# Manual Espresso Press

Source: https://dailyextraction.com/methods/manual-espresso/
Last updated: 2026-10-20

> A manual espresso press makes espresso with hand power: you heat the water in a kettle, pour it over the coffee in the brewer, then press a lever to push it through. There's no pump or boiler. Flair's starting recipe for its Flair 58 Plus is 18 g of coffee to 40 g of espresso in about 30 seconds, at 6 to 9 bar on the gauge.

## At a glance

- Ratio: 1:2.2 (18 g coffee : 40 g water)
- Grind: Fine
- Brew time: about 30 s
- Category: Pressure & Espresso (Pressure)
- Difficulty: Advanced
- Origin: Global & Modern
- Also known as: manual espresso maker, hand espresso press, Flair, Cafelat Robot, ROK

## Steps

1. **Heat the water**: Boil the kettle. Flair says to use water as close to boiling as your kettle gets; Cafelat says just off the boil for the Robot.
2. **Pre-heat if your model needs it**: Pre-heat if your press needs it. Flair pre-heats its all-manual models (Classic, 49 Pro, 2GO) with boiling water and says to brew straight afterwards, while the metal is still warm.
3. **Grind, dose and tamp**: Grind fine and dose 18 g into the basket, then distribute and tamp evenly.
4. **Add the water**: Assemble the brewer and pour in the hot water to the level your model's instructions give.
5. **Press steadily**: Press the lever down smoothly, aiming for 6 to 9 bar on the gauge if you have one.
6. **Stop at your yield**: Stop at about 40 g in the cup, in around 30 seconds. Release the pressure before taking the brewer apart.
7. **Taste and adjust**: Grind finer if it was fast and sour, coarser if it was slow and bitter.

A **manual espresso press** makes real [espresso](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/espresso/) with **hand power**. There's no pump and no boiler: you **heat the water in a kettle**, pour it over the coffee in the brewer, then **press a lever** to push it through at espresso pressure. Brands like **Flair** and the **Cafelat Robot** have made them popular because they're compact and quiet, with no pump or boiler. Here's how they work, a starting recipe from Flair, and how to get good shots.

## The short version

- **Espresso by hand**: kettle water, a lever, no pump or boiler.
- **Real espresso pressure**: Flair's manual gives 6 to 9 bar.
- **Flair's starting recipe:** 18 g in, 40 g out, about 30 seconds (Flair 58 Plus).
- **Heat matters**: some models need the brew chamber pre-heating; others don't.
- **A gauge helps** you learn how hard to press.



## How does a manual espresso press work?

It works like a [lever espresso](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/lever-espresso/) machine without the boiler. The coffee sits in a basket, you pour hot water on top, and a **piston** pushed by a **lever** forces the water through the coffee. You supply all the force, so you control the pressure as you go; many models have a **pressure gauge** so you can see it.

Because there's no boiler, **keeping the water hot** is the main challenge. That's why some presses ask you to pre-heat the brew chamber, and some, like the Flair 58 Plus, add an electric pre-heater.

## Popular manual presses

- **Flair:** a range of manual presses. Flair's support page gives a dose range of 16–20 g for the Flair 58 and 16–24 g for the Pro 2.
- **Cafelat Robot:** a lever press made largely of stainless steel with a 58 mm basket. Cafelat says it can reach 9 bar, though it suggests lever machines work best around 6–7 bar.
- **ROK:** another hand-lever espresso maker.

## What do you need?

- **A manual espresso press**, ideally with a pressure gauge
- **A burr grinder** that grinds fine enough for espresso; this matters as much as the press
- **A kettle**, ideally with temperature control
- **Scales** for the dose and the shot

## How do you make espresso with a manual press?

**Flair's starting recipe** for the Flair 58 Plus:

| | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Coffee | 18 g, ground fine |
| Espresso out | 40 g |
| Time | About 30 seconds |
| Pressure | 6 to 9 bar on the gauge |

1. **Heat the water.** Flair says to use water as close to boiling as your kettle gets; Cafelat says just off the boil for the Robot.
2. **Pre-heat if your model needs it**, by filling the brew chamber with hot water, or using the pre-heat on a Flair 58.
3. **Grind, dose 18 g and tamp** evenly.
4. **Add the water** to the level your model's instructions give. For the Robot, Cafelat says 5–8 mm below the basket rim.
5. **Press steadily**, aiming for 6 to 9 bar.
6. **Stop at about 40 g**, in around 30 seconds, and release the pressure before taking it apart.
7. **Taste and adjust** the grind.

![Chart of coffee grind sizes from extra fine to extra coarse, with fine highlighted for the manual espresso press](https://dailyextraction.com/diagrams/grind-size.svg#fine "A manual press uses a fine espresso grind.")

## How hard should I press?

Flair's manual says experienced users brew at **6 to 9 bar**, and warns against going into the gauge's danger zone. Cafelat says the Robot can reach **9 bar** but that lever brewers often do best around **6 to 7 bar**. Because you control the pressure, you can also try styles like a slow pre-infusion, a [blooming espresso](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/blooming-espresso/) pause, or a low-pressure [soup shot](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/soup-shot/).

## Manual press vs lever machine vs pump machine

| | Manual press | [Lever machine](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/lever-espresso/) | Pump [espresso](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/espresso/) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pressure from | Your arm | A spring or your arm | An electric pump |
| Hot water from | A kettle | Its own boiler | Its own boiler |
| Steam wand for milk | No | Usually | Usually |
| Size | Small, often portable | Countertop | Countertop |
| Workflow | Hands-on, shot by shot | Hands-on | Push-button |

## How do you clean it?

Knock out the puck, rinse the basket, piston and chamber, and let everything dry. Follow your model's instructions for replacing seals and gaskets over time.

*General guidance only. Manual presses work with near-boiling water and high pressure: never press beyond the gauge's safe zone, keep the brewer on a stable surface and always release the pressure before taking it apart.*

## Manual espresso vs other methods

- **[Espresso](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/espresso/):** the pump machine version.
- **[Lever espresso](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/lever-espresso/):** a lever machine with its own boiler.
- **[Portable espresso maker](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/portable-espresso/):** small hand-pumped devices for travel.
- **[AeroPress](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/aeropress/):** a hand press that brews at much lower pressure.

Explore every pressure method in the [pressure chapter](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/pressure/).

## Words used in this guide

- [Burr grinder](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/burr-grinder/): A burr grinder crushes coffee between two hard, ridged surfaces called burrs, set a fixed distance apart, so particles come out a consistent size.
- [Tamping](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/tamping/): Tamping is pressing ground coffee down into a firm, flat, even layer with a tool called a tamper.
- [Bloom](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/bloom/): The bloom is the first small pour of water in a brew, usually 2–3 times the weight of the coffee, followed by a 30–45 second pause.
- [Gasket](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/gasket/): A gasket is the rubber or silicone ring that seals two parts of a coffee maker together, such as the top and bottom halves of a moka pot or the group head of an espresso machine.

## FAQs

### What is a manual espresso press?

An espresso maker you power by hand. You heat the water separately, pour it over the coffee in the brewer, then press a lever to force it through. There's no pump or boiler.

### Can a manual press make real espresso?

Yes, if it reaches espresso pressure. Flair's manual describes brewing at 6 to 9 bar, and Cafelat says the Robot can reach 9 bar, though it suggests lever machines work best around 6–7 bar. That's very different from an AeroPress, which brews at much lower pressure.

### What's a good recipe for a Flair?

Flair's starting recipe for the Flair 58 Plus is 18 g of coffee to 40 g of espresso, aiming for about 30 seconds. Its manual says experienced users brew at 6 to 9 bar.

### Do I need to pre-heat a manual espresso maker?

It depends on the model. Flair pre-heats its all-manual models (Classic, 49 Pro and 2GO) with boiling water and brews straight afterwards, while the Flair 58 Plus has an electric pre-heat. Follow your own press's manual.

### Manual press vs lever machine?

Both use a piston pushed by a lever, but a lever machine has its own boiler and keeps the water hot. A manual press has no boiler, so you heat the water in a kettle each time, which makes it simpler and often portable.

### What pressure should I aim for?

Flair's manual gives 6 to 9 bar. Cafelat says the Robot can reach 9 bar but that lever brewers tend to do best around 6 to 7 bar. A gauge makes this much easier to learn.

## Sources

- [Dialing in your Flair 58 Plus manual espresso maker](https://flairespresso.com/blogs/news/dialing-in-flair-58-plus-manual-espresso-maker)
- [Flair 58 instructions manual](https://flairespresso.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/flair_58_manual_january_2022_web.pdf)
- [What’s the recommended dose for espresso?](https://support.flairespresso.com/knowledge/whats-the-recommended-dose-for-espresso)
- [Cafelat Robot](https://www.cafelat.com/robot.html)
- [Robot espresso maker user manual 2.0](https://www.cafelat.com/uploads/1/5/3/6/15367184/robot_user_manual.pdf)
- [Test drive: Cafelat Robot](https://www.baristamagazine.com/test-drive-cafelat-robot/)
- [Preheating for espresso: why, when and how](https://flairespresso.com/blogs/news/preheating-for-espresso-why-when-and-how)