Meraki Espresso Machine Review (2026): The Gen 2 Weighs Every Shot and Steams Milk Well

Specs current as of October 2026.

The Meraki weighs every shot, so each one comes out close to the last

An espresso shot tastes the same from day to day when two numbers stay the same: the grams of ground coffee in the basket, called the dose, and the grams of espresso in the cup, called the yield. A common recipe is 18 g in and 36 g out. On the Meraki you set both numbers once. A scale under the grinder stops the grinder when the dose reaches your setting, and a second scale under the cup stops the pump when the yield reaches your target, so your part is tamping and starting the shot. Owners measure the dose landing within 0.1 to 0.2 g of the setting and the espresso within 0.5 to 1 g. One owner who pulls four shots a day calls the results rock solid, and another says his eight-year-old son makes him good cappuccinos on the Meraki.

Owners name the two scales as the reason they bought the Meraki, and even an owner who dislikes the machine overall calls the two scales the best part of the Meraki. The Meraki saves the settings for one coffee, a feature added in a September 2026 software update. A household that switches between a regular coffee and a decaf re-enters the grind and dose for the decaf each time.

A puck screen fixes the wet pucks some owners get

About 15 owners on both generations find the used coffee in the basket, called the puck, comes out wet and sloppy. A puck screen, a thin metal disc laid on top of the coffee before you lock the basket in, gives a firm, dry puck for most owners who tried one, and Meraki sells a 58 mm screen. Grounds collect in the gaps between the grinder, the group and the steam wand, and the drip tray has corners that need a brush.

Owners praise the steam wand more than any other feature

The Meraki steams from a 0.55 L boiler of its own, so you can steam milk while the shot runs. Owners describe the steam as strong and dry, meaning it carries little water into the milk, and more than 20 owners across both generations single it out. You hold the wand and move the jug yourself, and a temperature sensor in the wand shuts off the steam when the milk reaches your setting, so lattes come out at the same heat every time.

The strong steam takes practice. A few owners new to espresso found it hard to control at first, and owners who steam in a small jug find the wide steam tip awkward.

The built-in grinder suits medium and dark roasts

Most Meraki owners agree that the built-in grinder suits medium and dark roasts well. An owner who also owns a separate espresso grinder says that if you enjoy medium roast lattes, the built-in grinder is perfectly fine. Owners who moved from a Breville with a built-in grinder mostly find the Meraki's grinder better.

Light roasts are fruity coffees roasted for a shorter time, and they need a very fine and even grind to taste sweet instead of sour. About ten owners find the Meraki's grinder limited on light roasts, and several of them bought a separate grinder for those coffees. About six owners, two of them on the Gen 2, brew light roasts on the built-in grinder and are happy with the results, including one owner making very light Ethiopian coffees.

Owners find that the grind range varies from one machine to the next. About a dozen owners on both generations found their shots running fast even near the finest setting, or slow near the coarsest. Meraki support sends these owners a video on recalibrating the grinder, and owners report mixed results with it. Run a few shots at the fine end of the dial in your first week, so you know your machine's range while the home trial is still open.

If you drink mostly light roasts, a separate espresso grinder grinds them finer and more evenly, and our guide to the best coffee grinders covers the espresso options.

Find coffee matched to your espresso machine → Our quiz matches you with fruity, balanced or chocolatey coffees from independent Canadian roasters, roasted fresh and shipped every month.

Gen 1 owners with a year of use mostly report few faults

The first Meraki machines reached buyers in December 2024, so the longest owner reports run about 18 months. Gen 1 owners at a year or more mostly report the machine working well. One owner reports 18 trouble-free months, and an office of 12 people has run one daily for more than six months.

Four faults recur. Water leaks around the portafilter on some machines, and the leak usually stops when the handle is locked in further or the rubber seal (the gasket) is replaced. The steam wand's temperature sensor fails on some machines. A pump wire can come loose in shipping, and fixing it means taking off the bottom plate and pressing the plug back in, which one owner says took two minutes. On a few machines the pump stopped drawing water or lost flow within the first months, and Meraki replaced the machine or took it back for repair. Meraki mails gaskets and wands to owners for free.

About 12 Gen 2 owners reported a fault between August and October 2026: brew scales that stopped reading, a pump that failed at two months, a screen that went black, leaks at the group and a grinder that stopped partway through a dose. The number of Gen 2 machines sold is unknown, so those 12 reports have no base to measure a failure rate against, and owners with a problem are the ones most likely to post about it on a forum. Meraki says the Gen 2 uses the same boilers and pump as the Gen 1. Use the machine every day during the 30-day trial, because a fault that shows up in that window is the easiest one to get replaced.

Meraki ships orders in Canada from a Canadian warehouse

The Meraki comes with a 30-day home trial and a 2-year warranty that covers parts and pays the repair shipping both ways. Meraki runs its own store for Canada and ships those orders from a warehouse in Canada, usually in 3 to 7 business days. The model sold in Canada runs on a standard 120 V kitchen outlet. Meraki says it has authorized service centres in Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia, and several espresso shops in Canada also sell the machine.

Owners deal with Meraki mostly by email, and Meraki's site now lists a toll-free number. Replies take from a day to more than a week. The usual outcome is a free part by mail with a video showing how to fit it, or a replacement machine for a bigger fault. In the first 30 days, owners with a fault usually received a replacement machine. After the first 30 days, a machine that has to go back for repair is away for 4 to 8 weeks by owner reports, though Meraki still sends some owners a new machine for a fault found later. One owner in Canada with a small leak at three months had a return label within three days and was offered a new machine, and he calls the support top notch. Some owners who sent a machine back for a refund were charged a restocking fee or the return shipping, so read the trial terms before you order.

The Gen 2 adds grind settings and takes standard portafilters

Meraki lists three hardware changes for the Gen 2, plus a choice of nine languages on the screen. The grinder has 45 settings instead of 30, with 10 more at the coarse end and 5 more at the fine end. The group now takes the standard 58 mm handles sold by other brands, known as E61-style portafilters, including bottomless portafilters, which have an open base so you can watch the shot. The shower screen, the metal plate that spreads water over the coffee, is redesigned.

The most common Gen 1 complaint was the portafilter: about 35 Gen 1 owners found Meraki's own portafilter very tight and gritty to lock in at first, and almost all say it eased within a few days to a month. The Gen 2 has a new group, and owners have yet to report on how its handle feels. Owners disagree about the Gen 2 grinder: one Gen 2 owner says it improved a lot, and two Gen 1 owners believe it is the same burr set with more steps. Meraki now sells only the Gen 2. The warranty covers machines bought from Meraki or its dealers, so a second-hand Gen 1 may come with no warranty.

Buy the Meraki for consistent espresso and lattes from one machine

The Meraki suits a home or small office where several people make drinks and want the machine to do the weighing. Owners report that newcomers learn the Meraki quickly: one owner moved from 12 years of Nespresso and was pulling shots in a short time, and in the 12-person office most of the people new to espresso now make their coffee on the Meraki. The Meraki also suits someone who drinks lattes and cappuccinos most days, because the steam is the part owners praise most.

If you drink mostly light roasts, a separate espresso grinder grinds them finer and more evenly. The Lelit Bianca, a dual boiler machine that owners have kept running for years, pairs with any grinder you choose.

Meraki vs Breville Oracle Jet: consistency against hands-off milk

The Breville Oracle Jet also combines a grinder and an espresso machine at a similar price, and its grinder has 45 settings. The Oracle Jet grinds for a set time, presses the coffee to a set level in the basket on its own, and stops the shot by time or by volume. Its steam wand is automatic: the wand sets the foam and the temperature, up to 75°C, and you can pick settings for dairy, soy, almond or oat milk. One fast heater serves brewing and steam, so the Oracle Jet steams the milk after the shot, and it is ready to brew about three minutes after you switch it on.

The most common Oracle Jet complaint, from about 30 owners, is that shots vary at the same settings, running 25 seconds one time and 42 the next, and a shot that runs faster or slower tastes different. The Meraki weighs the dose and stops every shot at the same weight of espresso, so the amount in the cup stays the same from shot to shot. On milk, an owner who returned an Oracle Jet for a Meraki calls the Meraki's steaming far better, while Oracle Jet owners whose spouses and children make their own lattes value the automatic wand. A Meraki owner who works at a shop that sells the Meraki, and has used both machines, says the Breville is more beginner friendly and the Meraki more consistent.

The Meraki and the Oracle Jet each carry a 2-year warranty. Owners of each machine find its built-in grinder suits medium and dark roasts best. For the Oracle Jet against the Meraki and the Lelit Bianca on accuracy, reliability and milk, see Meraki vs Breville Oracle Jet vs Lelit Bianca, and for the rest of Breville's range, which Breville espresso machine is right for you.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Meraki espresso machine worth it?

For someone who wants espresso and milk drinks from one machine and drinks medium or dark roasts, owners rate the Meraki's two scales and its steam wand highly, and newcomers learn it quickly. If you drink mostly light roasts, a machine paired with a separate espresso grinder suits you better.

What is the difference between the Meraki Gen 1 and Gen 2?

The Gen 2 Meraki has 45 grind settings instead of 30, a group that takes standard 58 mm E61-style portafilters (the handle that holds the basket), and a redesigned shower screen, the metal plate that spreads water over the coffee. Meraki says the boilers and pump are the same as the Gen 1, and Meraki now sells only the Gen 2.

Can you buy the Meraki espresso machine in Canada?

Yes. Meraki sells the Meraki from its own store for Canada and ships it from a warehouse in Canada, usually in 3 to 7 business days. The model sold in Canada runs on a standard 120 V outlet and comes with the 2-year warranty and 30-day home trial.

For more, see our guides to the best espresso machines for your home and whether a dual boiler espresso machine is worth it.

The Meraki makes its best espresso from freshly roasted beans

Our quiz asks a few questions about how you drink coffee, then picks each month's beans to match.

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