Gen 1 vs Gen 2: Which One Amazon Sells
Meraki launched the machine through crowdfunding in 2024, and Barista Magazine reports that its Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns raised nearly two million US dollars. The second generation went on pre-order in March 2026, according to TechRadar, and Meraki's own store now lists only Gen 2, in black or white. Coffee Kev, who has used both, lists the hardware changes: a new grinder module with a wider range in both directions and 45 reference points instead of 30; a group head that is now E61 compatible, so standard 58mm portafilters fit; a better-fitting gasket on the optional spout; and two-stage water distribution with a new shower screen and dispersion plate. Software changes, including tweaks to temperature control and settings that survive unplugging, also reached Gen 1 owners over Wi-Fi. The Amazon listing describes 45 marked grind settings and an E61-compatible 58mm portafilter, which are Gen 2 features, so this review is about Gen 2. Several detailed tests, from Tom's Guide, Kaffeemacher, Barista Magazine and Tom's Coffee Corner, were on Gen 1, and we say so wherever we use them.
Grinder and Dosing by Weight
The grinder sits in its own tower on the left, away from the boilers, and grinds into a magnetic dosing cup resting on the first scale. You set a dose, it stops at that weight, and you tip the cup into the portafilter. Meraki states the scales hold up to 1 kilogram and are accurate to within 0.2 grams, and Kaffeemacher's measurements on Gen 1 agreed: doses stayed within about 0.2 grams and shots stopped within about a gram of target. Adjustment is stepless, with 45 marked reference points on Gen 2. Meraki does not publish the Gen 2 burr size; Tom's Coffee Corner reported 37mm conical burrs on Gen 1. The grinder is where the evidence divides. Tom's Guide gave the Gen 1 grinder an A+ for low static and little clumping, while Kaffeemacher measured its particle distribution among the worst of more than 70 espresso grinders it has tested and found that lighter coffees tended to taste sour and thin or bitter and over-extracted. Coffee Kev says the Gen 2 grinder goes clearly finer and that he dialed in a dense light roast without trouble, but no one has published particle measurements for the Gen 2 grinder yet. Kaffeemacher also questioned why a hopper-fed machine makes you grind into a cup first.
Shots, Pressure and Temperature
Behind the grinder are a 350 ml stainless steel brew boiler, a 550 ml steam boiler and a rotary pump that Meraki rates at 9 bar, with PID control on both boilers and a separately heated group. Pre-infusion is adjustable; Kaffeemacher reports a duration you set at 3 or 4 bar. Tom's Coffee Corner lists the lack of a pressure gauge and of flow control among its cons, so you trust the pump setting rather than watch it. Kaffeemacher measured brew temperature settling within about 2 degrees Celsius in continuous use and the pump at about 57 dB, and TechRadar recorded 65 dB on Gen 2. Shot reports are consistent once the grind suits the coffee. TechRadar described a stable caramel crema and very repeatable shots on Gen 2 after settling on grind setting 10, and Barista Magazine went from a 25-second first shot to 32 seconds with one grind change on a light-roast Honduran coffee. TechRadar's first two Gen 2 shots ran too fast and then too slow before it realized how fine the grinder goes. Kaffeemacher found its Gen 1 machine pulled much better shots from a separate high-quality grinder, which suggests the boilers and pump are not the limit.
Steam & Milk
Steam is the feature every tester singles out. The wand has a temperature probe in the tip, so you set a target temperature and it shuts off there, with you holding the jug or hands-free. Coffee Kev says hands-free steaming works well with about 180 ml or more of milk in the supplied jug. Power is high: Tom's Guide found full steam heats milk in under ten seconds and moved to Medium, one of three strength settings, to give itself time to texture, while Kaffeemacher heated 600 ml of cold milk to about 60 degrees Celsius in roughly 40 seconds with silky microfoam. Tom's Coffee Corner measured only 14 grams of water added while steaming 175 ml of milk, which is very dry steam. With separate boilers you can brew and steam at once, although Coffee Kev found the screen will not show the shot timer during auto-steaming without switching views, and Tom's Guide found itself waiting for the shot to finish before starting steam from the single display. No tester reported results with named plant milks; TechRadar says it frothed a range of milks without losing pressure. We rate it four of five for plant milk on the strength of a powerful, adjustable manual wand, with that caveat. Kaffeemacher found milk bakes onto the tip easily, and Coffee Kev found milk collecting under the drip tray cover after purging.
Build, Cleaning & Repairs
Meraki gives the size as 370 by 370 by 415 millimeters and the weight as 14.5 kilograms, the same figures TechRadar reports, with a 2-liter tank and a bean hopper TechRadar found holds about four double doses. Tom's Coffee Corner's teardown found a body mostly of ABS plastic, with stainless steel boilers, wand and portafilter and an anodized aluminum group casing. Opinions on the finish split. TechRadar and Tom's Guide found the accessories, including the tamper, distributor and wooden stand, high quality. Kaffeemacher found the Gen 1 housing mostly plastic and the brew lever and display mount flimsy, and its unit arrived with a chip in the coating. Kaffeemacher also had to remove 13 screws to reach the grinder's calibration and concluded the machine is not designed for owner repair. Tom's Guide found the curved towers hard to wipe between and the bottomless portafilter splashy, and its Gen 1 box had no water filter, which matters because Meraki advises water below 60 ppm hardness. Daily cleaning is a wand purge and a wipe; backflushing uses the blind basket with an on-screen walkthrough, and TechRadar found its deep clean easy.
Who It's For, Heat-Up & Warranty
The Meraki suits someone who wants to make espresso and milk drinks by hand with the weighing done for them, and who wants grinder, scales and dual boilers in one footprint. Tom's Guide sees it as a natural second machine for owners of a Bambino Plus or Dedica, and TechRadar says buyers who want coffee for minimal effort will be happier with a bean-to-cup machine. Light-roast drinkers should weigh Kaffeemacher's Gen 1 grinder results against Coffee Kev's Gen 2 experience. Heat-up is quick for a dual boiler: TechRadar timed two minutes ten seconds, Meraki says about four minutes on US voltage, and Kaffeemacher found the group took 8 to 10 minutes to stabilize fully, so the warm-up timer is worth using. Meraki's US warranty is two years from delivery for manufacturing defects, with Meraki paying shipping both ways on approved claims and local authorized service in the US. Two details matter for Amazon buyers: Meraki's warranty page accepts only receipts from Merakitech Limited, and its return policy covers only orders from its own website. The Amazon listing is sold by Meraki Official, so ask Meraki to confirm how your order is covered and keep your Amazon order record.
What This Review Is Based On
This review is a synthesis of published evidence, not a test of our own unit. Specifications come from Meraki's US product page and FAQ for the Meraki Espresso Machine Gen 2 (MEM03), its warranty and return policies, and the Amazon listing, all read in October 2026. Hands-on evidence for Gen 2 comes from TechRadar, which used it for several weeks, and Coffee Kev, who has used both generations. Evidence from Gen 1 comes from Tom's Guide, which used it for three months; Kaffeemacher, which measured grind particle size, temperature, noise and standby power; Barista Magazine; and Tom's Coffee Corner, which took one apart. Tom's Guide's reviewer says she approached Meraki to test the machine and was given a choice of color, so we treat her unit as brand-supplied; the other reviewers do not say whether they bought theirs or were sent them. Gen 1 grinder results may not carry over to Gen 2, which has a new grinder module. No reviewer has multi-year reliability data on either generation. We found no safety recall for the Meraki espresso machine in the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recall database, checked in October 2026.
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