Coffee is the original biohack and the nation’s most popular productivity tool. As we adjust to the changeover to daylight saving time, the caffeine-addicted WIRED Reviews team is writing about our favorite coffee brewing routines and devices. Today, contributor Brad Bourque pays homage to his manual espresso maker. Look out for other Java.Base stories about other WIRED writers’ favorite brewing methods.
For me, coffee is as much a nerdy obsession as it is a practical necessity. I dislike maintenance, and I prefer simplicity, but I also need my coffee to be bold and interesting. For years, I used a kettle and Aeropress, which were easy to keep clean and tucked away in a crowded cabinet. My roommates at the time really appreciated that. But when I got a place of my own, I wanted something more substantial, if also still dead simple. The Flair Signature, a manual espresso maker, seemed like an obvious choice. It still sits proudly on my counter in all its stainless steel glory, occupying a permanent spot by my sink.
Where larger, electric espresso machines generate the pressure and heat needed for espresso inside their massive housings, the Flair takes a different approach. A large lever sits atop a small stack of brewing equipment, and you use that lever to create the bars of pressure necessary to get espresso. There’s a chamber for your grounds and another atop it for hot water. Fill them up in the correct order, pull down on the handle, guided by the handy pressure gauge, and watch in delight as thick, crema-topped espresso drips out the bottom.
There are other crucial pieces to this puzzle, and I’ve fully committed to the bit by opting for a simple gooseneck kettle and hand burr grinder, chosen for their simplicity and consistency. Coffee enthusiasts should instantly recognize the Stagg EKG kettle from Fellow, and yes, mine is draped in green and yellow reminiscent of my favorite soccer team, thank you for noticing. The 1ZPresso JX-Pro S isn’t particularly fancy, but it’s easy to clean and consistent, and it came highly recommended by Reddit, though I’ll admit I’ve been tempted by the Comandante C40, a hand grinder that costs more than the rest of my setup combined.
Flair
Espresso Maker Classic
The entire workflow is thankfully almost silent, a blessing on quiet and/or hungover Sunday mornings. I can throw some Steely Dan on the record player, fire up the kettle, and start turning the hand grinder as I take care of my other morning chores. While it seems straightforward, it’s a process that has a surprising number of variables to tweak, and I feel them firsthand every time I pull a shot. Each minor adjustment to the grind or water temperature creates a cascading set of changes to both the process and the end result. It’s a daily chase for unattainable perfection that I’m well familiar with after using the Aeropress for so long, and I find it deeply satisfying when I feel like I’ve nailed it. Knowing I was fully responsible for that great first sip gives me a bigger boost in the morning than any amount of caffeine could.
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