If you’re after truly great-tasting coffee, you might want to put down that tablespoon because measuring coffee by volume doesn’t account for the variation in size between different coffee grounds and even different types of beans. That means each spoonful can yield different results, making for inconsistent cups. But the best coffee scales make it easy to get accurate measurements that really do impact the quality of brew that ends up in your cup. In fact, the experts at Blue Bottle Coffee Lab explained that being able to measure your coffee grounds provides a level of consistency and control that you just can’t get by eyeballing it.
With that in mind, here's what to look for to find a quality coffee scale.
Essential Features
Tare Function: Look for options with tare in order to ensure accurate measurements no matter what sort of container you’re measuring into. Tare will zero out the weight of your device, so you can just weigh the beans, grounds, etc. The most precise scales are accurate to within 1/100th of a gram, though many others can nail it down to 1/10th.
Unit Conversion: The best coffee relies on the right ratio of coffee to water, and that is usually measured in grams and milliliters. But if you don't like to do math in the morning, look for a model that will convert those measurements into ounces or pounds.
Size: When it comes to the scale platform, do you need something that will accommodate a large pour-over setup, or do you have a small French press? You can also consider a kitchen scale that can multitask for other cooking tasks.
Extra Considerations
A Tray: A scale that includes a tray will keep whole beans from rolling off the scale if you like to grind yours fresh every day.
A Timer: This is a really handy feature to have for pour-over coffee especially, since it means you don’t have to babysit your brew. Some models even come with an alarm, so you don't have to keep glancing back at the interface.
Display: A backlit LCD screen makes it easy to see your measurements — especially nice if you're up early and don't fancy harsh overheads at that hour.
Whether you're a Chemex wizard or you rely on a tiny five-cup coffee maker to get your fix, the coffee scales below will make the best part of waking up a little bit easier and that much more enjoyable.
Note: All weight ranges are listed in grams below to provide a relatable reference point for each scale's range.
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