Meraki Espresso Machine Review

Introducing the Meraki Espresso Machine

Meraki comes from Greek, or Turkish (depending on who you ask), and it means to do something with passion. That is the motto of the chinese, in Shen Zhen based company, and in this blog we will see how that reflects on the product that they have developed. Whatever the case, it has been in development for over 2 years now, and the model I have is the culmination of their efforts thus far. Let’s take a look at its design and features.

Design and Features

Looking at the Meraki, it is essentially three cylindrical towers, one being oblong. The left side is the conical grinder, the middle is the brew group and brew boiler, and the right cylinder encases the steam boiler. On top of the machine sits a circular touch display from which the machine can be operated. Both the brew group unit and steam unit also have paddles on top, that function as boolean switches, either on or off. These paddle switches allow the user to use the brewing and steaming independent of the screen. Too bad the grinder cannot be triggered manually as well.

Below the grinder and brew group, you will see two circular plates. These are the dual scales of the machine, and honestly one of my favorite features. It improves workflow so much, to not have to move a scale back and forth, and even the taring is automatic.

Popping and arching out of the top of the steam boiler is a very large and long gooseneck type of steam wand. This steam wand is awesome. I mean really awesome. It has 3 holes, provides absolutely excellent and dry steam for texturing, and includes a temperature probe in the head, so that you know the current milk temperature as it is heating up. The Meraki also allows for automatic milk steaming, that stops at the set temperature, and since the gooseneck steam wand is so long, you can just point it into the top of the milk surface, and let the machine go to town.

Build Quality

People seem to be most curious about the machine’s build quality. Can it be any good, despite the plastic appearance?

Well, I think it’s important to point out that this machine is made of different materials. For example, the brew and steam boilers are stainless steel, then insulated, and finally jacked with ABS plastic. Insulating the boilers and then jacketing them in plastic allows for the design as you see it. Otherwise, it could have ended up being a simple box shape, like most conventional espresso machines, if they had just put a metal casing around it.

Anyway, aluminum is also on the bill of materials, as the drip tray cover is an aluminum alloy. It seems to be cast, to me. Also, on my model, the grinder chute and brew group portafilter are also aluminum, however these will be switched out to stainless steel with the next version coming in August of 2024.

One very interesting feature of this machine is the color matching. The brew group is actually encased in an anodized aluminum, dyed to exactly the same color as the ABS plastic on the rest of the machine.

The accessories such as the dosing cup, tamper handle, and part of the leveller are also made of aluminum.

Finally, the base of the machine is a riffled ABS plastic, as is the drip tray.

Specifications

Here are the specs of the machine:

• 375 x 375 x 420 mm (width x depth x height)
• 15 kilos in dry weight
• 300 ml and 550 ml stainless steel boilers
• 2 liter water tank
• 2-3 minute start up time (until steam is ready)
• PID control for brew boiler, brew group, and steam boiler
• 2 year warranty
• Designed and made in China

What does the Meraki come with?

Thankfully, the Meraki finally comes with just about everything you need to get started on your espresso journey. All that is really lacking is a knock box. The machine comes with the following:

• 18 gram Meraki branded filter basket
• Stainless steel portafilter with removable spouted bottom
• 350ml milk pitcher
• 58mm tamper
• 58mm leveller
• Barista towel
• Tamping station
• Directions

The Grinder

The grinder is actually a collaboration with Timemore, which is great because Timemore has really made a name for itself in the grinder arena. The conical grinder currently has 30 steps, and an encoder, so that the controller knows where the grinder is set up. In the next batch of machines coming in August, the grinder however should be made stepless, and it will also receive a stainless steel spout instead of the aluminum one in my model.

Another trick up its sleeve is the inclusion of a de-ionizer. This is a super nice feature to keep the grounds fluffy and static free, which helps with workflow. I do also find however that grinders with a de-ionizer are slower in grinding. This one seems to be an exception to the rule however, grinding at about 1.5 grams per second.

Meraki by the way decided to keep the grinder separate from the rest of the machine, on its own column, to keep the beans away from heat and moisture, which is a thoughtful design standpoint, when comparing to a Breville Barista Express, or Lelit for example.

The Brew Group

The brew group actually also has its own PID control, keeping it at a warm, but not hot, temperature. I think I would prefer it to be hotter for my shots, but being just pretty warm to the touch (around 50) is safer, in case you have little hands running around the household.

Out of the brew group extends a hot water outlet as well, which is activated via the circular HMI menu. This can also be programmed for the temperature you need.

The brew group is currently made of aluminum, but will be switched to stainless steel with the next iteration of the machine, coming in August. This should provide a nice solid base to turn the portafilter into, although I have not had any issues at all with my aluminum model.

The Steam Wand

The steam wand on the Meraki is so far the best I’ve used. Up until now, it was the Breville Dual Boiler, that provided me with the best and driest steam for texturing milk, but the Meraki is even better. With its 3 holes, and the aerodynamics of its head design, it’s almost too easy to texture milk! This of course does not guarantee latte art, as the pouring still takes a lot of practice. Nonetheless, the milk texture is excellent, and that is the first step in being able to pour latte art.

Additionally, the steam wand has a thermoprobe at the tip, so that you know the milk temperature (at the surface of the milk, anyway). This also allows it to steam automatically. Just set down your milk canister on the drip tray, position the wand such that the tip is at the surface of the milk, and press “play.”

The Dual Scales and Gravimetric Dosing

Probably my second favorite feature of the machine are the dual scales. I just love how convenient it makes it for me to not have to move and tare my scale between weighing for grinding vs brewing.

This is true gravimetric dosing, meaning that if you choose to stop at 30 grams, the machine weighs the shot and just stops at the desired dose, regardless of flow. This is awesome, because most cheaper machines use a water wheel to count flow, which often leads to inaccurate volumetric dosing.

The Meraki with its gravimetric dosing is on the ball, each and every time.

What about a solenoid, pre-infusion, PID and flow control?

Of course the Meraki comes with a solenoid valve to release pressure off the puck after the extraction.

What the Meraki doesn’t have however, in my opinion, is pre-infusion. You can manually stop the shot after a few seconds, and restart it, but since the solenoid opens, the puck and the pressure above it is lost in the process. Also, there is no low pressure pre-infusion.

As for PID, yes, there are 3. The brew boiler has a PID control, the steam boiler has a PID control, as does the brew group head.

Finally, there is no flow control, and also no pressure read out. No manometer. Therefore, you just have to trust that the system is set at 9 bar. It’s kind of a bummer that there is no option with this smart machine to control flow.

So how does the Meraki perform for Espresso?

I would say that the Meraki performs well for espresso, but I certainly think they designers could get more out of it if they’d implement a real pre-infusion and flow control.

It’s nice that it has the PID, and it hold the temperature pretty stable. The result is a well extracted shot, with nice body and a decent flavor profile, but not really more than that, in my experience so far. I do feel like machines such as the Flair 58, on which you can do pressure profiling, excel at making shots that are more flavorful.

The RFID is a cool feature. It reads the bean profile from a little RFID sticker, and then sets the temperature automatically, as well as the dose amount. It also suggests where on the grinder to set the grind fineness. This is for sure neat, but we’ll have to wait and see how this develops over time, as more and more roasters add their profiles.

How does the Auto-frother do for Milk Foam?

This Meraki steam wand is just sick – maybe the best feature of the machine. It performs great in manual mode, as well as in automatic mode. It’s also easy to clean, as it’s non burn. I really like that it includes a temperature probe, but the best thing is simply how well it gets a whirlpool going, all on its own. It’s just incredibly easy to texture milk with this stem wand.

Competitors to the Meraki?

Some people have been mentioning the new Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier as a contender, but I am not sure the machines are so similar. I will be reviewing that one soon.

I suppose the closest contender to the Meraki would be the Breville Barista Touch Impress, with its included grinder, screen, and excellent steam wand. Of course the BTI is not a dual boiler, and does not include scales. It also doesn’t have RFID.

All in all, I think the Meraki is a very unique product, and I will be very curious to see how it’s accepted by the market, after the Kickstarter campaign.

Pros and Cons of the Meraki.

This is a pretty great espresso machine, at least so far. I think we will have to wait some months and years, to see how the longevity is. But the machine itself and its function, is great.

Verdict

It’s honestly a pretty awesome, ingenuitive machine. I have been having a lot of fun playing with it, and making videos with it. The dual scales are for me a game changer. The rotary pump is more pleasant to hear than a vibratory one. And the milk steamer will really help practice latte art.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen, how the market will receive this product during the Kickstarter phase, and afterwards when it is being sold for the MSRP. I hope for the company that it will be successful, because it performs great!

Videos: