How to save money on espresso? Flair NEO Flex vs. coffee shops

Prices are still rising on all fronts and the desire for quality espresso is still as high, maybe even higher. That's why in today's article, we'll focus on how to save money on espresso with the affordable Flair NEO Flex.

First, let's talk about espresso

The journey of espresso began in the early 20th century with the development of espressomachines and the birth of espresso culture in Italy. Cafes became bustling social hubs where people gathered to enjoy acup of espresso that offered a strong and immediate jolt of caffeine.

Over time, the traditional Italian drink became a worldwide phenomenon, as people gradually began to figure out thealchemy behind its preparation and became more interested in it in general .

Now, more and more people are learning to make quality espresso at home. In the past, however, home espresso making options usually fell intotwo categories: expensive and large coffee machines that did make quality espresso, but most people had to save up for years for them. Or then smaller and cheaper coffee makers, which in turn can't replicate the pressure needed to make real espresso.

How much does coffee cost in a café and how much with a Flair NEO Flex?

We already looked at howmuch you pay for coffee indifferent regions of the Czech Republic, but also in European countries in our espresso index article last year . After finding out, coffee in Czech cafés costs an average of€1.83. Taking into account the rising inflation and the high prices, we can expect that theaverage price for an espresso could have risen by about €0.12, to €1 .95 per cup.

Now let's take alook at how much you'll pay for one cup of espresso made with the Flair NEO Flex, which can conjure up café-quality espresso at home. In basic equipment with two portafilters and a plastic tamper, the machine costs €116. If you get our bestseller for espresso, which is the Basic Barista Espresso Blend,500 g of coffee will cost you €15.10. The Flair's portafilter can hold 15 g of coffee, so one espresso will cost you €0.45.

Not to forget a good quality grinder, which could be the Timemore Slimhand grinder , which holds 20 grams of coffee, so it's just the right size for making espresso in the Flair. In total , theinitial investment comes out toabout €236.

Return on investmentfor Flair Neo

If we take into account the fact thatyou drink espresso every day, a daily visit to the café would cost you an average of €13.5 per week, which is€54 per month. So your investment in a Flair NEO Flex home coffee machinewould pay for itself in 4 months, maybe even sooner, because let's face it, most of the time you don't end up with just one espresso in a café. ????

Thinking of buying one but don't know which Flair is the right one? Thanks to the Flair coffee machine comparison article, you' ll find out.

Benefits of using the Flair NEO Flex

Let's take a look at a few key benefits that may make your buying decision a little easier.

Not just strong coffee, but quality espresso

Thanks to the technology that Flair coffee makers have, you can really create a quality espresso comparable to that of a classic lever coffee machine for several hundred thousand. This is because the coffee maker works by manually pressing the lever and exerting a constant pressure of 9 bar to extract the espresso properly and properly.

You can take it anywhere

And I do meananywhere, because Flair coffee machinesare decomposable and also very portable and lightweight. So thanks to the portable case you can take it onholiday or even juston a trip to the countryside andmake coffee in the middle of the woods.

Making perfect coffee on the go - thanks to the Flair manual espresso machine.

Ideal for beginners

TheFlair NEO Flex is the most suitablecoffee machine in the Flair range for people who arestarting out with espresso. This is mainly due to affordability, as investing in a very expensive espresso machine is risky at first.

Making really good espresso takes practice. But that's not entirely necessary with this coffee maker, as there are 2portafilters in the package, with one called Flow-Control, taking care of creating the necessary pressure to create the perfect espressoall by itself.

The second portafilter, called Bottomless 2-in-1, is already for more seasoned home baristas, because with it youneed to control the whole process very thoroughly. This is because if you grind the coffee too finely, the lever won't go down, if you grind it too coarsely, the lever will go down without resistance and theespresso won't extract .

If you're thinking of buying a Flair coffee machine, be sure to read this article about making espresso in Flair coffee machines.

Disadvantages of using the Flair NEO Flex

The disadvantage I observe when using the Flair is the lack of a pressure gauge, which isnot included in the basic package, soyou can't control the pressure exerted on the lever, which just for beginners would be nice to have more control over the process.

However, you can solve this small shortcoming bybuying a pressure gauge as part of your equipment and thus achieve more control over the espresso you prepare.

Another disadvantage I see with theplastic construction, which compared to, for example, the Flair Classic, whichis metal, is quite unstable and after frequent use it starts to creak a little. But this is quite well balanced by its price and the storage that the Flair NEO Flex has .