its0vakid wrote:How would you compare the taste/texture of the nomad and the flair? Currently deciding between those two and the robot. The water reservoir makes it seem more versatile than the traditional levers. What's your take on the nomad as a daily driver for a first espresso machine? Any signs of wear on the nomad?

So it's a bit difficult to compare 49mm and 58mm even with equivalent-sized baskets due to the flowrate/puck depth differences. FWIW if it is your 1st machine you'd be happy with either and you would only be able to tell the differences if you had them side by side. I generally am drinking smaller doses nowadays and I get the nice thick-bodied texture if I fully dose 14g in the stock basket due to the smaller headspace and pull a londinium style shot.

As a daily driver I'd suggest you 3d print the riser stand and get yourself another tray and different sized baskets. Also of course get a dosing funnel and puck screen if you can.

Nomad has 0 signs of wear after 7ish months. I actually tossed it in my backpack a few times and brought it out to make espresso on the go!

Awesome thanks for the feedback! The nomad is so intriguing... besides your reviews and lance's demo on YouTube, not much content for reviewing the device. Looking at the comments from your 2x and Lance's, everyone that owns it loves it and the ones that don't are at least intrigued, I'm even more intrigued with it at its current price. Not much more than flair neo+bpf+pressure gauge

BrianQuan wrote:Heya!

So I actually use both the Nomad and Flair 58. The 58 is set up for me to do traditional big shots 36g-54g and I use the Nomad for sprovers. Interestingly I think the machines pair incredibly well and I use both fairly often.

It's not that the Flair 58 is competing with the Nomad for usage and counter space, but with the Bianca. I currently don't have a spot where it can be plugged in and heated up, so using it requires forethought. The Nomad can get set up, pull shots, and be sitting in the dish rack drying out before either the Bianca or Flair 58 is fully warmed up to pull its first shot, so it gets used for evening light roast decafs that need something more complex than the 9Barista 9 bar declining pressure profile.

I got mine after watching your video, since it was cheap and I figured it would help me learn more about flow control, which it does to a surprising extent. I haven't ventured into sprovers yet.

Update: Work flow has improved with a couple of add-on's.

First gripe was the messy drip after a shot and rushing to remove cup/scale to place drip cup. Solved by getting a kegerator stainless steel drip tray with the spout cut-out. The cut-out allows for larger cup with scale when doing sprover.

Second gripe was fitting a demitasse and scale under the output corner. Solved by using Nuova Point Sorrento, fits like a glove and can hold up to 40gr shot.

Third gripe is the messy basket loading. Ordered funnel and 49.7mm rok tamper from etsy Creativewerk. Have not yet received, will post pics of fit when I do.

Other learnings have been to remove the screen from under the basket, even though I washed quickly after use with soapy water, there was already some oil build up. Left the screw to avoid coffee getting in the thread. I'm now confident that the coffee path can be cleaned thouroughly after use.
Shots have been great. Thermal stability is surprisingly good.

Keep Seesawing fellow Uniterrans! Peace

Received the tamper and the tamp through funnel from Creativewerk. Funnel fit great. Tamper is nice and heavy with good base height, the 49.7mm OD is on the tight side should've gone with a 49.6mm OD. The spalted tamarind is beautiful, and the wroksmanship was great.

Peace Out Uniterrans!

Looks like a perfect fit. By too tight, are you having issues tamping? Or removing the tamper? I definitely need to get a tamper that fits better than the one that comes with the machine.

When I did a dry fit the tamper felt difficult to remove, I think the reason is that the basket has a slight taper towards the bottom. I tried the dosing range that I typically use (13g-16g) and it worked well. It was not difficult to remove but I had to hold the basket down as I polished and twisted for removal, albeit with a slight suction. A positive is that the tight fit helps keep the tamp leveled because you cannot insert it crooked.

The funnel has a slight gap with the basket lip when the basket is in the delrin carrie. But when the basket is outside of the carrier the funnel mates well with the lip face.

I'm currently doing my prep with the basket removed from the delrin carrier. It allows me to deep WDT, followed by tamp through the funnel and I can get a good hold of the basket to polish with twist as I remove.

I'm keeping the 49.7mm for now. Worth noting that Max at Creativewerk offered to replace the tamper if it did not work.

lloito wrote: The funnel has a slight gap with the basket lip when the basket is in the delrin carrie. But when the basket is outside of the carrier the funnel mates well with the lip face.

Thanks for providing all the pics and information. I am thinking of mirroring your setup. Can you share which funnel you got from Creativewerk, is it the 51mm funnel?

lloito wrote: I'm keeping the 49.7mm for now. Worth noting that Max at Creativewerk offered to replace the tamper if it did not work.

How has your experience been with the 49.7mm tamper? Would you still recommend the size?

twelveparsecs wrote:Thanks for providing all the pics and information. I am thinking of mirroring your setup. Can you share which funnel you got from Creativewerk, is it the 51mm funnel?

How has your experience been with the 49.7mm tamper? Would you still recommend the size?

It is the 49mm tamp through funnel.
I've been happy with the 49.7mm, it is as snug a fit as you could possibly go so it self levels due to inability to go in skewed. Would love to hear from others if they went with the 49.5mm.

I got a 49.5 mm tamper, which fits fine and doesn't leave any coffee on the sides of the basket like the stock tamper does. I got a 49.5 mm tamp through funnel too, but don't like it as much. Even though it sits on the basket, coffee gets in between the basket and the funnel, probably when doing WDT.