Scales - do they matter?

Weighing in

In today's post we're talking about coffee scales and why they matter so much when it comes to your pour over brew - and even for espressos, or we wouldn't be Espresso Gear, right? 

Scales aren't just for baking cakes, amongst other things, they're so important if you're to get consistent results in your brewing. You'll often see people blowing on the scale sensor, not to remove coffee grounds but to test the scale's sensitivity. If it reacts to a breathe then it's pretty damn sensitive. Most of our scales are so accurate they will display changes of 0.1gr.

Those in the coffee industry know the importance of a scale and those at the beginning of their brewing journey will soon learn the ways of the scale! It's an investment that will change your game. 

So, which scale to choose? This all depends on where you are in your coffee experience, how much you want to pay and how you're brewing. 

Pour Over 

If you're focusing on pour over perfection, then these scales will be your go to. Our most basic models, at the cheaper end, are the scales from Tiamo, and Barista by My Weigh , both really popular for entry level and have inbuilt timers so you can make sure your brew is complete in time.

By far our most popular, and, in our humble opinion, most stylish, is the Timemore Black Mirror. Incredible value for money, performance and we're blinded by the its aesthetics (call us fickle!). Perfect for pourover perfection! The auto timer is a feature you won't want to be without once you've tested it. This helps the smoothness of brewing process; you start pouring and almost magically the timer starts.

A larger scale, which has stood the test of time and has a bigger weighing platform is the Jennings scale. Robust and easy to use with bigger buttons, can handle up to 4kg but slower to react to small changes in weight. 

At the high end, both in price and performance, you've got this beauty the Dual Sensor by Timemore. A scale that gives you consistency when it comes to coffee and water ratio. It weighs how much water you put in and how much coffee comes out in your server. Impressively nerdy!

It's always good to have an inbuilt timer and be water resistant like the Dual Sensor, but for extra control in this one there is also a Bluetooth connection enabling you to check how you've been brewing, for added consistency.  

Espresso Experts

If you're looking for a scale to use with your espresso machine then check out these:

The Timemore Nano scale is not only perfectly petite for your driptray due to its small footprint but also has the display angled on the front, making it easy to read when you're being precise in your espresso creation.

Quick to respond, has an auto timer which starts when the coffee hits the vessel you're brewing in and is large enough for pour-over brewing too, even Chemex.

A little tip, we'd recommend you have the sound set to on, on the scale to give you a little reassurance that you're touching the right buttons! There are a few different settings.

The Brewista Smart scale is another popular choice with 6 modes, including pour over and espresso. The advantage with this little scale is that it is water resistant and sensitive to 0.1g of change. Cheaper than the likes of the Acaia Lunar and works well, though we prefer the visual display on the Nano scale.

Lastly, let's mention the Felicita scales, they have 3, all being high end (and a bit more nerdy, between me and you) but the best selling one is the smallest one, Arc. An amazing espresso scale, it has an app full of functions, water resistant and it has an auto tare, which can help a lot!

So, to It all depends what you're looking for and the budget you've got. As with everything in life, there are options and you've just got to go with your gut feeling to find the right partner who weighs in just right! (oh for the love of a good pun!)