Agree on the donut being present in the PRO 2 most of the time, but it fills in quickly with good prep/preinfusion. As soon as I see the donut I hold pressure at 1-2 bars for the duration of preinfusion, and then as soon as I ramp the pull the center fills in quickly. Perhaps it's exacerbated vs the Robot due to the smaller portafilter and taller puck. @Dave; That said and videos aside, how do shots from the PRO 2 and Robot compare in terms of taste? I have been very happy with the results of my PRO 2.

Brewzologist wrote:That said and videos aside, how do shots from the PRO 2 and Robot compare in terms of taste?

It would be easy to say the Robot, as it's the shiny new toy on my counter, and I've been using it a lot the last couple months, including during a recent power outage. I think its shots are better, but it would take a blind tasting to really be sure. And when I say blind, I mean it literally. It would be easy to discern the Robot shots, as they produce distinct tiger stripes and mottling, while the Flair shots are typically of more uniform color. I would think the Robot extracts a fair bit more due to using a much finer grind for a given dose and output.

Brewzologist wrote:Agree on the donut being present in the PRO 2 most of the time, but it fills in quickly with good prep/preinfusion. As soon as I see the donut I hold pressure at 1-2 bars for the duration of preinfusion, and then as soon as I ramp the pull the center fills in quickly. Perhaps it's exacerbated vs the Robot due to the smaller portafilter and taller puck. @Dave; That said and videos aside, how do shots from the PRO 2 and Robot compare in terms of taste? I have been very happy with the results of my PRO 2.

Practically all the one handle lever machines, La Pavoni, Olympia Cremina and others, even the spring levers like the Profitec 800 have this same donut, maybe for different reasons, like you said with a 5 sec preinfusion you fill quickly the screen. And I totally agree with you, the Flair Pro 2 pull fantastic espressos.

Piggybacking off of this question, I am looking to use either a robot or flair at the office where I do not have immediate access to a sink. Is one or the other easier to preheat with a kettle and bowl? I am familiar with the robot doing an overflow method, but that is much more appropriate at the sink thank at a desk.

fiechtl5 wrote:Piggybacking off of this question, I am looking to use either a robot or flair at the office where I do not have immediate access to a sink. Is one or the other easier to preheat with a kettle and bowl? I am familiar with the robot doing an overflow method, but that is much more appropriate at the sink thank at a desk.

I preheat the Flair group head and portafilter on an old Moka pot base with a little water in it on the stove. It works great like they were made to work together. I have also seen pix of folks preheating these components in the top of a Stagg kettle.

On my earlier comment about extraction uniformity, it comes down to where your balance point is between cost and potential in-cup quality.

I could easily fault the Robot for crappy temperature stability compared to a PID-controlled Strietman CT2, or even being goofy looking and inelegant. However, the CT2 is 2,130€ plus shipping, plus import duties. For me, the Robot fit my budget and the CT2 didn't.

If purchasing a Flair better fits your budget or lifestyle, from reports here it seems like a great way to get going.

On workflow, it seems that eventually you'll need to get to a sink, at least to wash up after. Here's a video showing Robot workflow that I saw early this year and teased me with the possibility of good espresso in the office, without risking the Robot or a grinder in the public kitchen. (Back when I thought that might be in a couple months)

Turn down the volume!! -- Annoying scale beeps in the video

I've decided on the Flair Pro 2, and the JE-Plus Grinder. Does anyone know of a distribution tool/ tamper set for the Flair? There is a company that makes a set, but they won't ship to the US( Budans Brews or something along those lines).

Yes.. the tamper with the Flair v2 is good.. and I'd just use something like a latte art pen or a thick needle to stir the grounds.