lever and watch the pressure gauge. It's getting to that point that's challenging and is highly dependent on the user's setup.
Versatility
4/5
Michael Stumpfig gave 4 of 5 stars. Pulling espresso shots is the point of the Flair 58. There is only so much one can do with these parameters. While Flair allows me to play with my extraction and temperature control, there is little more that the Flair 58 can do outside of that.
Peter T. gave 4 of 5 stars. The Flair 58 is lightweight, compact, and can easily be disassembled. The unit can operate without electrical power (disconnecting the power cord from the brew head), enabling it to be used anywhere. The brew head must be preheated to use the Flair 58 without power. This can be done by placing the brew head on top of a kettle. The steam from the kettle should be enough to warm up the brew head. If using the Flair 58 this way, it's best to stick with medium to dark roasts.
FAQs
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Michael Stumpfig Not too long after I got my Flair 58, I had a few friends and coworkers over. Because I keep my Flair on my countertop, many of my friends were very interested in it because of its sleek industrial design. I began to explain to them how the machine worked. They were so curious they insisted I use it so they could see it in action. Thankfully I had made some vanilla ice cream that day. So I took the opportunity to make my friends some delicious affogatos. It made me happy that they took so much interest in my Flair.
Peter T. My favorite moment with the Flair 58 was when I pulled my first shot. Watching the pressure gauge build as I applied weight to the lever and saw the espresso drip out of the bottomless portafilter was incredibly satisfying.
Why did you choose this product?
Michael Stumpfig I chose the Flair 58 because I wanted something minimal, easy to use, and striking. While I see myself purchasing a prosumer-level E61 machine in the future, I want to refine my basic extraction skills with something more manual. The Flair 58 gives me all the tools to do that.
Peter T. I wanted to have more control over the espresso brewing process and have the ability to easily create different pressure profiles without spending a fortune on an espresso machine. I also liked that the Flair 58 uses the commercial standard 58mm brew group, which has access to more readily available accessories. Lastly, I chose the Flair 58 for its ability to select and maintain brewing temperatures, which provides more consistent shots.
What is the value for the money versus other options?
Michael Stumpfig I think the extra features that come with the Flair 58 are easily worth the money. One huge example of this is the electrically heated brew chamber. The fact that I don't have to preheat my brew chamber every single time I pull a shot feels like such a luxury. And at a nearly $600 price point, it kind of is. Also, the inclusion of a standard 58mm portafilter is well worth the money for when I want to experiment further with my dose.
Peter T. In terms of standard features, it is priced well above its competitors. In terms of the espresso the machine can produce, it is priced well below that of its competitors, such as the La Pavoni lever machines and much more expensive pump machines equipped with flow control.
What do you love about this product?
Michael Stumpfig There is so much to love about the Flair 58, but I will go over my favorite key features. The Flair 58 has an electrically heated brew chamber with three different temperature settings. Previous Flair models require the user to preheat the chamber by filling it with boiling water, dumping it out, and filling again to begin pulling a shot. That can be rather tedious. The 58 model removes that. The included pressure gauge gives me so much control over my extraction, from low-pressure pre-infusion to altering pressure throughout my extraction. I can see how many bars of pressure I'm applying in real-time. And finally, the frame of the Flair 58 is larger than previous models. Because of this slight design change, operating the lever and forcing water through my espresso puck takes less effort. This lends itself to a far easier workflow.
Peter T. What I enjoy most about this product is the ability to have control over the brewing process. I can create different pressure profiles for different roasts. I also don't have to worry about heat management with the electrified brew head. Lastly, I like that it uses a standard 58mm portafilter for ease of customization and replacement parts.
Michael Stumpfig
Coffee ExpertPeter T.
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