I finally tried the Meraki espresso machine — it was love at first brew

Tom's Guide

10 hours ago

There's a lot of buzz around the Meraki espresso machine. This $1,800 dual-boiler machine hit $1.5 million on Kickstarter when it first launched one year ago, and it's since won a RedDot award for kitchen design and an iF Design Award in 2025.
I've been patiently waiting for my turn to test this machine since reaching out to the brand last year, and after a week of brewing with this all-in-one espresso machine, I'm impressed by the quality of the coffee I've been drinking. This machine might have ruined all other espresso machines for me.
A week isn't long enough for me to review a coffee maker this complex and feature-rich. I'll be testing for at least three more weeks before I bring you my full verdict. But in the meantime, here's my first impression of the Meraki espresso machine.
There is a lot to cover about the design of this machine. On specs alone, it's an eye-wateringly good offering. This includes a dual stainless steel boiler, integrated scales on the grinder and group head, a 58mm heated group head, a bottomless portafilter with an attachable splitter feature, a rotary pump, and an integrated TimeMore grinder with 30 stepless adjustments. I can already tell that my full review will be at least 3,000 words.
However, for now, I want to discuss the workflow, starting with the grinder.
Made by TimeMore, the grinder comes with a magnetic dosing cup that sits on a set of integrated scales. I love that the machine grinds by weight, and so far, I'm happy with the consistency and accuracy of the scales and dosing.
The grinding is ultra-quiet (for a grinder) — I measured 71dB when I used my SoundMeter app.
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When grinding is finished, you can tip your dosing cup straight into your 58mm portafilter and use the included distribution tool and tamper (both of which feel incredibly high-quality and weighty) to prepare your puck.
The accessories sit in a wooden display stand, which is a delight to use, and looks awesome in my kitchen. I've got more than my fair share of brewing detritus, and this is a phenomenal storage solution that's accessible enough to use for your daily routine, but looks lovely when not in use.
I started with my trusty Lost Sheep Coffee Big & Bold beans, which are a go-to for my espresso machine testing thanks to their robust dark roast and full-bodied dark chocolate flavor. After a few trial shots, I landed on a grind size of 21 of the TimeMore grinder's 30 stepless settings. This gave me a lot of confidence that the machine could handle lighter roasts on a finer grind size.
Once you're ready to brew, you need to do an obligatory squat to watch your coffee percolate from the bottomless 58mm portafilter. Warning: if you get the white colorway of this machine, prepare to wipe up a fair bit of splashing as you experiment with your grind size and ratio. Mine is sprayed with splashes of coffee on a daily basis, but an ideal shot shouldn't kick up too much mess.
After hitting my ideal extraction, I got to taste a mind-blowingly good shot of dark, rich coffee. My rookie boyfriend has now committed to learn about espresso after tasting just how good a home-pulled shot can taste.
You can tell from the photo alone how amazingly the Meraki brought out the best of my reliable beans. I've used this same blend when testing the Ninja Luxe and the Breville Barista Touch. Both handled it with aplomb, but neither produced an espresso quite this flavorful. It featured the signature golden caramel layer of crema that was practically fizzing with rich flavor.
When I got my SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) qualification, one of the trickiest skills I learned was how to steam on a professional wand.
When a wand can kick up an immense amount of pressure in seconds, you don't have much time to stretch and then aerate your milk. I eventually got the hang of it, but after my training, I then went home and continued to use my more amateur-ready machines. My Breville takes roughly a minute of steaming to hit the ideal temperature and texture, which is great for nervous home baristas who need some time to get to grips with the various stages of steaming milk.
So when I got steaming with the Meraki, I was (almost literally) blown away by the sheer power of its steam wand. It has an in-built thermometer that can automatically shut off when you hit your desired temperature, and my first use, I hit the 53°C / 127°F in under 20 seconds.
You can toggle the strength of the steam milk from Gentle to Medium and even Strong (which is the default, blow-your-socks-off setting). I'm currently getting the best results when using Medium, which gives me a little wiggle room to texturize the milk before the wand shuts off.
But if you're a super-experienced barista who's used a professional-level machine before, the Meraki will make you feel right at home. And if you're still learning? Just toggle your steam settings accordingly.
So far, there are a couple of small tweaks that I think could take the Meraki espresso machine from awesome to God-tier. One is the 'on' button, which sits at the back of the machine. It's quite slow to react, and you have to press it just right to turn the machine on and off. It's a slightly clunky start to using what is an otherwise very sleek machine.
I also thought the included milk jug felt a little cheap compared to the quality of the other accessories included. Perhaps Meraki is assuming buyers will have a preferred jug at home already, and in my case, that's true.
But let's not forget, this is a $1,999 (currently down to $1,699) machine, and it features an awesome integrated grinder, dual stainless steel boiler, weighty and quality portafilter and tamping accessories, and a steam wand that would blow my beloved (and more expensive) Breville off my kitchen counters. It's hard to argue with that.
My full review is in the works now, but if you've been as curious about the Meraki as I was, I'm here to tell you that the hype is real.