This All-in-One Espresso Machine Replaces Your Grinder, Scale, and Favorite Barista
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The Meraki Espresso Machine sits at the intersection of two major shifts in home brewing. First is the new wave of machines—from the likes of Breville, DeLonghi, and Ninja—that coaches users on everything from grind size to how much coffee to load into the portafilter. The second comes from home baristas and coffee content creators who champion consistency by weighing beans, timing extractions, and measuring shots.
Meraki set out to make a machine to do it all—no compromises. Initially released as a Kickstarter, Meraki ticked off every must-have: a serious grinder that wasn’t an afterthought; a commercial-grade rotary pump and precise PID temperature control for extraction; an integrated scale for ground beans; a shot timer for espresso; a large water tank that doesn’t need to be refilled often; and dual boilers for coffee and steam.
Over the past six months, I tested this machine every single day to discern if it’s a great upgrade or too good to be true.
Meraki Espresso Machine Overall Impressions
After six months and more than 500 shots, the Meraki espresso machine has made me a better home barista. I was already decent, but having every tool—grind weighing, shot timing, yield tracking, and milk temperature—built into one machine removed the hassle and the excuses, letting me finally push my skills to their limit.
Many great espresso machines will tell you if your portafilter is too full, and if your shot is coming out too slow. But that’s still not as precise as knowing exactly how many grams of beans you’re grinding and the exact weight of your espresso shots. That precision makes it easier to dial in whenever you use new beans, and easier to repeat over and over if you’re making drinks for other people. By holding your hand to lead you down the espresso rabbit hole beyond where these other machines go, the Meraki is both a better teacher, and a more effective machine.
Key Features and Tech
Dual Boilers
With a single boiler, you’re stuck watching your crema fade while waiting for the steam wand to heat up. Meraki's dual boilers heat up fast. If you just pulled two double shots of espresso, rest assured the steam boiler will be good and ready for milk.
Stinson Carter
Touchscreen
The touchscreen is intuitive and easy to use to adjust grind size, shot volume, water and milk temperature, and more. There's a timer to turn it on so it’s ready in the morning when you come downstairs.
Rotary Pump
The commercial-grade rotary pump is superior to more common vibratory pumps, providing a steadier, more continuous flow—especially important if you want to use a naked portafilter without spraying coffee on your wall.
Dual Scales
The dual scales, for beans and espresso, work extremely well. The included dosing cup is magnetic to keep it in place on the scale, and I was surprised that no matter what kind of cup I put on the espresso scale before making a shot, the scale could always tare the weight of the cup properly.
Grinder
The grinder was engineered with the company TIMEMORE, and has something called “ion beam anti-static technology,” which generates ions to offset the electrostatic charge that causes grinds to stick to the inside of the grinder chute. Put simply: Your grinder's output is much closer to the input.
NFC Reader
The Meraki also has an NFC reader that can recognize any coffee you scan that's part of CoffeeSense, then automatically set the perfect grind size, dose, and shot volume. I didn’t test out this feature, though, because the bulk beans I use didn’t have the NFC.
Tamper Station
Most espresso machines come with a tamper and a milk frothing cup, but the fact that this also comes with a solid wood tamping station, a dosing cup, and a distributor feels generous; the bundle saves shoppers a couple hundred bucks.
Performance
Stinson Carter
Across my testing period, the Meraki Espresso Machine performed flawlessly, to the point that my scale and pro grinder went unused.
I used the same beans throughout the period for consistency: Big Trouble from Counter Culture Coffee. At one point I had to re-adjust the grind size as I was getting a different flow (extraction) rate with the same beans, but that can change over time depending on the freshness and moisture level of the beans themselves.
The rotary pump makes a noticeable difference, delivering smooth, steady shots with thick crema—without the sputtering you get from machines that demand a perfect grind and ratio. On the milk front, the powerful steam wand makes excellent foam extremely fast. I did find, though, that it needs a little extra time and care to clean it well after steaming.
My only concern with a machine that has so many different features is this also means more potential points of failure. Two issues I encountered were that the coffee bean scale was slightly tilted on the unit I tested, but Meraki swiftly sent me a replacement. Another issue was that the frothing wand temperature gauge on one occasion gave me inaccurate readings, thinking it was hotter than it was and shutting off prematurely. In that situation I used the manual steam lever to get the temperature I wanted. With a 2-year limited warranty, I would buy this machine with confidence that if anything goes wrong, you won’t be skipping your morning espresso for very long before it's fixed.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Powerful steamer | Large size not ideal for small kitchens |
Dual scales and flow rate monitoring makes top tier espresso something anyone can do | Aesthetics may not be for everyone |
Quick pre-heating time | Small bean hopper needs to be filled often |
Massive water tank doesn’t need to be refilled often | The on/off button behind the screen could be better placed |
Comes with dosing cup, milk frothing cup, wood tamping station, distributor, and tamper |
Final Verdict
The Meraki espresso machine retails for $1,799, and is sold directly from Meraki. Color options are white or black. This price puts it in line with some of Breville’s higher-end machines, above most DeLonghi machines, and below the more classic luxe Italian machines like the Rocket Appartamento. With Breville and DeLonghi, you can get touchscreens where you can swipe through different espresso drinks like a Starbucks menu, whereas the Meraki is designed for those who already know what makes a cappuccino different from a latte and just want the best possible version. Compared to the high-end Italian machines, the Meraki may not have the same visual wow factor, but it eliminates the learning curve and widens the margin for error so you’ll make better coffee faster, and you won’t be the only one in your household who can operate it.
Meraki puts all the tools of a high-level home barista in one place. It will transform your understanding of brewing, no matter what machine you use in the future. Some machines give you training wheels; this one gives you a masterclass.
Why You Should Trust Me
I’ve been testing and reviewing home espresso machines for Men’s Journal for the past five years. In that time, I have also interviewed coffee producers, espresso accessory makers, and some of the world’s best baristas. Using the Meraki as my daily driver for a little over six months, I have gotten to know it very well, and to see how it performs over time with fairly heavy use.