You have coffee drinkers, and you have coffee lovers. The way to tell the difference is the precision and care they employ when brewing every cup of coffee. For getting the perfect cup of coffee, you need to get yourself a coffee scale.
We’ve got your back: here are our picks for the best coffee scale that will help you progress from drinking a brown liquid to drinking real coffee.
Why you want a coffee scale
It’s possible to just use a scoop, of course, but unfortunately, scoops are wildly inconsistent. If you measured out coffee beans with a one tablespoon scoop, then measured out coarse coffee grounds with the same scoop, and finally fine coffee grounds with the same scoop, you’d notice something very surprising.
All three measurements would weigh different! The fine grounds would weigh the most, followed by the coarse grounds, followed by the beans.
The beans are the biggest and most irregular, so there’s a lot more air in between each bean, occupying volume but not mass. The same logic applies to the coarse and fine grounds.
Not to mention that some beans would be poking above the scoop, and some grounds may not come all the way to the lip of the scoop. There’s just too many possibilities for inaccuracy.
As you can see, you’d end up making wildly (well, maybe not wildly, but at least subtly) different beverages if you just used volume to measure instead of weight.
When you measure with weight, you know that you’re using exactly 15 grams of coffee per serving, whether that may be beans, coarse grounds, or fine grounds. This will add precision and consistency to your coffee brewing process.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about…
Best Coffee Scale: Top picks
1. HuiSmart Digital Coffee Scale
One of the reasons the HuiSmart Digital Coffee Scale is a contender for the best coffee scale is that it has a timer and a weight function. So you can weigh the coffee out, and set a timer as you are brewing coffee using your favorite brewing method.
Weight and time combined allow for greater control of your coffee brewing and make for great coffee. The HuiSmart scale gives you both.
This is also a very accurate scale as it can measure to within 1/10 of a gram, and you can also switch units between grams and ounces if you choose.
You can also place containers on the scale and fill the container with whatever you want to measure using the tare function. There’s also a neat little hanger attachment you can use for easy storage.
2. Hario V60 Drip Scale (best coffee scale for pour over)
The Hario V60 drip scale is easily one of the best, if not the best coffee scale around. You have probably heard of the Hario brand from some of the other awesome coffee gear they make.
This scale is small and portable, so you can easily take it along with you if you are traveling. It measures to an accuracy of 0.1 grams, perfect for getting the ideal cup of coffee, and there is also a timer you can use to brew with exactness.
Additionally, there is an auto-off function that helps preserve battery life, especially if you tend to forget to turn things off manually! When the timer is on, the auto-off function is disabled.
However, auto-off can also be a bit of a hassle when you’re doing a few things in the kitchen and moving from place to place – by the time you get back to the scale, it may have turned off and you’ve lost your measurements.
I really like this scale for pour over coffee. You can place the cup and dripper on the scale itself, and measure the mass of the water you pour out to make sure you’re pouring the correct amount.
3. Brewista Smart Scale II
The Smart Scale II by Brewista is another scale specifically designed for coffee brewing. Though you could use it for measuring really anything, it’s best designed for coffee.
Unlike the other coffee scales listed here which run on batteries, the Brewista Smart Scale II uses a rechargeable battery you can charge with USB.
There are 6 modes in the scale which you can use to brew a variety of coffees, though I feel you’ll end up using manual mode most of the time.
The remaining 5 modes are all for espresso, and vary between when the scale will begin to tare and when the timer kicks in. The modes would be useful if you’re pulling a shot using a manual espresso machine.
Most of us don’t pull shots manually, and for that reason these modes feel more like a novelty rather than something super useful. After all, it’s a scale 🙂
4. Ozeri Touch Digital Kitchen Scale
If you’re looking for something more multi-purpose, the Ozeri Touch Kitchen Scale is a good option. Sporting tempered glass for more weight capacity and an ability to read up to 5 kg, you can use this scale for measuring out baking ingredients or cooking ingredients, too.
In fact, the capacity is enough that you could tare a mixing bowl on the scale and still have enough weight to spare to measure out more ingredients.
Of course, you can also use it for measuring coffee, though the one drawback is that it is only accurate up to 1 gram. This is in contrast with the best coffee scales we’ve reviewed here that can measure to within one tenth of a gram.
If you’re looking specifically for coffee scales, I’ll advise you to skip this one. But if you want something multipurpose and don’t mind the loss in accuracy, then go for it.
5. Coastline Digital Pro Pocket Scale
The Coastline Digital Pro Pocket Scale is another dual purpose kitchen/coffee scale which is great for taking small measurements. Because this is quite small – it is a pocket scale after all – you won’t be able to tare large mixing bowls or anything on it. But because of its size you can measure to 1/10th of a gram.
It does come with a handy plastic tray that fits on top of the weighing area where you can pour in liquids or beans for exact measurement of loose and slippery things!
The overall construction quality seems quite sturdy but the buttons feel a little cheap to the touch.
As far as coffee scales go, this one is only good for measuring out beans. I prefer to brew coffee on the scale too, in which case, this one won’t make the cut. But if size is the important factor for you, then it’s worth considering.
6. ERAVSOW Digital Coffee Scale
Next on our list is the ERAVSOW Digital Coffee Scale. This is a dedicated coffee scale with sleek construction and pretty much everything you’d expect from a good coffee scale.
The stainless steel finish is very easy to wipe off and clean, and you can measure in grams, ounces, fluid ounces, and milliliters, too.
Obviously fluid ounces and milliliters will only work for measuring water :), since otherwise you’d need a supersmart scale that would know the density of a wide variety of liquids!
There’s also a timer you can use for timing your brew to perfection. An auto-off sensor is also built-in, but this one will stay on for a whole 5 minutes before kicking in, leaving you enough time to go around the kitchen and come back to your scale without it having turned off.
In a sense, we saved the best for last. The Bonavita Electronic scale is quite a robust offering when it comes to coffee scales. You can use it with a battery or plugged into an outlet, making it quite versatile: perfect for setting on the kitchen table without worrying about batteries or popping in your suitcase for a trip – though it is a little bulky and not really suitable for portability.
The plugged in option also makes this a good choice for restaurants and cafes.
The scale can measure to within 0.1 grams and 1 millisecond of time on the timer. There is no auto-off option(not an issue if you’re using the power cable, though you will waste some energy).
How to use a coffee scale
Here’s how to make the best of your coffee using a scale:
French press and manual brewing
For french press and manual brews, you want to first measure out the coffee beans and grind them.
Once you have coffee grounds, place the french press/container on the scale and tare it so it reads zero. Add your grounds and tare it again, since you’ve already measured them.
1 ml of water is equal to 1 gram of water, so you can use that to keep track. Start pouring water and keep an eye on the measurement. A typical cup of coffee is 6 ounces or 178 ml. On your scale, it will read 178 grams.
It’s also super useful for fine-tuning your brew as you can adjust coffee and water in exact steps.
Espresso
If it’s an espresso you are craving, place the portafilter on the scale and tare it so it reads zero. Now just add grounds into the portafilter until the measurement reads your desired amount – again, this will depend on whether you’re making one or two shots.
Once you’ve got the grounds measured out, just tamp them down, stick the portafilter into your espresso machine and start brewing coffee!
In case you’re using beans, you’ll need to measure out the beans first, grind them, and just fill them in your portafilter as you would normally. There’s no need to tare it again on the coffee scale, since you already measured it out.
Pour over
For pour over coffee, first measure out your beans and grind them.
Then place the filter apparatus on the coffee scale(this includes the cup, the funnel, and the paper filter). Add your grounds and tare the whole thing to zero.
Keeping an eye on the coffee scale, pour water in a circular motion until you’ve hit 178 grams, which is equal to 6 ounces. For best results, use a gooseneck kettle for easy pouring.
Coffee Scale Buying Guide
On the whole, the best coffee scales are fairly simple machines but there are indeed a few features you want to consider before you buy.
Speed of measurement
This is usually an overlooked feature but it’s critical that your scales show you the measurements in almost-real time. Otherwise, you’ll always end up inadvertently pouring out a little more than you actually need and it can be a pain to fish out the beans little by little until you’ve got the right amount.
You’ll find this especially annoying if you’re adding water to dry ingredients!
Precision
Next up is precision – how accurate of a measurement do coffee scales provide? One gram/ounce? Or one-tenth of a gram/ounce?
Some recipes and preparations (like pour over coffee) require extreme precision, whilst others are more forgiving. Depending on what you’re planning on making, you’ll have to see if you can get away with 1 gram measurements or you need more accuracy.
Capacity
Next up is capacity. Some coffee scales can only go up to 500 grams, whilst others can go up to 1 kg and more. 500 gram scales are fine for only measuring out coffee, but if you need to measure out water as well, you may need higher capacity scales.
For example, you need to measure 20 grams of coffee and 300 grams(ml) of water, that’s 320 grams. But the cup you’re measuring the water in weighs 200 grams, so the total is 520 – more than what your coffee scale can handle!
Size
Where are you going to keep the coffee scale? On your kitchen counter, on your restaurant prep table, or is this something you’re going to throw in a backpack and go camping? These are things you’ll need to consider. Obviously, size and capacity are inter-related to an extent.
Units
Sometimes you will need to measure in grams, and other recipes may call for ounces. Most coffee scales do indeed support switching between units but it’s always good to double check before buying.
With units there is another feature called tare, where you can place something on the scale, tare it, and the scale will subtract the weight of the object from the weight of the stuff you wish to measure.
This is useful if you want to measure in a cup or a bowl and not fiddle around with a calculator.
Timer
A timer is a good feature to have when you’re brewing coffee using manual methods like pour over or french press. Once you’ve measured out the coffee and water, you can just set the timer on the coffee scale for however long you wish to brew – like the 4 minutes recommended for a french press.
Power
Finally, power is a factor to consider when you’re using coffee scales for prolonged periods of time – such as entertaining guests, or if you’re buying for a restaurant or cafe. It may be a hassle to keep changing out batteries, so instead, you want to consider getting something that’s directly powered from a wall outlet.
Bottom line
We’re big fans of all the coffee scales we’ve reviewed here, but the ERAVSOW takes the cake in terms of a combination of price, value, durability, and features.
- ☕️ ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS: A high precision G-sensor load sensors provide accurate measurements from 0.1 oz /1 g, measure up to 3000g/ml, easily choose between measurements in ounces, grams and (fluid ounce)/mL. BUILT-IN TIMER..
- ☕️ EASY-TO-READ DISPLAY: Large and backlit LCD screen, The coffee scale provides low battery and overload indication; Zero/Tare Function; Auto Shut-Off Function; 2 AAA batteries included.
- ☕STAINLESS STEEL TRAY AND REMOVABLE SILICONE PAD: The unique stainless steel tray can become a bright and textured landscape in your kitchen.Comes with a removable silicone mat,when making drip coffee,it can effectively prevent the coffee pot from slipping and protects the scale tray from being burnt by spilled liquid.
- ☕️ UNIQUE STANDBY TIME: Auto power off after idle for 5 minutes. enough time to release your hands and enjoy the process of dripping a cup of coffee.
- ☕ 0 PURCHASE RISK GUARANTEE-ERAVSOW is committed to creating quality kitchen products to optimize your leisure life. ERAVSOW COFFEE SCALE WITH TIMER comes with one-year warranty, if you think it doesn't work well for you,you can contact us to get refund or replacement.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I just use tablespoons instead?
You can use tablespoons to measure coffee – use about 2 heaped tablespoons per cup – but you will sacrifice accuracy and consistency in the process. 2 tablespoons will not always be 15 grams.
Should I get a coffee scale first or a coffee grinder?
When stocking up on coffee accessories, opt for a grinder first, then a scale. The difference in using whole bean vs pre ground coffee is much greater than the difference in using one or two extra or fewer grams when you brew coffee.
What’s the best coffee scale for pour over coffee?
The HARIO V60 drip scale is my favorite for pour over coffee. Hario is known for great pour over gear, and it’s no surprise than their scale is ideal for pour over coffee.
Last update on 2024-04-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
