Buying Guides · Home Coffee Machines
By Mik Di Pacci, Founder & CEO, Di Pacci Coffee Company · Updated September 2026
A coffee machine with a grinder takes care of the single biggest variable in your cup: freshly ground beans. This guide compares seven machines we carry in New Zealand, from an all-in-one dual boiler espresso machine to push-button bean-to-cup models and semi-commercial packages, and explains which type suits which kind of coffee drinker.
Three ways to do itBuilt-in grinder, machine-and-grinder package, or fully automatic bean-to-cup.
Milk drinks decide a lotFlat white households need real steam power or a capable milk system.
Hands-on or hands-offSemi-automatic rewards technique. Bean-to-cup removes it.
The grinder sets the ceilingGrind quality limits the cup more than the machine does.
1. Our five picks at a glance
2. Three types of coffee machine with a grinder
"Coffee machine with grinder" covers three quite different kinds of equipment. Knowing which one you actually want narrows the field faster than comparing specs.
Semi-automatic with a built-in grinder
The grinder lives inside or on top of an espresso machine. It grinds your dose, but you still lock in the portafilter, pull the shot and steam the milk yourself. You get real espresso control in a single footprint. The Meraki Gen 2 and Cafello Tutto V2 both sit here.
Machine-and-grinder package
A separate on-demand grinder paired with a matching espresso machine. It takes more bench space, but each piece can be upgraded independently later, and dedicated grinders usually offer larger burrs and finer adjustment. The Bellezza Bellona package is an example.
Fully automatic bean-to-cup
Press a button and the machine grinds, doses, tamps, brews and froths milk for you. It is the easiest option by a distance, with a lower ceiling for espresso texture and fine-tuning. If you are torn between the two approaches, our guide to semi-automatic vs fully automatic coffee machines covers the trade-offs in more depth.
3. The picks in detail
Meraki Espresso Machine Gen 2
Best all-in-one espresso machine
The Meraki Gen 2 is one of very few home machines that puts a proper grinder and a true dual boiler in one chassis. Its 38mm conical burr grinder, co-engineered with TIMEMORE, grinds by weight and stops at your target dose, while a second scale under the cup stops the shot once your target yield lands. Separate brew and steam boilers under PID control let you pull a shot and steam milk at the same time, and a commercial-grade rotary pump holds a steady 9 bar.
Gen 2 adds 45 grind steps and support for standard 58mm E61-style portafilters, so third-party baskets and tampers fit. The honest trade-off: there is no pressure or flow profiling, and you are committed to the built-in grinder.
- Dual boiler: 350ml brew, 550ml steam, independent PID
- 38mm conical burrs, 45 grind steps
- Grind-by-weight and stop-by-weight scales
- 58mm E61-style portafilter compatibility
View the Meraki Gen 2 →
Bellezza Bellona & Piccola Titanio 60 Package
Best machine and grinder package
If you would rather keep grinder and machine separate, this package pairs Bellezza's compact Bellona dual boiler with the Piccola Titanio 60 on-demand grinder. The Bellona runs independently PID-controlled brew and steam boilers, a saturated group and a fully stainless steel build, with volumetric dosing, a shot timer and pre-infusion included.
The Piccola uses 60mm titanium-coated burrs with stepped adjustment, which makes repeatable settings easy for home users. Because the grinder is its own unit, you can upgrade it later without replacing the machine. The trade-offs are a vibratory rather than rotary pump, and two appliances to fit on the bench.
- Dual boiler: 1.0L brew, 0.5L steam, independent PID
- 60mm titanium-coated burrs, stepped, on-demand
- Volumetric dosing, shot timer, pre-infusion
- Also offered in black and chrome finishes
View the Bellezza package →
Melitta Caffeo Barista TS Smart
Best bean-to-cup for milk-drink households
For households that want café-style milk drinks without learning barista technique, the Barista TS Smart is the most capable bean-to-cup machine in this guide. It offers 21 preset recipes, a dual-chamber bean hopper so you can keep two coffees loaded (a blend and a decaf, for example), and up to eight user profiles that can be managed through the Melitta Connect app.
It can make two drinks at once, including two milk drinks, which matters on busy mornings. The trade-off with any bean-to-cup machine: espresso texture and fine-tuning have a lower ceiling than a semi-automatic, and the milk system needs regular cleaning to keep tasting its best.
- 21 preset coffee recipes
- Dual-chamber bean hopper
- Up to eight user profiles, app control
- Two cups at once, including milk drinks
View the Barista TS Smart →
Melitta Latticia OT
Best compact bean-to-cup
At just 20cm wide, the Latticia OT fits kitchens where a full-size machine will not. One-touch buttons handle espresso, café crème, cappuccino and latte macchiato, and Melitta's LATTEperfection system froths the milk twice for a finer, hotter foam. A 250g bean container and 1.5-litre water tank keep refills to a sensible frequency.
It also has a double cup mode for two drinks at once. You give up the recipe range and personalisation of the Barista TS Smart, but for a straightforward flat white or cappuccino at the push of a button, it is hard to fit more into less space.
- 20cm wide
- One-touch milk drinks with LATTEperfection
- 250g bean container, 1.5L water tank
- Double cup mode
View the Latticia OT →
Cafello Tutto V2
Best for food vans, offices and small venues
The Tutto V2 is built for places where several people make coffee and consistency matters more than individual technique. A conical burr grinder on top grinds straight into the portafilter, and a lever-operated built-in tamper applies the same pressure every time, removing two of the most common sources of error.
Dual boilers with PID control keep brew temperature stable while the steam wand works, and the touchscreen lets you set grind time, shot time and brew temperature. It is a commercial machine, so expect a larger footprint and more weight than any other pick here.
- Built-in conical grinder and tamper
- Dual boiler with PID control
- Touchscreen settings for grind, shot and temperature
- 560 × 600 × 430mm, 25kg
View the Cafello Tutto V2 →
Faema Semi Commercial & Mazzer Grinder Package
Best budget-friendly package
This pairing brings semi-commercial equipment within reach of a standard household power supply. The Faema machine runs on a 10-amp circuit, so it fits a normal home outlet rather than needing a dedicated commercial connection, and it uses a built-in water reservoir rather than a plumbed line. It is paired with the Mazzer Mini Doser, a doser-style grinder known for consistent, repeatable grind output.
A stainless knock-out drawer is included for tidy disposal of spent grounds. This is a two-piece package rather than an all-in-one machine, so it takes more bench space than the Meraki or Cafello, but it is the most affordable route to semi-commercial-grade equipment in this guide.
- 10-amp semi-commercial machine, home-outlet compatible
- Mazzer Mini Doser grinder
- Built-in water reservoir
- Stainless knock-out drawer included
View the Faema & Mazzer package →
Expobar Ruggero with Built-In Grinder
Best café-style machine for home
The Ruggero brings genuine café presence to a single-group machine, with a fiberglass body custom painted in your choice of colour and a built-in grinder that keeps the whole setup as one unit. It runs a copper heat exchanger boiler with programmable volumetric dosing, and is available in low or high group configurations.
Because each unit is custom made to order, it can carry a lead time of up to two weeks — worth confirming with our team before ordering if timing matters. At 40kg with a 6-litre boiler, it is a serious appliance rather than a compact home machine, so check it will fit your intended space and power supply first.
- Custom colour fiberglass body, built-in grinder
- Copper heat exchanger boiler, 6L
- Programmable volumetric dosing
- 1 Group and 1 Group High options, 10 amp
View the Expobar Ruggero →
4. Side-by-side comparison
| Machine |
Type |
Grinder |
Milk |
Best for |
| Meraki Gen 2 |
Semi-automatic, dual boiler, integrated grinder |
38mm conical, 45 steps, grind-by-weight |
Steam wand |
Hands-on home baristas short on space |
| Bellezza Bellona package |
Semi-automatic, dual boiler, separate grinder |
60mm titanium-coated, stepped |
Steam wand |
Buyers who want to upgrade parts later |
| Melitta Barista TS Smart |
Fully automatic bean-to-cup |
Conical, dual-chamber hopper |
Automatic |
Busy milk-drink households |
| Melitta Latticia OT |
Fully automatic bean-to-cup |
Built-in, 250g container |
Automatic |
Small kitchens, simple routines |
| Cafello Tutto V2 |
Semi-automatic, dual boiler, commercial |
Conical, grinds into portafilter, built-in tamper |
Steam wand |
Food vans, offices, small venues |
| Faema & Mazzer package |
Semi-automatic, heat exchanger, separate grinder |
Mazzer Mini Doser |
Steam wand |
Best value semi-commercial setup |
| Expobar Ruggero |
Semi-automatic, heat exchanger, integrated grinder |
Built-in, custom body colour |
Steam wand |
Café look and feel at home |
5. What to look for before you buy
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Grinder quality. Burr type, burr size and the number of adjustment steps decide how finely you can dial in. Stepped grinders are easier to return to a setting; more steps give more room for light roasts.
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Heating system. If you make several milk drinks in a row, a dual boiler lets you brew and steam at the same time. Single boiler machines make you wait between the two.
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How hands-on you want to be. Semi-automatic machines reward practice with better espresso. Bean-to-cup machines give consistent results from day one with far less involvement.
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Bench space and water. Check the width, the depth with the portafilter or drip tray fitted, and the tank size. Commercial machines like the Tutto may also offer a plumbed-in option.
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Cleaning routine. Integrated grinders need their chute brushed out, and bean-to-cup milk systems need cleaning after use. Be realistic about how much upkeep you will actually do.
6. Looking after a machine with a grinder
A built-in grinder only performs as well as the beans going into it. Buy recently roasted coffee beans in quantities you will use within a few weeks, and avoid leaving beans sitting in the hopper for long stretches, as the oils go stale and can build up on the burrs. Brush out the grinder chute regularly so old grounds do not mix into fresh doses.
Water matters just as much. Scale is the main cause of boiler and thermoblock problems, so filtered water and regular descaling protect any machine on this list; our guide to coffee machine water filters in NZ explains when a filter is worth adding. On semi-automatic machines, weighing your dose keeps shots consistent, and our explainer on how many grams of coffee go into a double shot is a good starting point. On bean-to-cup machines, run the milk system clean after use and rinse the removable brew unit as the manual recommends.
7. Frequently asked questions
Is a coffee machine with a built-in grinder worth it?
For most home buyers, yes. Freshly ground beans make the biggest single difference to flavour, and a built-in grinder removes the need to buy, match and find bench space for a separate unit. The trade-off is that you cannot upgrade the grinder on its own later, which is why some enthusiasts prefer a machine-and-grinder package.
What is the difference between a bean-to-cup machine and an espresso machine with a grinder?
A bean-to-cup machine automates everything, from grinding and tamping to brewing and frothing milk, at the press of a button. A semi-automatic espresso machine with a built-in grinder, such as the Meraki Gen 2, grinds for you but leaves you in control of the shot and the milk, which gives more room to fine-tune flavour.
Can I make flat whites with a coffee machine with a grinder?
Yes. Bean-to-cup machines like the Melitta Caffeo Barista TS Smart froth milk automatically, while dual boiler machines like the Meraki Gen 2 and Bellezza Bellona let you steam milk with a wand while the shot pulls, which suits households making several milk drinks in a row.
Which coffee machine with a grinder is best for a small kitchen?
The Melitta Latticia OT is the most compact option in this guide at just 20cm wide, with one-touch milk drinks. If you want espresso control in a small footprint, the Meraki Gen 2 combines machine, grinder and scales in one unit, so it takes less space than a separate machine and grinder.
Do machines with built-in grinders need more cleaning?
A little more. The grinder chute and burrs should be brushed out regularly, and beans should not sit in the hopper for weeks. Bean-to-cup machines also need their milk system cleaned after use, and every machine benefits from filtered water and regular descaling.
What warranty cover applies to these machines?
Warranty terms vary by product and are set out on our returns and warranty policy page. Please read it before ordering, and contact our team on 09 9779924 or at support@dipacci.co.nz with any questions.
Read our full returns and warranty policy before ordering.
