Flair 49 Pro Review: Does the Future of Espresso Measure 49mm?

I’ll admit to being really excited about this Flair 49 Pro review, seeing as I get to tell you all about my experiences using this fantastic manual espresso machine. I’ve been a huge fan of this company ever since I first tested the Flair Classic Espresso Maker. And while that particular model was challenging to use, the manufacturer has recently upped its game by releasing some of the best manual espresso machines out there.

As it happens, Flair sent me the 49 Pro to test out, and I’ve spent the past couple of weeks putting it through its paces. However, don’t think for a second that Flair’s generosity affected my evaluation. In this Flair 49 Pro review you’ll hear all about what I liked as well as what I didn’t care for.

BABA

Flair 49 Pro

Another superb manual espresso maker from Flair

Rugged build

Easy to use

49mm bottomless portafilter

Good value

Trashy drip tray

CHECK PRICE

All specifications

Flair 49 Pro
Manufacturer	Flair Espresso
Model number	49 Pro
Product category	Manual espresso machine
Housing material	Aluminum
Color options	Black
Milk frother	None
User interface	None
App
User profiles	Memo function only
Portafilter size	49 mm
Tamping	Manual
Removable water reservoir
Water reservoir capacity	3.4 fl oz / 0.1 l
Number of boilers	1
Pump pressure	9 bar
Maximum cup height	5.0 in / 12.7 cm
Grinder	N/A
Grind adjustment levels	N/A
Bean hopper capacity	N/A
Specialty drinks	1
Pre-infusion
Adjustable coffee temperature
Adjustable milk foam temperature
2-cup function	No
Hot water function
Hot milk function
Milk foam only option
Water filter
Power consumption	N/A
Weight	7.0 lb / 3.2 kg
Dimensions	11.0 x 7.5 x 13.5 in 27.9 x 19.1 x 34.3 cm
Warranty	5 years
Notes	Included Accessories: User manual, 2 x filter baskets, stainless steel tamper, dosing funnel, pressure gauge, drip tray, puck screen, bolt & hex wrench
Current price on Amazon	$359.00
All specifications

Flair 49 Pro Review Overview

One of the manufacturer’s latest releases, the Flair 49 Pro has replaced the Flair Pro 3. And although I really enjoyed using the Pro 3, it was very similar to the Classic in terms of its design. In saying that, I’m referring to the fact that it had a removable brew cylinder that was difficult to preheat and a fiddly portafilter.

The Flair 49 Pro, on the other hand, is more similar to the amazing Flair 58 Plus 2 in that it comes with a fixed brew chamber and a real bottomless portafilter. These two factors make using the machine way easier, although you’ll still need to preheat the brew chamber seeing as the 49 Pro doesn’t have the 58’s electric heating setup.

Costing $359.00, the Flair 49 Pro represents very good value for money in my opinion. Especially given the machine’s rugged construction and premium components. I particularly appreciate the 49 Pro’s wooden accents and durable anodized aluminum frame. It’s design touches like these that make Flair espresso machines stand out from the crowd.

As it happens, the Flair 49 Pro has made quite an impression among espresso enthusiasts because of its 49mm filter basket. I’ll go into more detail about why that’s important a little later. For now though, you should know that the 49mm baskets are meant to make espresso preparation easier, especially for newbies.

Flair 49 Pro Espresso Maker Features

Now that I’ve whet your appetite, let’s continue this Flair 49 Pro review by taking a look at the machine’s standout features.

Build Quality & Design

As I mentioned earlier, the Flair 49 Pro is exceptionally well made, featuring a rugged anodized aluminum frame, solid base and stainless steel brew cylinder. And clocking in at around 7 pounds (3.2 kilograms), the machine feels nice and stable when you’re pulling a shot.

Smaller than the Flair 58 Plus 2, this model is just 12 inches (30 centimeters) long and 7 inches (18 centimeters) wide, making it ideal for small kitchens. Besides, it’s compact enough to stow away when not in use. At this point, I should mention the fact that the Flair 49 Pro has no plastic whatsoever in the brew path, a feature that the manufacturer is rightly proud of. I’d say that makes this manual lever machine one of the best non-toxic coffee makers around.

On a side note, I have to talk about the included drip tray for a second. I was quite surprised by this component, given the fact that Flair is usually so on-point with its design choices.

Unfortunately, the drip tray is made of grey plastic and doesn’t fit with the overall vibe of the 49 Pro whatsoever. In other words, it’s plain ugly. This is far from a dealbreaker, but I would have liked to have seen something more attractive and functional in the box. Oh, and “espresso” is spelled incorrectly on the bottom of the tray. I suspect they let an intern loose on this project!

Manual Lever

As with the Flair 58, the 49 Pro has a large manual lever with a T-shaped handle. And the handle’s walnut accents don’t just look good, they feel really good in your hand.

During my testing, I found that the 49 Pro’s manual lever offered a super-tactile brewing experience. Once I got the hang of using the machine, I was able to really tune in to how much pressure I was generating. Honestly, it’s just so nice to have so much control over your espresso extraction and to be able to make adjustments in real time. Personally, I really enjoyed playing with pre-infusion and pressure profiling, then tasting the different results. Trust me, the Flair 49 Pro opens a world of possibilities for espresso nerds.

Incidentally, I have seen other reviewers mention the fact that the lever on this machine is rather hard to press down, but I didn’t have any issues. Then again, I have been hitting the gym a lot recently!

Brewing Cylinder

The Flair 49 Pro doesn’t have an electric heating element, so you’ll have to preheat the stainless steel brew group manually. Still, it’s relatively easy to do so by simply filling the thing with boiling water.

The user manual recommends doing this once and leaving water in there for 45 seconds. However, I’d recommend doing this twice for maximum thermal stability. You should also preheat the portafilter to avoid sour-tasting shots. I did this by dunking it in the hot water I purged from the brew cylinder after the first preheat.

One thing you should be aware of is the Flair 49 Pro’s rather limited yield. The brew cylinder has a 3-ounce (90-milliliter) capacity, but you’ll struggle to get more than around a 2-ounce (60-milliliter) shot.

Portafilter

Now we come to what has made the Flair 49 Pro one of the most talked-about espresso machines of recent times: its 49mm portafilter.

As it happens, a lot of espresso aficionados now claim that we’ve been doing things all wrong. Rather than use 58mm baskets, we should be using 49mm baskets, which will result in better-tasting espresso that’s easier to brew. To be honest, I take all this with a huge grain of salt. Still, there’s a strong case to be made for a 49mm basket like this one.

For starters, it can be more forgiving in terms of grind size. Furthermore, a narrower and deeper puck could prevent channeling and other common issues. As for the claim that espresso from a 49mm portafilter tastes better, I have to disagree. In my experience, it tastes neither better nor worse than espresso from a larger basket size.

With all that said, I was able to quickly dial in my grind size with the Flair 49 Pro, and I pulled some exquisite shots of espresso. More on that a little later.

Pressure Gauge

Back when I tested the Flair Classic, you had to pay extra for a pressure gauge and I remember commenting that I couldn’t imagine using the machine without it. Fortunately, Flair now includes a pressure gauge with all of its manual lever machines, which is a smart move.

With the Flair 49 Pro, the pressure gauge screws into the side of the machine, and provides invaluable information as you’re pulling a shot. There’s a clearly marked “espresso zone” sitting between 5 and 9 bars as well as a reminder to “STOP” if the pressure gets too high. I’ve always found the Flair pressure gauge to be very responsive and easy to read, and I still can’t imagine trying to pull a shot without it.

Accessories

The Flair Pro 3 came with a shot mirror and a fancy travel case, so I was a little disappointed to find neither of these in the Flair 49 Pro box. Especially given the fact that this machine is intended as a “step up” from its predecessor.

My first impression of the tamper was positive – it’s very heavy and fits well in my palm. However, the espresso tamper only just fits in the basket, and kind of catches when you remove it. I got used to this, but found it rather annoying.

Other accessories include a dosing collar, which is great if you’re adding ground coffee from a dosing cup, and a puck screen. This latter accessory is vital for pulling evenly extracted shots, so don’t forget to use it!

As for filter baskets, the Flair 49 Pro comes with a single wall basket as well as a pressurized basket. The manufacturer recommends using the pressurized basket when you’re starting out, but I’d go ahead and ignore it as long as you have a good burr coffee grinder on hand.

The Flair 49 Pro in Use

Getting started with the Flair 49 Pro is a piece of cake. All you have to do is attach the frame to the base using the supplied screw and Allen wrench and you’re in business. After that, it’s simply a case of preheating the brew group, prepping your portafilter and pulling a shot.

During my testing, I used my beloved Comandante hand grinder, which isn’t the best for espresso. However, I was eager to see whether the claims about the 49mm baskets being more forgiving were true. As it happens, I was able to quickly dial in, and pull a beautiful shot of espresso using 18 grams of coffee.

I started by gently pre-infusing the puck at around 3 bar, before ramping up the pressure to around 7 bar. Finally, I eased off gently and consistently for the final 10 seconds. The result was a 35-gram shot with a 25-second extraction time. It was bright, complex and incredibly tasty.

I also experimented with pulling ristretto shots using a dose of just 16 grams. Using the same pressure profiling technique and a brew ratio of 1:1.5, I was rewarded with espresso that was much more full-bodied, chocolatey and syrupy. In fact, I’d say that ristretto shots might just be the way to go with this machine.

How to Pull a Shot With the Flair 49 Pro

While you might not need the very best espresso grinder to get good results, you will need something capable of grinding fine enough for espresso if you want to use the single-wall basket. You should also have a good coffee scale handy for maintaining consistency and weighing your shots. And when it comes to adding water to the brew cylinder, using a gooseneck kettle will make your life a lot easier.

Here’s the basics on how to pull a shot using a 1:2 brew ratio:

Flair 49 Pro Cleaning

You’ll be happy to hear that there isn’t much to do in terms of cleaning the Flair 49 Pro. You’ll never have to descale the machine, which is a real bonus. And there’s no water tank to deal with either. With that said, I’d recommend flushing the brewing cylinder with hot water on a weekly basis.

Of course, you’ll want to rinse the portafilter and puck screen under running water after each shot, and you can clean the drip tray in the same way. Just don’t put anything in the dishwasher please!

As for the exterior, cleaning the Flair 49 Pro is as simple as using a damp cloth to remove any splashes or stains. I will say that the silicone cover on the brew group gets a little dusty and can be difficult to keep fully clean. Still, that’s only a minor annoyance.

Flair 49 Pro vs 58 Plus 2

I’ve mentioned the Flair 58 Plus 2 a few times during this Flair 49 Pro review. Still, I figured it’d be a good idea to dedicate a section to comparing the two machines. Costing $685.00, the Flair 58 Plus 2 is a good deal more expensive than the 49 Pro. Then again, this particular model is one of the best home espresso machines I’ve ever used.

Thanks to its sophisticated electric preheating function, you don’t need to spend extra time manually preheating the 58 Plus 2’s brew group. What’s more, this manual machine is equipped with a commercial 58mm portafilter.

Now, you will encounter a steeper learning curve with the Flair 58 than with the 49 Pro, seeing as a 58mm portafilter exposes every little flaw in your puck preparation. However, once you’re dialed in, you’ll be able to pull incredible cafe-quality shots. Furthermore, you can pull longer shots with the 58 Plus 2, given the design of its plunger, lever and brew chamber.

Overall, the Flair 58 is larger, more advanced and more professional than the Flair 49 Pro. With that said, I’d be happy to have either of these wonderful machines in my kitchen.

See Also: Flair 58 Review

Flair 49 Pro vs 58 Plus 2 Comparison Chart

Verdict: Flair 49 Pro Review

BABA

Flair 49 Pro

Another superb manual espresso maker from Flair

Rugged build

Easy to use

49mm bottomless portafilter

Good value

Trashy drip tray

CHECK PRICE

All specifications

Flair 49 Pro
Manufacturer	Flair Espresso
Model number	49 Pro
Product category	Manual espresso machine
Housing material	Aluminum
Color options	Black
Milk frother	None
User interface	None
App
User profiles	Memo function only
Portafilter size	49 mm
Tamping	Manual
Removable water reservoir
Water reservoir capacity	3.4 fl oz / 0.1 l
Number of boilers	1
Pump pressure	9 bar
Maximum cup height	5.0 in / 12.7 cm
Grinder	N/A
Grind adjustment levels	N/A
Bean hopper capacity	N/A
Specialty drinks	1
Pre-infusion
Adjustable coffee temperature
Adjustable milk foam temperature
2-cup function	No
Hot water function
Hot milk function
Milk foam only option
Water filter
Power consumption	N/A
Weight	7.0 lb / 3.2 kg
Dimensions	11.0 x 7.5 x 13.5 in 27.9 x 19.1 x 34.3 cm
Warranty	5 years
Notes	Included Accessories: User manual, 2 x filter baskets, stainless steel tamper, dosing funnel, pressure gauge, drip tray, puck screen, bolt & hex wrench
Current price on Amazon	$359.00
All specifications

I went into this Flair 49 Pro review knowing that I’d enjoy using the machine. After all, I’ve always had fun testing out Flair’s manual espresso makers. I will say that the 49 Pro represents a step up from the Pro 3 in terms of design and materials. Plus, it’s much easier to get started with this machine than with any of the brand’s other espresso makers.

As it happens, I enjoyed using the 49mm portafilter, and the espresso shots I pulled were as good as any I’ve ever tasted. Still, I’m not convinced that this particular basket size represents the future of espresso, and I don’t envision 58mm portafilters going extinct any time soon.

Ultimately, Flair has scored another home run with the 49 Pro, and they’ll likely sell a bunch of machines. Let’s just hope they change the design of the drip tray and start throwing in a shot mirror!

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