Espresso Machine

I got one. I like it.

It’s my first espresso machine, so I don’t have a great frame of reference. It’s pretty user friendly, pulls great shots. I don’t have any dislikes other than the kind of grindy twist on the portafilter that is a known issue. It’s tactilely displeasing.

I really wanted to like this machine and tbh I still do, but here are a couple of reasons that returned mine for a refund. First off the portafilter does not fit well. feels like metal grinding each time you put it in. Second a couple of times the operating screen blanked out. was able to fix with a restart…not terrible but for this to happen in the first few weeks?? The thing that made me return mine was the grinder continuously (at least once or twice a week over a 3 week period) kept jamming, and then eventually stopped working altogether. no error message just would not work. This is the same beans that I used in my breville barista plus for years, and typically only make one or two espresso drinks per day. Lastly customer service was terrible. After emailing them about the issues I didn’t get a response for a few days. then they wanted me to send a video of the grinder not working. i was informed it would take 3 weeks to fix and had to send it to them. Had to wait for more than a week to get a shipping label so at this point I gave up.

If it’s automation you want, get an Oracle Jet, works very well after the grinder burrs season themselves I also loved the Meeraki’s grind by weight and the rotary pump for that price, but it wouldn’t really automate my morning coffee, so I opted for a Oracle Jet.. If it’s grind by weight and the other nice things, I think the Meraki might be just fine

New owner here after upgrading from the Dedica. The machine is amazing it heats up in about 4 minutes, and within 9–10 minutes you can pull excellent shots. The scales are super helpful for volume extraction. The steam wand is powerful; I can heat 150 ml of milk in about 17 seconds on the highest setting. As for drawbacks, the steam wand is a bit difficult to clean and takes some time to get used to. The drip tray is plastic, and the wand tends to drip milk after steaming, so you’ll need to clean the tray more often or it can start to smell. I was able to get it below retail price, so if you can find a good deal, it’s a no brainer for a double boiler machine. P.S. I use a separate grinder, so I haven’t tried the built in Timemore grinder and can’t judge its performance.

Another tech person here that went down this journey ... I upgraded from a Sage Barista Impress to the Meraki and the machine is great. I loved the quietness from rotary pump, seamless workflow with integrated scales, strong steam wand, and the output was good. However, I've had repeated issues with my machine and the customer service from Meraki isn't great. I'd also recommend watching their descaling video as that's another negative for me: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rj9-ITDFqM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rj9-ITDFqM) P.s. If you do buy the machine, I recommend buying it from Origin. While the customer service from Meraki has been painful, Origin has been fantastic.