The NEWTON BRÜA Espresso is Beautiful... but is it A Flair Killer?
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- Опубліковано 20 жов 2024
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Thanks for those who joined the live! I try to respond to every comment - so drop your thoughts below! ✍️
yes, it would be interesting uncut experience of what is good or bad about brewer/coffee brewing tools.
I think that live-streaming coffee has a niche that’s still being carved out; much like how music producers stream sessions. Knowledgeable, talented, and articulate coffee enthusiasts will continue to advance the community and industry alike with content like this.
This is the most complete showcase I've seen of this brewer. Please consider making a more in-depth review of it as it's especially unique! Thanks for the quality content as always!
Taste. It just makes delicious coffee.
Not sure why anyone would buy this over the Flair P2, no pressure gauge, no room for a small scale, not really any cheaper all things considered, and it's a lot easier to pre-heat the Flair brew chamber as you can take it off and sit it on your stove top kettle/in boiling water.
Fair points!
with that design it should be cheap. It looks beautifully simple, the design is without fuss, it's just pure basic function.
paying 300 for that makes just no sense to me. I totally get that it's still engineered and all of that needs proper compensation. But I just payed $100 for a flair neo and I would not pay more for this one here.
@@ruolbu in these days simple and sleek designs will cost you tenfold.
Brave man doing a live manual pull! Appreciate you treading new ground with live content like this. Very inspiring!
Thanks fam! Means the world!
Absolutely bang on. Beautiful piece of gear. Had mine since they released and use it almost daily without any problems. I love the flexibility it provides. Brilliant, consistent shots and looks beautiful on my benchtop 👌🏻👌🏻 Love your work Kyle!
Thanks for watching Jesse!
Brua looks realy nice, but it just cant compete with the Flair IMO... I can fit scale under the Flair no problem, I can preheat it much better by using steam, it gives me the pressure control and bigger shots. Brua is just starting tho, hope it'll grow just like the Flair did.
Well said!
Bro no one gets cleaner b roll than you! I know how much pride you take in your videography and wanted to let you know how dope I think it is.
Appreciate it lance! Even in live streams, I gotta get that juicy footage in 👍🏼
I was looking at these in the shop and found your review. I love the design on this and actually love how this does not have pressure / temp gauges. Regarding your comments, everything is a tradeoff. Increasing the basket to 58mm is a 25% increase in area and thus you would need a longer handle to get the same pressure.
Increasing the cylinder for the 58mm basket may actually make it hold enough water, but raising the cylinder also raises the top of the lever. So whereas it is just slightly uncomfortable to press now, a longer, higher handle may make it really difficult to press on a bench top.
I also would like to see a 58mm basket, but I think the 51mm may have been the compromise to make the ergonomics work.
I love how small this is, can’t wait till it’s back in stock. I already have a brim espresso machine that uses a 51mm portafilter so this would be a wonderful addition
Hey Tina! Glad to hear it!
Kyle! Finally someone reviews this. Thanks! Next: a Londinium🥵
Maybe! Thanks for watching!
For 51mm basket, the design of a short lever would make it a bit too much effort to hit 8 bar consistently. It's quite obvious when you compare it to a La Pavoni. As a casual machine it might not matter that much, but for someone who is serious about cup quality, a Flair Pro or a Europiccola can be quite a bit easier to hit the desire pressure and brew temp. With less features and not necessarily better cup quality, it's hard to justify the price tag.
Thanks, Just from the look of it, I would say it’s a real bummer you can’t fit our normal espresso scales underneath it and the type of glass and cups we use. I understand they did not make it 58mm the Flair58 is really a point of case why, it requires a really long lever arm to get enough leverage. I could see you where somewhat struggling with just 51mm (no wonder it it delivered 9bar) a 58mm oh boy not really something I would wanna do, so glad they didn’t. Personally it’s much prettier then the old flairs but as a daily driver, no I simply think the lack of scale and pressure reading and look
to be ergonomically a bit of a nightmare so it is to much a compromise, I would even find it hard to live without a real portafilter with 58mm basket, when you first owned that it’s hard to go back. For me this is more like a secondary brewer and not a daily driver because of the reason above, but it’s certainly pretty and I’m sure the espresso is amazing.
Great thoughts here. Well said! It’s not for everyone but I truly believe some will love their experience with the Newton.
Haven’t been able to catch either stream live, but I love the idea, and the resulting replays!
Glad to hear it!
If this was 5% larger, it could use a 58mm basket,you could use standard accessories, would have a larger shot volume, and there'd be enough space for a standard coffee scale.
That would be perfect and I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
This is a nice machine.
Changes:
1. Locking portafilter. I don't like the screw-in portafilters.
2. Could add four 1-inch feet, which would add room for cups and a scale.
Great suggestions!
Whoaa so glad you reviewed this, I've been curious about it for a few months now but haven't seen anyone else post about it. Thanks for the content!!
My pleasure
The only criticism that resonated with me was the ergonomics of pulling the shot. Having to hold it down seems like a flaw, although I think based on body positioning this can mostly be minimized. Otherwise, it seems it could arguably be the best minimal manual espresso brewer out there. That is if you use it as designed. Looks like you can easily get by with no scale or pressure gauge, maybe not even a shot mirror. But if you want flexibility, like to experiment, or want to get more precise with your manual brewing, you might end up with something like the Flair. Overall, I'd say it great that we have so many options and glad to now include the Brua as one of them.
Well said! Thanks for the comment!
Great video mate! It’s an awesome little espresso maker, and I have a set of travel scales that are (tbh) as fast as my Acaias that fits perfectly! They cost about $20 AUD as well :)
As an Antipodean, I love that it’s made in New Zealand as well. It’s something I love to say when I talk about the Brua and something that I think is so cool and important.
What the name of the 20$ weight?
Thanks for watching friend! Totally agree - a small scale would fix that issue. No need to spend big money either! I’ve linked a $10 scale in the description for those who care.
Aluminum is an odd choice for the brew chamber. Since it conducts heat fairly well, it will heat up faster, but also cool off faster. Seems like one would want it to retain heat to keep a more consistent shot temperature.
Rest of the design is just unforgivably bad. Short arm, bad workflow, short legs asking to tip, and narrow legs preventing use of scales. Completely unacceptable since manual espresso machines are not new and you can literally look at a multitude of other machines that do it right. Just shows incompetence or lack of care.
I would just cut the feet off and weld a wider taller set of feet on (or U base). But actually i like the idea of letting go of the ocd and just pressing an espresso by eye and feel.
I like being able to just pack up the flair. Also, how do you clean that thing?
4:40 I beg to differ on aluminum being "a good heat conductor that holds heat well" You are correct about it being a good heat conductor, but not correct about it holding the heat, a good example to use is take a stainless steel coffee mug and an aluminum coffee mug, fill them both with Hot water. once you dump out the hot water from both the aluminum mug will cool down much faster because its good at dissipating heat, not holding heat. that's why CPU's on a computer use an aluminum block to cool down the cpu because it can rapidly dissipate the heat. I personally would not recommend this product, on top of it being aluminum , it looks like it has a lot of potential points of failure based on the design.
Fair enough! All that being said - I’ve had no issues with this brewer in regard to hear retention. Or very little in the least. As long as you pre-heat as described. So while this all makes sense in theory, in use it works very well. But I respect your thoughts here Patrick! Thanks for the comment!
How do you clean it between cups?
I heard you mention you don't want to push all of the water out on the Flair 58.
Why is that? I have had one and have been pushing the water through and get a slight pop at the end when the water has been emptied. I do that second push with the water after stopping the flow on my original shot.
Live, unedited Kyle is awesome!
Glad you enjoyed!
Bought a Flair Pro 2 a few months ago that got me into the home brewing game and I absolutely love it. I love the pressure gauge, would love to get my hands on a flair 58.
It’s a great brewer isn’t it?
Kyle: it uses the same basket as the La Pavonis, so you can use the same accessories!
Me, with a 49mm La Pavoni from the 60s: 🥲
Badly needed review!!
Those Kruve glasses tho! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
They’re 🔥
I have been saving for a robot and now you have my attention on the newton. To me the flair pro workflow is a turn off. Curious how the thermal management on the newton compares to the robot.
The robot is superior in thermal management. But both are great in their own way.
Wanna know more compare with robot too.
have you looked into the rok?
The robot not needing to preheat is my number one reason to have it over the flair and newton. For lighter roasts I just put the portafilter over the steam vents on my Stagg while I grind. No need to waste water and it gets plenty hot enough from the steam.
The lack of accessories for the robot vs the other 2 is a pro or con depending on who you are imo. Personally I'm sure it's saved me money that I definitely would've spent given the chance.
Which tiny Amazon scale are you talking about? The one that Lifestyle Labs recommends?
Really neat brewer! Thanks for showing it
I'll add a link in the description.
Great to see a Kiwi company on your UA-cam!
Glad to share it!
is this 1080p because it's video from a live? I miss the 4K goodness.
Yeah that’s the reason.
There's an orange version! Cute.
Yes there is!
"This is not a comparison video, we're just going to ... see how it compares"
Chill 😅
You should review the 9barista
I should!
Kyle, the one manual espresso brewer that I believe set the stage for the new breed of brewers is the La Pavoni. When will we see a full review and comparison??? :)
Good question! hopefully soon!
No drip tray?
Hey Kyle, great Video as always, can you consider the Strietman ct2, it s very similiar to the Newton but in my opinion more accomplished, and brings everything to become a daily driver
Yes it’s quite the brewer! If there’s enough interest for sure!
I still don’t know who’s saying they don’t like the look of the Flair 58. Such a pretty machine
It looks good from 10' away. It really is made with near bottom of the barrel metalwork though. Especially by 2021 standards where its getting cheaper and cheaper to cast things that don't look cheap.
Great review. I’d pass on this. I can’t believe it’s more expensive than t pro 2. Hell no. Lol I think it’s ugly, probably poor heat control and the issue with the scale. I’d pay $150-200 max. Reminds me of a guitar stand I used to own. Also that tiny handle makes you work harder. No way.
Fair enough! To each their own!
It’s an interesting looking brewer ! Looks like the love child of a flair & a robot. The feet remind of a school chair and the handle was stolen from the caretakers mop. I’m not selling my flair anytime soon.
😅 interesting thoughts!
Hi Kyle, how about cleaning the brua?
Easy.
Now I am confused which one should I get. Flair 58x or this? I feel like I I should wait for Brua to update to 58mm or second generation of flair 58.
I think the robot and the flair 58 are still the best
@@Matpermad That means I have to wait for some updates
I absolutely love the minimalist design of the Brüa and can appreciate the travel friendliness of the Flair.
But when it comes to actually making quality espresso and having a good time doing it, for me the Cafelat Robot blows them out of the water.
I considered buying a Flair but the workflow is just too messy and too much faff.
The small chamber on the Brüa would be an issue for me and I could see myself getting all messy pouring water into it from my regular kettle.
And the action itself seems a bit jerky and hard to control from what I can tell from this video.
Upgrading the Brüa to a standard 58mm portafilter would necessitate a much longer lever to be able to generate 9 bars of pressure.
This in turn would require longer protruding 'prongs' of the base for stability. I believe it could lose much of its minimalist and visually balanced charm in the process.
On the Robot, the only materials coming into contact with your brew are stainless steel and food grade silicon.
The workflow is very easy, straightforward and fast and the lever action is very controlable and tactile.
I do have a very cheap small scale that fits between the Robot's legs, but even its flat profile still limits cup height.
The easiest way to work around this is calculating the necessary water going in, which is very easy to weigh on any scale with Robot's detachable 58mm portafilter.
After tackling the first learning curve, you can repeatably and consistently produce excellent shots in a variety of recipes with the Robot.
By the way, I personally prefer regular videos over live stream, but that's just me.
Otherwise a very interesting and enjoyable video, keep up the good work!
Thanks for these detailed thoughts! Much appreciated.
The robot is definitely a brewer with incredible quality - it’s hard to beat. Each brewer is unique in their own way.
Live streams won’t always be the way I do things - but it enables me to put more content out without having to edit.
There has to be a way to modify citrus juicers for espresso lol
@kyle Roswell do you have a coffee that you keep returning to buy. Or is it a secret
I love experimenting with local roasters and supporting roasters doing unique and great things.
@@KyleRowsell Iv tried my local roasters on an off over the last 5 years an it’s hard to find them sweet flavors. Mostly just robusta tasting espresso. Compared to ordering from Cali. Maybe it’s because I live on boarder of Canada
@@POLARISMAN81 have you tried roasters like brandywine, lumanious or onyx coffee labs?
@@POLARISMAN81 I have a small roasting company now. But before that, I never bought "espresso" beans to make espresso with. I've gotten all my sweetest shots from light/medium arabicas from local roasters...origin dependant
I can imagine the biggest issue with this would be light roasts, you'll not be able to get the brew chamber hot enough for proper extraction, no?
You can - yes. Double heating like I did helps. But like any manual brewer preheating can be it’s downfall
"This is not a comparison video" "just talking about how it compares to the flair 2" 😀
A good watch though, and great to see a kiwi company making some waves.
Haha. One of the downsides to lives - sometimes I’m flying by the seat of my pants!
Personally, I think the Flair looks Much better. The Brua doesn't look as beefy.
$9 jewelry scale does the job for my Robot. I can fit two of them in there🙃
*You can use your scale with a small block of wood. It'll be weird using that tall cup but it'll work.
*The nine bar claim is odd. Does the arm break above 9 bars? Is there a seal blowout above 9 bars? With my Robot, I can pull 12 bar shots without too much trouble as I'm heavy enough to just lean on it. I don't want shots like that but it happens with trying to dial in beans. I've choked shots at 15bars and I'm certain I'd be able to pull a 15bar shot if I weighed an extra 50lbs
Those cheap scales are hard to beat for value 😅 as for their claims - I can’t speak to that. But the shots have been fantastic so I’m honestly not too worried
@@KyleRowsell I have a $13 scale(bigger one) that I use for french pressing that's nearly 20 years old. Never had a single issue with it. Would be nice is similarly cheap espresso machines worked that well🙃 Hopefully someone figures out a way to add a pressure gauge to this that's not too hard for laymen to do at home
Every downside you mention in this video for the Brua is literally a deal breaker for me. I noticed the entire lever handle is made from wood and it looks like it’s connected by a single bolt. I can see the handle around the bolt wearing down and breaking? Idk. I use the Flair Pro2 and I have my gripes with it. Worrying that the handle might break off is not one of them.
The handle is all metal inside. Wood is just on the exterior.
What the hell do you even need a scale for in the first place? Just use an espresso cup that you’re familiar with and always fill it to the same spot. That’s all you need to do.☕️
Interesting looking. Beautiful? Not my idea of refined design. Looks like a lot project available from the back of Popular Mechanics magazine. But hey, as you mentioned, it's subjective.
Exactly! We each share differing opinions!
Glassware - what are those double wall glasses????
Those are the Kruve Imagine glassware
This is not a comparison video rather this is a review comparing between the two........BRUH
Ha... sorry about that.
It's beautiful but I wish these lever brewer companies would use insulated water chambers.
Fair enough!
The new Leverpresso has an insulated brew chamber.
@@leroythecoffeegeek4611 That's a really cool looking device... although maybe just a bit too phallic for my liking! Shame there doesn't seem to be any space for some scales when using the stand but I'm sure there are ways around that.
Kind of a big oversight in the design that you can’t fit a scale IMO
It’s not ideal. Again - it does depend on how large your scale is.
orea v3 casually laying at the back
👀
where is it made?
… Hong Kong.🙃
@@KyleRowsell I think you'll find its made in New Zealand :)
@@abbyandfraser I’m pretty sure I made this very clear in the video… no? 😅
nice review and interesting brewer but i don't see future for this product. to compete with Flair you need to be cheaper or better. it looks good enough for me but it is expensive for what it is. Considering issues you highlighted and extras that Flair has i think not many peole willbuy it. btw i don't own nor i'm interested in buing either of them. i'm very happy with my moded Gaggia Classic
One thing to keep in mind - these are hand made in New Zealand. Something the flair just… isn’t. But I agree it’s not cheap!
I like seeing the competition… but after your review… I'm glad I bought my Flair Pro 2 a few months ago. To my eyes it's more beautiful. And the lack of a pressure gauge would bother me with the BRÜA. But here's hoping this pushes both companies to better innovation.
Well said! Thanks for watching.
aluminum?? :-( Coffee is an acidic beverage. Put a hot acidic beverage into an aluminum container and guess what happens? Small amount of aluminum dissolves into the solution. Looks like the portafilter basket is stainless, so that's a good thing. So it's just the brew chamber that is aluminum? What's in the brew chamber is just very hot water. The acidic beverage that is espresso happens in the portafilter and gets pressed out from there. Probably not much in the way of acidity makes its way up into the brew chamber while you're pressing the shot, so the aluminum may not be a big deal. Still, I'd prefer stainless steel.
It’s coated.
Attachment to the base or legs. A horseshoe would work. ;)
Cost to much. To much time to make.
It's different for sure. Wireless cup-O-coffee.
You need a glow plug.
It looks nice but flawed, just like my Pro 2 and my 58, and my regular espresso machine, and my niche, and everything else I own.
Ha! We’re all waiting for that perfect brewer!
Aluminum components at this price? Aluminum is easily absorbed in water and food. Not good. Also, the noise that the lever makes is kinda off-putting.
If it was all-steel and priced under $200, that would be the fair price and a good purchase
raise up the music level a little bit
I'll take the flair.
All these steps makes it pretty impractical
Fair enough! It’s not for everyone. 😁
This company is trying to charge $650 for this product two years later. This is obscene, don’t do buy their products!
This should have been 100$ tops
"Hey let's make an espresso brewer!" "Ok but let's not make it wide enough or give enough clearance for scales and taller glassware." How can anyone even begin to think about making an espresso brewer these days without giving these two issues top consideration? Screams weak design to me, even so much as they don't know what they're doing.
6:38 You are full of stress at this moment, man. Relax please ;)
Just a reminder that Canada has influencer marketing laws and UA-camrs are legally obligated to disclose brand sponsorships and advertising, per the Competition Bureau. This video reads like an ad. If you got free product from them that counts as payment and created a transactional relationship.
Not an ad. If it was - why would I be so critical?
600 dollars. you gotta be kidding me. hipsters really destroyed the coffee world didn't they. nobody can tell me this thing is worth 600 dollars.
But it’s not $600
@@KyleRowsell ah, my bad. just saw that it's in new zealand dollars. but that's still 363 USD. still a ridiculous price for this thing if you ask me. if I had to guess I would probably have said 80 dollars or something like that. but coffee equipment seems completely overpriced in general. just got into it and want to buy an espresso machine and a grinder. and especially the pricing on the grinders is completely mental. but this one certainly takes the cake.
@@themightypotato3857 yeah it’s not cheap. No argument there. To be fair it is hand crafted in New Zealand. But to each their own!
You kinda lost me with all the time you wasted after preheating. Must've been close to close to 3 minutes.
Federico Fellini.
Get on with it
Looks like an aeropress with a lever. Im not super convinced
The opening montage was really nice - pity the focus was all over the place, and basically never spot on
Not sure if this is a compliment or complaint. For live streams I throw together a montage just for countdown. The quality is never what it is for my main videos
@@KyleRowsell Complaint is definitely too harsh a word!
It was well framed and cut with an eye for composition and transitions. The off focus was a minor bummer, nothing more
9:30 that's a lot of channeling, perhaps pre-infusion wasn't enough and very likely too high pressure
One of the flaws of a live pull. The coffee wasn’t fully distributed and properly dialed in. But… it tasted great 🤷🏻♂️
@@KyleRowsell yes that's not an issue, but you need to be honest with your audience. I can't trust your reviews imo
@@Cenot4ph - I literally said this while pulling the shot. How does this have anything to do with the validity of my reviews?
@@Cenot4ph pulling a LIVE shot - you can’t get more honest friend. Consider the context before challenging someone so blindly.
@@KyleRowsell i challenge the fact you think it's good coffee when you had so many issues with the shot. How can I trust you to review taste and equipment properly?
It's fine it is live, but you have to call it as it is and tell people on the spot and not gloss over it.
You blame me, but you should evaluate yourself imo on how you do these reviews instead of attacking me for calling it as I see it.
600 bucks
no thanks
It’s $360. I said this in the video 👍🏼
@@KyleRowsell that's not what it says on the website. Anyways I still don't really see any advantages even at 360. The nomad is 230... Holds way more water and is more portable. It probably had more temp stability as well.
@@KingMinosxxvi you’re reading the NZ prices. But yes the nomad is interesting!
The price of this is ludicrous. Anyone who can think straightly will buy a Flair 58 instead.
But the flair is almost twice the price? 🤔
I had the same thoughts before I jumped on one. Can say I have definitely had my money's worth 👏
@@KyleRowsell $599 nzd = ~400 usd (not including shipping) and the Pro2 is $325 USD.
@@MikeTheBlueCow their website has usd pricing as an option. And it’s $360.
It’s not cheap 😅 but this is its price.
@@KyleRowsell Ah, they really hide that at the bottom.. Still Flair is not twice the price and is still less expensive. They are comparable at least..
I'd be more interested in this thing if it were more around $40, which is probably already more than x10 the cost of manufacturing this thing. It's made from pieces of thin metal tubes, welded together, pretty much the easiest and cheapest kind of manufacturing there is. The fact that they'd price this at $300 screams greed. What are you even doing comparing this piece of scrap metal to Flair?
Rather work a few extra hours and buy a double boiler machine from a decent builder. Who has time for this bullshit in the morning or any other time,
Woah… aggressive
Nice demo, but in a world where the name of God is James Hoffman I need his approval first…