Flair Espresso designs espresso makers entirely around the tactile experience of manual brewing. The California-based brand doesn't simply create alternatives to electric machines; it engineers fully analogue, precision instruments that reward attention to detail. From the travel-ready Flair GO and the entry-level NEO Flex to the flagship 58 series, Flair offers a well-trodden path towards the joy of pulling a shot by hand. The Flair 49 PRO introduces a slightly different approach to espresso with a 49mm basket, a format first popularised by 1960s Italian lever machines. Recently, 49mm baskets have seen a resurgence among specialty coffee enthusiasts for offering full body, rich texture, and forgiving compatibility with slightly coarser grinds.

About the Flair 49 PRO

The Flair 49 PRO is the latest in the PRO series, designed to give you absolute control over your extraction without any electronic components. Like Flair's other premium espresso makers, it is built from heavy-duty cast aluminium and stainless steel. The 49 PRO features a removable redwood-handled portafilter. Since the 49mm basket is narrower and deeper than standard 58mm ones, water must travel through a longer column of coffee. This creates natural puck resistance, allowing you to grind slightly coarser which reduces the risk of channelling. Paired with a built-in pressure gauge, home baristas can visually track the pressure being applied and adjust according to taste.

Aimed at both beginners and advanced brewers, the Flair 49 is capable of holding between 12 and 20 grams of coffee, with a total yield of up to 55 millilitres. For those without an espresso grinder looking to experience the tactile ritual, the Flair 49 comes with a pressurised basket for pre-ground coffee beans (though we wouldn't recommend this approach) as well as a straight-walled bottomless basket for freshly ground coffee. While brewing with any manual espresso machine has a learning curve, once a user is familiar with the workflow, the Flair 49 PRO only requires ground coffee and hot water. Visit Flair's site for brewing tips for the 49 PRO.

To get the most out of your Flair espresso maker, you'll need an espresso grinder, a kettle, a scale, as well as high-quality fresh coffee beans!

What's Included with the Flair 49 PRO

• Flair 49 PRO base
• Post & lever with brew head attached
• Redwood 49mm portafilter
• Pressurised basket
• Bottomless basket
• Stainless steel palm tamper
• Dosing funnel
• Pressure gauge
• Drip tray
• Puck screen
• Valve plunger with locking hook
• Brewing guide
• Bolt & hex wrench

Flair 49 PRO Features

• Deeper basket allows greater tolerance for coarser grinds
• Narrower puck reduces channelling
• Rich body from increased resistance & contact time
• No preheat thin-walled cylinder
• Brews double shots
• Lightweight & portable design
• Wood-accented brewing lever for better ergonomics
• Capable of a wide range of espresso brew ratios
• Easy to clean
• Integrated pressure gauge
• No disassembly between shots
• Fixed cylinder & piston system
• All stainless-steel brewing path
• Includes two baskets: pressurised for pre-ground coffee, or bottomless

Flair 49 PRO Specifications

• Materials: die-cast premium aluminium, stainless steel, redwood accents
• Water input capacity: 90ml
• Yield: 55ml
• Pressure: up to 12 bar
• Dimensions: 432 x 330 x 127 mm
• Weight: 3.2kg
• Warranty: 1-year