Are you looking to make improvements to your home coffee set-up but don’t know where to begin? There are many products on the market that claim to make the perfect cup, but which is best for you and your lifestyle? We wish to offer you our expert, unbiased recommendations on brewing equipment and accessories to make your coffee at home taste as good as it would in our cafés.
Chris, the general manager of all our cafés is weighing in on the various scale options and why weighing your coffee is an important step in brewing the perfect cup.
Before you purchase a scale, ask yourself what you'll be using it for. Will you be using it just for weighing coffee beans, pour over, or espresso? Or will you be using it for baking as well?
If your plan is to use your scale for weighing espresso shots, it’s important that the scale is waterproof. It will sit on the tray of your machine which is often wet. For other brew methods, this feature is less important, but still nice to have! Another scale feature to consider is how precisely it will weigh your coffee. The more precise you are the better, especially with espresso.
For coffee brew scales, you will likely need a scale that can measure up to 2000g, as the weight of your brewing device (french press/v60 /chemex) your mug, and the coffee will all be on top of it. Decimal points are not as crucial on scales for a pour over or AeroPress.
Chris’ Scale Recommendations:
CJ-4000 is a robust scale that measures up to 4kgs. It’s suitable for all brewing methods and baking needs, but only offers precision to 0.5 of a gram. This scale has a battery option or plug in!
HarioV60 Drip scale measures up to 2kgs and is very precise to 0.1 of a gram. This scale has a built-in timer that is great for brewing accuracy, a slim build, and has accessories that are available for it. However, it is not waterproof so it requires some care when using it around espresso machine trays.
Acaia pearl has all the bells and whistles! It monitors the weight, time, and flow-rates as you brew coffee. It is waterproof and rechargeable, and also compatible with the Acaia iPhone & Android app.
Ultimately any scale is better than no scale. Once you start measuring your coffee your reward will be consistently delicious tasting coffee. If you’re still unsure, ask yourself “why do all my favourite baristas use scales everytime they make a coffee”? Whoops, the secret’s out!
Interested in learning how much coffee to weigh out for each brewing method? Check out our Brewing Guide here!
