In theory, you'd like your espresso machine to contain everything you need to make good coffee, including a grinder for fresh beans. But in practice, this hasn't always been the case. The classic knock on espresso machines with built-in grinders is that the grinders have often been kinda terrible. That situation is changing fast, as consumers start paying attention—and as the conventional wisdom seeps in that grinders are one of the most important components to making good coffee. (See WIRED's guide to the best coffee grinders for some good advice.) Appliance titan Breville has started outfitting its top-line espresso machines—including WIRED's top semi-automatic espresso pick, the Breville Oracle Jet ($2,000)—with the burr set from WIRED's top grinder pick for mere mortal budgets, the Baratza Encore ESP ($200). It's still a surprise to see a total newcomer like Shenzhen-founded Meraki lap most of the established brands when it comes to the quality of its built-in grinder. Meraki is among a new wave of buzzy coffee brands founded in China and Taiwan, already a manufacturing hub for expresso machines designed by European or American companies . Photograph: Matthew Korfhage This time last year, Meraki was little more than a preproduction prototype, a dream, and a Kickstarter that eventually netted a whopping $1.8 million. The Meraki espresso machine has come bucking hard out of the gate. Headlines on coffee blogs and YouTube videos have tended toward the hyperbolic: Is Meraki the espresso machine of the future? Will it change coffee forever? Does it think it's better than me? No, no, and probably not, are the answers. But the Meraki espresso machine is a stylish all-in-one dual boiler that blends ease with precision, froths luxuriant latte milk without requiring any particular expertise, and offers features you might struggle to find in devices that cost a thousand dollars more. Its conical burr grinder, co-designed with trendy Shanghai grinder company Timemore, beggars the built-ins from most established brands. Meraki is far from a tried-and-true brand, and a few basic fumbles still give me pause. But this new semi-automatic espresso machine is an impressive entry for a first-time device maker—one that marks Meraki as an espresso brand to watch. Here's the lowdown. A Multiplex Worth of Features Photograph: Matthew Korfhage The Meraki is a semi-automatic machine, the sort of device that is meant to make espresso easy on those who don't want to make a full-time vocation out of their morning cup.