Review on ☕ Flair Espresso NEO: The Ultimate Manual Lever Espresso Maker for Home Use (Gray) by Steve Douglas

A coffee fanatic for a long time, I've always wanted to delve into the world of espresso (apart from the Nespresso capsule machine) but was afraid of (a) the cost and even more so (b) the complexity/ maintenance of the machine. Manual cars seemed like a good thing to test out for the price. After watching James Hoffman's videos online I decided to go with the basic Neo as I only have an OXO grinder which probably can't be perfectly adjusted. I'm so happy with my decision that I decided to post this review after my first shot! I was running out of fresh beans and couldn't wait to use the machine, so I decided to just try it with the pre-ground (sigh!) Illy I had for my moka pot. I didn't expect great results from it until I bought fresh local beans, but it turned out great! I just followed the directions including preheating and poured a fantastically smooth shot. I expected it to be thin but I was wrong. When he makes such a good espresso with "old" ground coffee, I'm curious to see what he does with real freshly ground beans. For those who don't know, the Neo comes with a pressurized portafilter, meaning it can handle coffee that isn't ground with pinpoint precision as the portafilter does the pressure for you. True fans may choose not to, but simplicity wins for me. I would recommend this to any coffee lover who wants a new toy at a very affordable price point (espresso making wise).