Flair Espresso Machines?
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Thank you for replying to jpmcwjr. I didn't get online much this weekend due to family being in town.Definitely not that kind of flow control and glad to hear the prostate issue has been taken care of.
Here is some info on the other flow control!
Flow Control: Everything You Need To Know
What Is Flow Control and Why You Want It Flow Control unlocks a new world of brewing capabilities and the opportunity to experiment with all of the different nuances your coffee has to offer. Why do we love Flow Control so much? Because, a machine with the Flow Control feature allows you to...www.wholelattelove.com
That's how it happens... just like pipes ?
Well, I did it.... Spent my tax refund on new machine - Profitec Pro 600 with flow control. Oh well, it will get used A LOT for sure. I'll post some pics when I get it here and setup.
It's a beautiful machine! These nice espresso machines look like motorcycles. And both will satisfy a need for speed! Hope it is a good soldier for you!
So far, the answer is three. Three times, I have burned myself with scalding, near boiling water while attempting to take the brew head apart while hot. Now I know why they sell an additional brewhead+portafilter as a "second shot" accessory. ?
I'm late coming back to this party. Glad you pulled the trigger on that machine!
Check out this guy's videos... these two are specifically about the Flair machines.
He also has a lot of other really insightful videos about all types of brewing. The science and theory behind them and solid practical advice for dialing in your brewing; especially espresso, the way you want. I highly recommend checking them out.
He's even got a video about why Italians don't want milk in their espresso after 11 am! I found that one interesting as I always wondered why that was as well, and it seems others here have experienced that too.
I'm on the east coast so mainly deal with east coast roasters. These few will ship anywhere and make some excellent beans.
Thread - Home - Thread Coffee Roasters - https://www.threadcoffee.com/ (we used their beans exclusively for our cafe)
Ceremony - Ceremony Coffee Roasters: Order Coffee, Find Cafés, Shop Gear, Learn - https://ceremonycoffee.com/
Lost Sock - Lost Sock Roasters - https://lostsockroasters.com/
Macchiatos are something I really love, I had my first ever "real" one at a cafe in Chelsea Market in NYC, it triggered my getting into quality coffee and espresso. They are damn near impossible to find done right.
Enjoy the journey! I'm looking forward to hearing more about how that flair does as you get more time to mess with it!
This is my current setup... with my cafe on the search for a new location after COVID, I couldn't resist "maintaining" the equipment at home ?
Check out this guy's videos... these two are specifically about the Flair machines.
He also has a lot of other really insightful videos about all types of brewing. The science and theory behind them and solid practical advice for dialing in your brewing; especially espresso, the way you want. I highly recommend checking them out.
He's even got a video about why Italians don't want milk in their espresso after 11 am! I found that one interesting as I always wondered why that was as well, and it seems others here have experienced that too.
I'm on the east coast so mainly deal with east coast roasters. These few will ship anywhere and make some excellent beans.
Thread - Home - Thread Coffee Roasters - https://www.threadcoffee.com/ (we used their beans exclusively for our cafe)
Ceremony - Ceremony Coffee Roasters: Order Coffee, Find Cafés, Shop Gear, Learn - https://ceremonycoffee.com/
Lost Sock - Lost Sock Roasters - https://lostsockroasters.com/
Macchiatos are something I really love, I had my first ever "real" one at a cafe in Chelsea Market in NYC, it triggered my getting into quality coffee and espresso. They are damn near impossible to find done right.
Enjoy the journey! I'm looking forward to hearing more about how that flair does as you get more time to mess with it!
This is my current setup... with my cafe on the search for a new location after COVID, I couldn't resist "maintaining" the equipment at home ?
I love James Hoffmann's youtube videos. He can go way down the coffee science hole too but also does it in an approachable manner. I also love his British sense of humor.
Exactly he's not pretentious about it, he's always careful to say "this is just my method, do what works for you, I just want you to be able to make great coffee"
His British humor kept me coming back too. Speaking of which did you see the "Bripe" video? haha
That was hilarious! My wife and and I died laughing...
Wow! We have quite a few espresso lovers in the forum. Very nice!
That 2-group-Slayer is simply breath taking!
What kind of roasts do you brew with it and would you think that a standard Italian roast would improve much (compared to a standard domestic espresso machine without flow control) if the paddle is used wisely?
The looks of slayer machines have always been something that draws me to them. They are indeed really beautiful machines, and their design and functionality are just brilliant as well.
I mostly brew medium or light roasts with it, that's really where my tastes sit, but to answer your question, yes I think so. The Slayer's ability to control pre-infusion and a post-full-pressure decline makes it a beast for getting the best out of any coffee. It also has a pretty wide range of brewing temperature settings which also play into getting that super dark roast to shine. Turning down the temp really makes a big difference with those.
One of the things I enjoy doing with it is dialing in a shot as though it's a normal machine, straight 9 bar pull, and then starting to adjust the pre-infusion and decline and you can really taste the difference it makes. It opened up some coffees that I think I wouldn't have been able to enjoy brewed on a standard machine with no flow profiling.
Thanks a lot for the detailed insights! I would love to own such a machine and experience the effects of different flow profiles one day.
Currently I’m quite happy with my conventional Rocket machine and darker Italian roasts, but I guess, especially with brighter espressos, a machine with flow control is probably obigatory… It is interesting to hear, that it improves darker roasts, too. Usually the Cafés, where they have such a machine, are a bit high-browed when asked question about traditional roasts…
Of course! I'm happy to share what I've got from my perspective, and listen and learn from others, it's part of what makes these things enjoyable.
I don't see any benefit in being snobbish or stand-offish about anything. That tradition comes from somewhere for good reason, there's no reason, in my opinion, to completely shun that or act like it's somehow "bad" now because we've figured out how to get the most out of other roasts in this case.
I certainly don't think you can't make anything good without those features. I see it more as having more tools and control (and I'm a control nerd) to give yourself a better chance of making something really enjoyable. With that comes complication, often misunderstanding, and then you can lose quality that you would have had on a less complicated machine. So there's a learning curve and a trade-off.
I think you're right about brighter coffees being more difficult to make into really tasty espresso without the additional control. Though if you apply that control to something that is well tested to work without it you're getting into making something interesting for sure.
Those rockets are really cool machines! I dig the look of them! They're probably the best value for a sold espresso at home that functions way better than some of the "Williams-Sonoma" style machines haha
What grinder are you using?
Yes, personally I like to switch between both coffee worlds- I like a nice dark roast espresso when I’m in the mood to not make a fuss for 30 something ml of espresso, but I also love experimenting with light roast beans from time to time. But usually I would have a light roast brewed as filter coffee. The grinder I use is actually a filter coffee grinder, an EK 43 with SSP burrs. But it does grind finde enough even for light roast espresso. What I absolutely love about this grinder, is how easy one can switch between different roasts and brew methods.
We do a little bit of everything in our house too. My wife really likes filter/pour-over and uses a cloth filter a lot. We also do a decent amount of Chemex.
Those EK's are great! They are indeed super versatile and easy to adjust, use one in the cafe for drip & dial it down for decaf espresso. It's awesome that you've got one at home.
At home, we've got a Baratza Encore that we use for all of our filter coffees and then the Peak is for the espresso.
Lightxmyfire-
Is this your model of Rocket? I was torn between Rocket and Quckmill when I bought eight years ago.
Is this your model of Rocket? I was torn between Rocket and Quckmill when I bought eight years ago.
I have a Eureka Mignon Specialita. I got it direct from Italy for WAY less than US retailers. If interested check out "Eureka Mignon Specialita' CR Electronic Grinder Chrome - https://www.espressocoffeeshop.com/coffee-grinders/coffee-grinders-eureka/eureka-coffee-grinders-home/eurka-mignon-specialita/eureka-mignon-specialita-chrome"
I chose the 110V option and not the 110V US Customers option (which is about $250 more). Reading in the various forums, the 110V and the 110v US are identical. Rumor has it, the US retailers were complaining they couldn't match that price and were losing money so they added the up charge.
I got the regular 100v non US and it works great here in NC!
That is a beautiful machine. I saw one somewhere that had wood inserts that looked amazing!Lightxmyfire-
Is this your model of Rocket? I was torn between Rocket and Quckmill when I bought eight years ago.
Some years ago I invested in a snazzy De'Longhi coffee machine but gave up on it very quickly and now it gathers dust. All that effort for a tiny coffee drink and so many parts that had to be dismantled & cleaned every time just became too much hassle for me.
Regards,
Jay.
Regards,
Jay.
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