A wise store owner once told me confidently “We don’t sell “cheap” products.” “Though we do sell products that are more affordable then others.” Kudos to Flair Espresso for pushing the envelope on affordable prosumer espresso production! Great review, much appreciated!
For cleanup: make sure the puck is not wet (push some air through it), then go over your bin, put your lips around the portafilter, blow hard into it. It will come out cleanly.
I love that Flair came out with the NEO Flex because it allows someone like me, someone who wants to try and get into espresso but financially-challenged, into espresso.
I suggest you obtain the new version, the relaunched Neo Flex (March/April 2024). Flair changed some of the manufacturing specs and it now ships with the pressure gauge as standard equipment, very cool. However, the o-rings on my unit failed to make a seal, zero resistance, which is exactly like the pump not powering up on a conventional machine. Heck, I can push the plunger/pressure gauge through the brewing cylinder with my pinky. Flair is sending replacement o-rings. Meantime, the unit is useless.
Mine arrived yesterday! I know I bugged you a ton about the Ascaso! And I will most definitely get that in the future. But! It’s not shipping at the moment and this looked perfect for a first time espresso machine. Plus it’s only $99 I’m glad you reviewed it because I haven’t even opened mine.
I absolutely adore it for its spectacular cheapness to output quality ratio. Putting it on a bathroom scale greatly helped. It’s approx 2kg per bar of pressure.
Extremely helpful video! I can't say much for my experience with their support with questions I had regarding their machines and accessories! Mind you, I'm a novice when it comes to espresso making machines. Anyway, this video may have changed my mind regarding purchasing from Flair. Mind you, this is just my experience with Flair, so your mileage my vary. Thanks again for the video, great stuff!!
I wouldn't be so quick to recommend this to someone new to espresso. It is a great little "machine", though, for anyone who's been curious about lever espresso machines. For 100 USD, you can get a feel for whether you'd enjoy going that route and giving up the typical semi-automatic. Though it does have a ritual that is a lot more complex than boiler lever machines on the market - e.g. La Pavoni.
@@revenant_reproductions use mine almost daily. Works fine for me. But the start feels like a better fit could be a thing . Probably would have made it way bigger to handle the pressures
I can’t recall exactly what I ended up with (I don’t use that combo regularly), but just keep going finer until it feels right. Just be careful not to bust that over-pressure seal. If it feels too firm best to back off and try again one click coarser
I'm a broke ass student, if I'm spending 100 it better be good. Not sure how to feel about the press itself being out of plastic In this case I think I'd rather spend 50 bucks more for the classic where I know it'll hold up my clumsyness.
Great video as always! I’d like to ask Flair’s steel tamper compatible with Neo Flex? Becasue I’d like to get on of these machines and I don’t like these plastic tampers what is included to the box. Thx for your help!
i got my flex on the launch day... is good but is very veeeery dificult to get good espresso from light roasts... even with light espresso roast the result is not good... but medium and dark roast is really good...
Light roast is definitely always going to be a challenge. I’d try lengthening out those extractions with a loooonnngg preinfusion. What are you grinding with?
@@DaddyGotCoffee i'm using Comandante C40 (the only i have lol), 5 clicks, 207F, i did 1 min pre-infusion and the shot still salty... i have to literaly boil the group and the filter to get all the set hot enough but still salty, hahaha then i changed to medium roast and worked perfect as any good machine above +600$... Other thing, i was not able to get pressurized porta filter to work... i always got "moka pot style" shots with it...
@@wierdestcoffeeguygt maybe try even going even finer with the light roasts. It’s tricky but you’ll be able to coax a good shot out, even without a crazy high temp. The pressurized is definitely a different experience than non-pressurized. If you have a red clix c40 I would just stick with the pressurized 🤙
Yes and no. I've been using my Neo Flex for a few days. The logically progressing workflow quickly became a habit and any unnecessary bits and parts are all back in the box. Manual espresso requires a certain amount of tediously fussy steps. However, if you compare the methodology against a pump machine's workflow (weigh, grind, settle, shake, wdt, level, tamp, screen, preheat, time, scale) there's not all that much difference.
Okay, I do have a question! The glass espresso vessel you have under the flex, where is that bought? And lastly, can you define what would be an adequate espresso grind? I have a manual Hario hand grinder, that grinds my beans very fine, to the point the grounds will clump! With that being said, is that grind good enough for the 2 in 1 bottomless? Appreciate your reply! Thank you!
I have a Flair, and unfortunately the answer is, not without some major frustration. I'd get one of the 1zpresso hand grinders if I were you. The JX Pro is what I have, but a ton of their other grinders are also espresso capable, and make good filter coffee too.
@@alexandraengland3274 No kidding?! Wow, I thought this Hario would work as it consistently grinds beans fine for moka pot and the aeropress. I guess I could give it a shot with the Hario and see what happens. That JX Pro is exactly the grinder I have my eye on! Oh, if I may ask, what grind setting do you have your JX Pro set at?
@@3eggerfpv397 it's not really about how fine the grinder goes, it's about how consistent it is, and how many fine settings it has. You might be able to grind fine enough with your grinder to choke the machine, but if the next setting coarser runs through in 2 seconds, you're going to have a bad time. On my hand grinder the settings for different coffees can vary by an entire full turn of the dial. My current coffee is at 1 revolution and then to the number 5. Decafs need to be ground finer. Fresher and darker coffees need to be ground coarser. It's fun, but is definitely part of the learning curve. You'll for sure have an easier time if you get that grinder. Extra bonus is that it grinds way way faster than the Hario does.
@@alexandraengland3274 That makes total sense, and the information I've been looking for, as I obviously don't know much about espresso coffee! I really appreciate the input! Okay, time to buy the JX Pro!
I'd like to know if the chamber is not preheated. What will happen when you press down the lever? Will there be some pressure resistance or not at all?
I have the Flair Royal grinder. It is more than adequate for an espresso grind when set between 9 and 12, depending on humidity, freshness, and blend. I have no experience with your j-max but the 1zpresso site describes it: "Enjoy making espresso with JE, JE-Plus, JX-Pro and J-Max! A special coated burr designed for espresso with a unique external adjustment. Moving the burr by 8.8 microns per click."
That being plastic is a deal breaker for me. When you are needing to out pressure on your coffee that thing isnt going to last years. IT WILL BREAK AT SOME POINT.
I've tested these many times and this model is actually really crap because the thermal stability is shocking you need the top line one with the heated group head. Save up your money and buy a real machine
I use the Aeropress with the Fellow Prismo at home, I can make it using near Espresso Ratios (1-3/1-4) for a Long Espresso like product. How different do you think this would be since it seems to make a more true espresso. I am a Barista but use only manual equipment at home so this may be more up my alley.
Im using the flair classic with bottomless & manometer , night and day from aeropress. when you dial it right , it's taste far better than $30k la marzocco with lousy barista in cafe near my office.
This video is great and influenced my decision to buy. I just got mine yesterday and I’m enjoying it. I’m still in the trial and error stage as I am new to this. I hope Flair releases a pressure gauge for the Flex. If not, the “non compatible “ looks pretty compatible 👍🏼
On Flair’s website, they call those red discs “training discs” allowing a new user to get a feel for the machine. After you have gotten the feel for the correct pressure you move to the “graduation” disc. Also, they do show a pressure gauge compatible with the Flex.
I got the flair classic for $165. great price for real espresso machine. But I quickly found that you MUST have good grinder (timemore c3 $80) and pressure gauge ($56). So $301. Not bad at all for first real espresso setup
Thanks sir. I'll definitely be buying aFlair soon. I'm trying to decide between the less expensive NEO Flex or just going all the way up to the Flair 58.
Flair advertises this as a "no pre-heat group". They took 100g of metal out, to reduce the thermal zapping characteristic of the original Neo. Now, I think we're foolish to think that a cold metal group isn't going to steal at least some heat. If you wanted to forego the preheat, would you add a few degrees to the water temp? I brew dark roast at 201 usually. Maybe add water that's 205?
I would go by taste and if it’s coming out sour compared to how it tastes with a preheated group, up the temp for sure. The majority of temp drop will happen in the chamber above the coffee grounds anyhow.
Great review - thank you! I was wondering - how do you figure the amount of pressure to use without a gauge. I know it's based on "feel" but with no such baseline - what do you do? I suppose you just experiment, but without some kind of measurement it would be difficult to know how to approach it. (Of course I maybe overthinking)
I cut my teeth on a machine without a gauge (a Rok actually) for several years before I moved to anything else. I always went based on feel and flow rate.. and most importantly, taste. I’d actually argue that approached correctly you can actually learn MORE that way because you are relying on taste vs hitting a specific benchmark. But yes, a gauge can definitely accelerate the learning process
Thank you for the review! This is exactly what I've been looking for, I also have the Ode and I've been searching for ways to get started in espresso without necessarily needing to upgrade by grinder yet. Were you using Gen 1 or Gen 2 burrs in your pressurized portafilter test?
@@DaddyGotCoffee This is my first “grown up” grinder. Just received it yesterday. So any instructional on it would be well appreciated. Your friendly and “to the point” teaching style greatly appreciated.
I am thinking about getting this but do I have to grind my own as I see bags in the grocery store, of expresso already ground. Also... for that BETTER filter... did you say the coffee should be more coarse? I guess it would say on a bag of already ground? thanks.
Unless portable is an absolute priority, I would probably do the flair. The pico is fantastic, but it’s about 30% more expensive, does not have a pressurized basket so you need a great grinder out of the gate, and the mechanism - while it works great - is harder to learn on vs a lever as you are wrapping your head around preinfusions and other principles of espresso
I'm not trying to pay Half a G on an espresso machine to make espresso at home when I can just buy it from Starbucks for $5 lol. This Flex Neo looks like a great product for what you get... good-to-great espresso shots for the price.
9:59 goddamn you're the second reviewer of all three on RU-vid to say that! So is it compatible or not? Clearly it's clunky but it fits (or either my sight or my sense of humor is broken), but are the readings correct?
I don’t have a secondary way of measuring but I have no reason to believe the pressure gauge would read incorrectly. It’s definitely a bit janky with clearance issues. I linked a video by flair in the description where you can see the clearance issue more clearly.
@@DaddyGotCoffee thanks a lot! You could probably know by comparing the taste of the espresso to one made with a Flair compatible with the gauge, using the same pressure pattern for both?
@@Julzaa I tested it this way side by side with the original neo and they performed equally 👍 still, it’s not an objective measurement but there’s no reason why it would read incorrectly. Mechanically they are pretty simple
Coming from a more explosive hobby, manufacturers do this all the time. It is most definitely listed as incompatible because it blocks the emergency pressure release. It should be fine, but if you go caveman and break the thing while using the pressure gauge, it will definitely void the warranty.
Thank for sharing I have one question now the aluminum valve on the piston is broke I think because of too much pressure but want to know should I do use the black one instead?
Did your Neo Flex come with the pressure gaugue? If you broke the red brew head, you weren't paying attention. If you have the previous version (no gauge) and you broke the red chamber, your grind was far too fine so, yes, you can use the black filter setup. But you shoudl ease off on the grind, make it coarser, and sneak up on the grind for five or six shots till you figure out how to use it properly.
No question: Get the Pro2. Spring for the extra shot brew tube and filter. The Neo Flex is cool, insanely cheap, and fun to play with but you will replace it soon if you're into espresso.
Flair pushing this is basically a 180 from their original mission. Haven't seen a lot of people boasting one of these on social media, which means either no one is buying it, or people are ashamed to only be able to afford the "cheap version". Save your money people, don't give in to the "oh it's cheaper, I can afford it" impulse! My advice: Without a pressure gauge, this thing is near useless, unless you want to haphazardly guess every time you brew a cup. Cheers, a very happy Flair 58 user.
I have to push back on this. Ultimately, this is making espresso more accessible. A difference of 50 bucks is a make or break for many people when they are first starting and this opens the door for them. Is a pressure guage better? Of course. But many people who are casually thinking of picking up espresso with a blade grinder at home are not going to invest hundreds of dollars in a non-pressurized setup or an espresso burr grinder. Seeing a lot of people boasting on social media is a very strange measure for the viability of a product.
@@DaddyGotCoffee Also a valid opinion to have. 😊👍🏻 Yeah, more accessible, right. But what use is more accessible Espresso if it takes you a hell of a lot of eyeballing to get it right? Unless you're really into the whole "I want my first few attempts to suck" thing.
@@DerHerrMitR I think for some, it’s a question of that or… nothing at all. And I am definitely an advocate for something over nothing ☺️ And if it’s really a big deal, spend the 50 bucks for the guage - it’s janky but it does work and total is less than half the price of the Pro2
I love it but for one thing. From what I see, the water and coffee come in contact with plastics. If that is true, then shame on the manufacturer when it is well known that, even so called BPA free plastics seep out harmful chemicals. There is no reason at all why it can’t be 100% food grade stainless steel. I’m willing to pay a little more knowing I’m not putting my health at risk.
You sure?! I was thinking the opposite and just looked back, and i think it’s actually all metal. If you use the bottomless portafilter it’s aluminum lined on the inside, the rain filter, group head w/o-ring (maybe some contact there, but i think a wayward o ring is in most portafilters), then all metal group. The plunger is plastic, but it pressurizes the air above the water so i don’t think it actually makes contact with the water, just indirectly from condensation dripping back in. Thanks for the comment though, i was thinking about the same thing too
