A manual espresso machine proves the best coffee-brewing tech is sometimes analog.

Coffee is the original biohack and the nation’s most popular productivity tool. As we adjust to the changeover to daylight saving time, the caffeine-addicted WIRED Reviews team is writing about our favorite coffee brewing routines and devices. Today, contributor Brad Bourque pays homage to his manual espresso maker. Look out for other Java.Base stories about other WIRED writers’ favorite brewing methods.

For me, coffee is as much a nerdy obsession as it is a practical necessity. I dislike maintenance, and I prefer simplicity, but I also need my coffee to be bold and interesting. For years, I used a kettle and Aeropress, which were easy to keep clean and tucked away in a crowded cabinet. My roommates at the time really appreciated that. But when I got a place of my own, I wanted something more substantial, if also still dead simple. The Flair Signature, a manual espresso ...