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I am a numbers kind of guy. I like to keep records, measure and tweak things. Procedural inconsistencies, especially when it comes to coffee brewing, bother me. I like to have processes in place that help me to consistently produce the same cup of coffee (And then incrementally change things to improve that cup of coffee). Besides upgrading to a quality burr grinder, using a digital coffee scale when brewing is one of the best ways to keep some key variables consistent.
I know that there are some free spirit coffee brewers out there that don’t want to shackle themselves to an experience that is more like a science experiment than their usual calming manual coffee brewing ritual. I’m okay with that. If you want to keep your brewing process organic and free from measuring and controlling all the details, a digital coffee scale might not be for you. For the rest of us, a coffee scale is an inexpensive addition to your brewing gear that can really help you dial in your ratios and processes.
What is the big deal with using a scale to brew coffee anyways
At first glance, most people would assume that using a digital gram scale to assist with brewing your coffee is fanatical and a little crazy. That is the general response I can expect when someone asks me a question about coffee dosage and I tell them I normally brew my coffee by weight not volume. In the grand scheme of things, you can brew a great cup of coffee without a coffee scale. It is harder to brew two great cups of coffee in a row sans a scale and much harder to brew fifty great cups of coffee in a row without a scale. Did I mention that I like consistency?
I tested and compared two whole bean coffees by volume and by weight. One of the coffees was a fairly dark roasted store bought blend. The other coffee was a light roasted single origin home roast. I weighed eight tablespoons of each coffee and was actually pretty surprised at how different the weights were. The store bought dark roast weighed 31 grams and the home roasted coffee weighed 41 grams. That means, if you are measuring by whole beans by volume, your dosage could be off by as much as 32%!
The difference in measuring water by weight or volume is less of an issue but I think that weighing it adds simplicity and it also takes away the temptation to just “eyeball” it.
How to brew with a digital coffee scale
If you are unfamiliar with manual drip brewing, you may want to refer to one of my previous post, Pour Over Brewing 101.
For manual pour over brewing, it is more of a hassle to measure water by volume for brewing.
For example: Let’s say you need two cups of water for your pour over. You will need to measure two cups of water in a kettle and boil the water. What if you want to pre-rinse the filter and preheat the gear? You could boil some water for rinse and then boil the two cups for the brewing afterwards or you could boil one cup extra and measure one cup after it boils for rinsing. You could also boil a full kettle of water, rinse the filter, and then measure two cups into a separate vessel and brew your coffee (This could cool your water below the ideal 200 – 205 degree fahrenheit recommended for brewing). Are you confused yet? There is a better way.
Brewing on a digital gram scale is much simpler. If you would like to brew the same manual pour over as above, the process is much simpler.
How to Brew a Pour Over on a Gram Scale:
- Fill your kettle up with water and boil the water
- Pre-rinse the filter from the kettle and dump the pre-rinse water
- Put the brewing gear with mug on the coffee scale
- Place your coffee in the pour over brewer (when brewing by weigh, I recommend staying between a 1:16 and a 1:20 coffee to water ratio. Start at 1:17 and adjust to your liking). Read about coffee dosage here.
- Tare your scale and pour enough water in the drip brewer to wet the grounds. Let it bloom for 45 – 60 seconds.
- Slowly pour water into the brewer until you reach your target water weight
- Let the water finish passing through the grounds and enjoy!
Important Coffee Scale Features to Look For
There are so many options for digital coffee scales out there. There is the pour over coffee scale, the general coffee scale with timer, travel coffee scales and the beautiful Acaia Pearl coffee scale.
While you don’t need to spend a ton of money to receive the benefits of a digital coffee scale, it helps to look for a few features that make your manual brewing life easier.
Digital Coffee Scale Must Haves Nice to Haves:
- A digital gram scale with at least 1 gram accuracy- It should go without saying but make sure you are getting a digital scale (not one like the top picture). You also want to make sure that it is at least accurate to one gram (.1 gram accuracy is ideal).
- A long idle time before it shuts off- Nothing is more frustrating than having your scale turn off while you are blooming the ground or in the middle of your brew. Look for a coffee scale that stays on for two or three minutes before shutting down.
- Water resistant and easy to clean- You are going to be pouring water into a vessel on this scale and occasionally spilling water or coffee on it. You don’t want a scale that is going to break the first time a little water get on it.
- Display updates quickly- If there is significant lag in the digital display, it is hard to get your water weight accurate.
- Big enough surface for your brewing equipment to fit on- Make sure that the weighing platform is large enough for all of your equipment to fit onto.
Recommendations- Best coffee Scale
For years I used a very inexpensive and low budget travel scale. This scale is a great cheapo scale and served me well. It is lacking on some of the features I recommend above. If money is an issue, you can really start with a 15 dollar scale and see a difference.
Digital Coffee Scale vs. Kitchen Scale- If you have a digital kitchen scale that measures in grams, that would be a great place to start. Kitchen scales might have more lag time and less accuracy than a dedicated coffee scale but I would recommend trying brewing by weight with what you already have on hand. This will give you an idea of what features you would like to add when you purchase a coffee scale.
I have not personally used any of the scales that are currently popular so it is hard to give an experienced recommendation. I would start by looking at the Hario Pour Over Scale and the Timemore Coffee Gram Scale. These two scales have great reviews and are a midlevel price point. Do your research and read some of the good and bad reviews. I use the Acacia Pearl Scale for my daily coffee brewing. It is on the expensive side of things but it has all the bells and whistles. I have been pretty happy with it.
Do you have a particular scale that you have had used and would recommend? Please leave a comment if you have a tip or some advice to share.
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