If you have any questions as you get started - feel free to email welcome@meticuloushome.com and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.
Unboxing the Machine
When removing the machine from the packaging, we recommend lifting it by the Heated Chamber (D).
It is solidly connected to the body of the machine and will be balanced. Keep the plastic protective film for transporting the machine in the future and prevent inadvertent scratches to the surface finish.
The Meticulous was designed to be easy to navigate. The Dial (L) is the main interface to interact with the machine. It can turn left or right. The Context Button (N) opens up context specific menu options.
There are multiple ways to connect Meticulous to WiFi. The most reliable is to connect to WiFi from the machine.
To connect using the app:
Software updates automatically download when connected to WiFi.
We recommend staying on the Stable image.
Meticulous automatically installs updates at 3am Local Time if the machine is on.
For the initial updates, you can force the installation of the update by turning the machine off and on.
It is always safe to turn the machine off during the update process.
Meticulous includes built-in profiles, making them an excellent starting point for your espresso. You can also adjust the variables via the Machine or App and save your preferences.
Profiles fundamentally change how Meticulous brews your coffee, and the flavors and expression of your coffee.
Each Profile is like using a completely different espresso machine - and typically requires a different grind size or ratio. Experiment with them to find your favorites! From a classic 9-bar Italian, to a turbo flow profile, or a SOUP shot.
Meticulous includes a number of profiles on the machine to get you started, and many more via the Community Profiles in the App.
Italian - For Dark or Medium Roasts
If you enjoy Medium or Darker roasts with higher body, we recommend the Italian profile.
This profile introduces water very quickly before moving to a constant flow rate (blue line). You’ll notice pressure (green line) gradually decrease as puck resistance erodes to maintain the flow rate. Dial in the grind size by targeting a peak pressure of around 6-8 bar, and then dial to taste by adjusting the End Flow Rate on the profile to extend or shorten the contact time.
Low Contact - For Lighter Roasts
For higher clarity, lower body, juicy lighter roasts, we recommend starting with Long’s Low Contact profile.
This profile injects water at a very high flow rate until Pressure (green line) builds to 4 bars, employs a short dynamic bloom, and then shifts to a maximum flow rate (blue line) of 4 ml/s. You may only need an 8-14 second shot time to get extractions north of 20%.
Note: Turbo shots require coarser espresso grinds - often in the 130 to 150 micron range for flat burrs.
The Meticulous Discord Community is a great place to go for help with Profiles and Dialing In.
The Meticulous App will allow you to download Community Profiles, import profiles shared by friends, edit profiles, and create your own.
To install a new profile, click “Create New Profile” and then scroll through the Community Profiles. After selecting a profile, scroll to the bottom and save it to the machine. If you and the machine are on the same WiFi network, it should immediately appear on the machine’s display. Under Settings ( ⚙️ icon) you can also see your Shot History, or easily access the machines IP address (called the URL in Bean Conquerer) if you would like to connect it to Bean Conquerer to save your favorite shot data and settings.
This introductory video explains the basics of creating and editing profiles in the App:
Download the Meticulous App from the Apple App Store (iPhone, iPad, Mac) or Google Play Store (Android).
Please read the following carefully to avoid inadvertent damage to your machine when cleaning.
If in doubt, contact our team.
⚠️ WARNINGS:
Surface cleaning:
Cleaning the drip tray:
Empty any residual water from the drip tray through the draining channels at the back. Tilt it slightly to assist with drainage. When needed, wash the drip tray by hand using a sponge rated as “ZERO SCRATCH” or specifically designed for non-stick pans.
⚠️ NOTE: The drip tray is NOT dishwasher safe.
Flushing the shower screen:
Internal cleaning:
⚠️Disconnect the mains powerand make sure the machine is completely cool before starting.
Chamber cleaning:
Other brushes may be used as long as they have a plastic handle, to avoid damaging the machine’s aesthetic surfaces.
⚠️ Disconnect the mains powerand make sure the machine is completely cool before starting.
Deep cleaning:
Remove the piston to perform a deep cleaning.
Follow the instructions in the video to disassemble the piston.
Other brushes may be used as long as they have a plastic handle, to avoid damaging the machine’s aesthetic surfaces.
⚠️Disconnect the mains powerand make sure the machine is completely cool before starting.
This is a common workflow for most of us:
3. Do your weighing, grinding, puck prep.
NOTE: Grinding fine enough to 'choke' the machine puts unnecessary strain on the motor and may destroy it if the shot runs long enough (60+ seconds).
If you find Pressure is high (9 bar) and there is little espresso coming out, we recommend aborting the shot by double-pressing the Dial button. Then Raise the piston (Context Button -> Raise) to release the pressure.
We recommend starting with a relatively coarse grind and going progressively finer to dial-in a shot.
When switching to a new grinder, or a new profile, start 'coarse' and dial-in again to be safe.
4. You can weigh your beans using the built-in Acaia scale. Add your dosing cup to the Drip Tray and press the physical Tare button on the bottom right side of the machine.
5. Insert the portafilter.
Lock in the portafilter confidently, but there’s no need to over-tighten it.
6. Start you brew when ready!
Touching the cup or drip tray could end your brew by impacting the weight registering on the scale.
After your espresso has been brewed you’ll need to purge the remaining water.
Many of you might be coming from the world of standard 9-bar espresso machines. In this world, the machine maximizes water flow to build puck pressure up to 9 bars. As the puck erodes, the water flow rate increases to help maintain that high pressure.
The only variable (aside from Ratio) to adjust extraction is the grind size. Grinding finer increases extraction through higher surface area as well as increased puck resistance, which increases the contact time. For example, if a shot runs in 22 seconds and is under-extracted, grinding finer may increase the shot time to 26 seconds and also increase extraction due to the finer grind size.
The Meticulous allows you to set a target flow rate - like 2.2 ml/s. Imagine dialing in a shot that results in a 23 second shot time. On this profile, grinding finer will increase extraction, but the shot time will remain 23 seconds - because the shot time is largely determined by the target flow rate. What this means is that you will want to get into the ball park of the appropriate grind size, and then you can simply adjust the target flow rate to increase or decrease contact time. We find that many coffees have a range of contact time that tastes great at various extraction levels.
The great thing about the constant flow is that as your beans age, you don't need to adjust the grind because the Meticulous will compensate the constant time. What you will notice is the peak pressure decreasing over the course of the week as the fresh coffee degasses - but this his a relatively small impact on taste profile.
The easiest way to change variables on a profile is through the dial. Select a profile → Context Button → Edit Profile. You can edit the Name, Temperature, End Weight and any “Global Variables” that have been defined via the Meticulous App to be editable from the machine. You can then Save these changes to the Profile, or Brew without Saving.
We recommend changing the Brew Settings (Context Button → Brew Settings) to manually confirm the Brew Start and Purge with a button press. This will avoid any unintentional starts or purges.
We recommend you do. This ensures the most accurate temperature readings and most consistent espresso. By not filling the chamber completely the chamber will be filled with part water and part air. When the piston begins moving the air will compress, changing the time between the piston starting and water being introduced to the puck.
The temperature reading shows an average temperature in the chamber. When the machine is “cold”, the boiling water will lose energy to the machine until they come into equilibrium. Once you start the espresso, the heater will bring the water temperature up to brew temperature.
Unlike other machines with boilers that take 30-60 minutes to heat water to temperature, Meticulous is dynamically heating the water in the chamber to brew temperature for each espresso. We use a combination of temperature sensors and algorithms to determine when the water will reach brew temperature. Water at different parts of the chamber are at different temperatures and mix when the piston is being retracted with a goal of mixing to the target brew temperature.
You might notice that the shot ends within 1-2grams of your target weight. Because of changes we’ve made to the behavior of the initial piston retraction our algorithm needs to be updated. Our goal is for shots to end within 1g of the target under all types of shot profiles. As soon as we get enough shot data with the new piston behavior, the algorithm will be updated via a software update. In the meantime, you should be able to add 1-2 grams to your target weight to get it where you want it to be.
We’re creating a simple Cleaning profile. But for now, we suggest cleaning the machine at the end of each day (or every few days):
