Quick Answer: The Meraki Espresso Machine (Gen 2) ($1,799–$1,999 per Meraki’s own site) pairs a genuine 350ml brew / 550ml steam dual boiler with a built-in 45-setting grinder and dual gravimetric scales accurate to about ±0.2g, so it can weigh your dose going in and your shot coming out. That combination of simultaneous dual-boiler brewing and gravimetric precision usually costs more — the comparable dual-boiler Breville Oracle Touch runs about $2,500 — but the Meraki stays semi-automatic rather than push-button: you still start and stop the shot yourself, just with better feedback than a stopwatch and a bathroom scale.
Meraki is a newer entrant to the prosumer all-in-one category, built around the idea that weighing your grind dose and your espresso yield in real time removes more guesswork than automating the tamp does. Below is our full take on how it performs, what’s actually inside it, and how it stacks up against Breville’s automated Oracle Jet and Oracle Touch. (Shopping the wider all-in-one category? See our best espresso machine with grinder guide.)
Meraki Espresso Machine, by the numbers
| Spec | Meraki Espresso Machine (Gen 2) |
|---|---|
| Price | $1,799–$1,999 (Meraki's own site) |
| Boiler | Dual boiler — 350ml brew / 550ml steam |
| Group head | 58mm E61, heated, PID-controlled |
| Pump | Commercial-grade rotary, 9 bar |
| Grinder | Built-in, 45 settings, CoffeeSense NFC bean scanning |
| Scales | Dual gravimetric, 1kg capacity, ±0.2g precision |
| Warranty / trial | 2-year warranty, 30-day home trial |
The number that matters most here is the dual gravimetric scale system, accurate to roughly ±0.2g per Meraki’s own technical specs — one scale weighs the ground dose going into the basket, the other weighs the shot coming out, so dialing in becomes a repeatable recipe instead of a guess. Pair that with an independent 350ml brew boiler and 550ml steam boiler that let you pull a shot and steam milk at the same time, and you get dual-boiler performance that usually shows up only on machines priced well above $2,000.
The Meraki, tested
Meraki Espresso Machine (Gen 2)
- Dual boiler (350ml brew / 550ml steam) for simultaneous brewing and steaming.
- Built-in 45-setting grinder with CoffeeSense NFC bean-parameter scanning.
- Dual gravimetric scales weigh both grind dose and espresso yield to about ±0.2g.
- 58mm E61 heated group head with PID temperature control and pre-infusion.
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In daily use, the gravimetric workflow is the real differentiator: instead of eyeballing a dose or timing a shot with a stopwatch, the built-in scales show you exactly how many grams went into the basket and how many came out, and you can lock a brew ratio so the machine helps you hit it consistently. The dual boiler genuinely brews and steams at the same time, which single-boiler all-in-ones like the Breville Oracle Jet can’t do. Reviewers at TechRadar and Tom’s Guide both noted the steam wand’s temperature sensing makes milk texturing forgiving even for less experienced users.
Where it’s harder to love: the Meraki is semi-automatic, not push-button. Unlike the Oracle Touch’s tap-and-walk-away workflow, you still place the portafilter, start the shot, and stop the steam wand yourself — the grinder can’t be triggered manually on its own, and some reviewers flagged the guided interface as more involved than buyers coming from a fully automated bean-to-cup machine expect. If what you want is zero manual technique, this isn’t that machine.
How it compares
| Meraki (Gen 2) | Breville Oracle Jet | Breville Oracle Touch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,799–$1,999 | ~$2,000 ($1,999.95 MSRP) | ~$2,500 (Breville MSRP) |
| Boiler | Dual (350ml/550ml) | Single ThermoJet | Dual |
| Grind/dose/tamp | Grinder + gravimetric dose, manual tamp | Fully automated | Fully automated |
| Shot feedback | Dual scales, ±0.2g | Timer-based | Timer-based |
| Best for | Gravimetric precision at the lowest price | Push-button espresso, tightest budget | Push-button espresso, simultaneous brew+steam |
- Get the Meraki if simultaneous dual-boiler brewing and gram-accurate dosing and yield matter more than full automation — see our full best espresso machine with grinder guide for how it stacks up against the rest of the all-in-one field.
- Get the Breville Oracle Jet instead if you want Breville’s fully automated grind-dose-tamp sequence and don’t mind a single boiler that brews and steams one at a time.
- Get the Breville Oracle Touch if push-button automation and simultaneous dual-boiler brewing both matter and the extra ~$500–$700 over the Meraki isn’t a dealbreaker.
Who should buy it
Buy the Meraki Espresso Machine if you want dual-boiler performance and gravimetric dose/yield feedback without paying Oracle Touch money, and you’re comfortable placing the portafilter and starting the shot yourself rather than pressing one button for a finished drink.
Skip it if full automation is the point — the Oracle Jet and Oracle Touch both handle grinding, dosing and tamping without you touching a portafilter, which the Meraki still requires.
The bottom line
The Meraki Espresso Machine is the all-in-one to buy when dual-boiler performance and gravimetric precision matter more than full push-button automation. Its 350ml/550ml dual boiler and ±0.2g dual scales deliver a level of feedback and simultaneous brew-and-steam capability that usually costs $500 or more extra elsewhere, even as it asks you to still pull the shot yourself. Pair it with beans from our best espresso beans guide, or see the wider automated field in our best espresso machine with grinder roundup.