Our general take at BA is that it doesn’t need to be hard to make good coffee, but it does require a few tools. Once you have an espresso machine or a pour-over setup, a handful of other basic necessities will ensure your morning carafe or latte comes out tasting like you want it to. Beyond a coffee grinder and, you know, the thing you actually make the coffee with, a great coffee scale is the hero of many a home coffee bar. But not every scale actually works well as a coffee scale, so we tested 10 models that run the gamut from mini espresso scales to larger pour-over scales and some that do both.
Our top picks
- The best espresso scale: Acaia Lunar
- The best pour-over scale: Fellow Tally Pro
Why you need a coffee scale
In a word: accuracy. (If you’re a baker you already know where this is going.) When it comes to coffee, volumetric measurements—spoons or “scoops”—can be less accurate because of a number of factors, including grind size and even how dark or light the roast. This applies to both espresso shots and pour-over for similar reasons.
How a coffee scale helps with espresso
Precision measurements are important in espresso because the measurements are so small. A standard shot requires 18 grams of coffee. Wavering even, say, half a gram off in your coffee weighing could mean a notably different outcome. The speed of a shot pull plays a role as well, so many espresso scales come with flow meters that indicate how fast the shot is being pulled through the grounds. (This can also be achieved using a built-in timer, but is much easier to keep track of when your scale produces a dedicated reading for it.) Espresso is all about fine-tuning and the more finicky you are about your coffee, the more you’ll want a super-accurate scale.
How a coffee scale helps with pour-over
In this case, a scale can help you dial in on the ratio of grounds to hot water no matter how big a batch you’re making, and a timer helps you monitor the coffee bloom long to get the best flavor from the beans. A good scale and a little math make this relatively easy, but a great scale will do a lot of that arithmetic for you, something your groggy pre-coffee brain might appreciate.
The best espresso scale: Acaia Lunar
Pros and cons
Pros
- Incredibly accurate
- Modes for every aspect of espresso brewing
- Durable, high-quality build
Cons
- Expensive
- Modal symbols aren’t intuitive
Specs
Dimensions: 4.1" x 4.1" x 0.6"
Max weight: 2,000 g
Power: USB-C rechargeable
What we love: First and foremost, this is a very accurate scale, reacting to changes of a tenth of a gram. But it also has an incredibly smart design and evident high-end build quality. The Lunar is a compact scale that fits under just about any espresso maker and on any drip tray. The large digit display features a visual flow rate indicator in the form of a row of LED dots indicating grams per second. The required repeated taps on a touchscreen are not our favorite way to run through a menu. But unlike other multi-modal scales we tried, Acaia’s at least doesn’t require any weird “tap five times” instructions.
The scale saves whatever your most recent mode was, meaning if you’re making coffee the same way every morning, you don’t have to wade through any default settings to get started as usual.
It has seven options that help you focus on different parts of pulling an espresso shot. Shift among functions like a simple weighing function, auto tare (great if you’re weighing grounds in a portafilter), an auto-start timer, and a flow-rate monitor. And it comes with heat-resistant silicone pad for pour-over vessels or simply keeping your scale a little cleaner when making espresso.
Depending on whether you’ll be sliding the scale across a busy, industrial multi-spout espresso station or (more likely) setting the scale on your home espresso maker, it comes with both low-friction and grippy strips to stick on the bottom, scoring yet another point for versatility. Finally, it comes in multiple grayscale colors from white to black to match your aesthetic.
What we’d leave: The symbols-based indicators don’t give a clear indication of what mode you are in; it’ll be important to hold on to the instruction manual to look up what it means if you’re in triangle mode versus square mode versus triangle square mode (that’s a real distinction). The flow-rate meter also takes some getting used to. This is a bluetooth-compatible scale that connects to an app for added features and data tracking, but we didn’t find it necessary for regular operation. Finally, while Acaia scales are all high-quality pieces of equipment, they are pricey. And while the Lunar certainly makes sense if you’re buying a few for a team of professional baristas at your coffee shop, it may seem steep for a beginner. The issue, though, is that all the less expensive scales we tested had accuracy issues, which meant we didn’t want to name them as favorites.
The best pour-over coffee scale: Fellow Tally Pro
Pros and cons
Pros
- Accurate
- Brew assist mode makes pour-over a breeze
- Versatile enough to work as an all-purpose kitchen scale
Cons
- Expensive
Specs
Dimensions: 7" x 6" x 1.3"
Max weight: 2,500 g
Power: USB-C rechargeable
What we love: The Tally Pro’s controls are tactile—a push of a button turns it on, tares the scale or switches modes; a twist of a dial switches between weight measurements like grams, ounces, and milliliters—something that’s a welcome change in a technological world full of tap-tap-tapping. It also has a lovely display. There are so many scales with LCD displays that it’s not only unique to find something with a small OLED screen, it’s also simply easier to read without feeling like you’re just staring at a jumble of numbers.
The Brew Assist Mode removes all the math from the pour-over brewing process. You just select the ratio of coffee-to-water (1 to 16 is a standard place to start). Then just free ground pour coffee into your Chemex, no need to measure, and the Fellow will automatically calculate the amount of water you need to use. Once you’ve brewed with the correct amount the weight will jump out in a white highlight, telling you it’s time to stop pouring.
The simple Weight Mode, generous 2,500 gram (5.5 lb.) capacity, and multiple weight measure options also make this versatile enough to function as an all-purpose kitchen scale or baking scale. The six-inch diameter elevated platform can hold a mixing bowl or container while still allowing for readability of the display.
What we’d leave: There’s no option for flow monitoring, which, in addition to the sheer size of this scale, makes it not ideal for espresso, so functionality is somewhat limited. The nearly $200 price tag isn’t eye-popping (especially compared Acaia’s Pearl pour-over sale), but it isn’t cheap either, especially if you only intend to use it for brewing coffee.
How we tested coffee scales
We attempted to use each of these scales for both espresso and pour-over brewing methods, and assessed them on the following:
Accuracy
We tested the accuracy of each scale, using half gram weights, checking readouts on both an empty platform and one with 100 grams of weight on the scale. Next we placed weights at the center and each of the four corners of a scale’s weighing platform to check for accuracy across the surface. We also took into consideration how quickly the scale display updated the weight and if there was any wavering between tenths of a gram. Finally, we added coffee beans, one by one until we registered a reading above zero (typically it shouldn’t take more than two coffee beans to produce a reading of 0.1 gram).
Features and Utility
We used features like timers, auto-tare, and auto-start functions to see how easily the worked into the coffee making process. We also judged the size of the scales and the weighing platforms on whether they would work best for espresso, pour-over, or equally well for both.
How clear and fuss-free were the mechanisms for turning the scale on and off and switching between modes? How functional was the scale in everyday use (could it be your main kitchen scale) and did we feel it helped us make better coffee?
Ease of use
We judged how easy it was to use the scale right out of the box. Was it hard to figure out how to use a certain feature? Was it hard to switch between modes? Did we feel like we could get the scale up and running before we’ve had our first cup of coffee for the day?
Others coffee scales we liked
Acaia Pearl Model S Coffee Scale
Acaia’s larger scale looks like something Apple might have released in the 2000s. It’s also laden with features, including a guided brewing mode and bright digital numbers. Like its smaller, espresso-focused cousin, it’s sleek and super accurate, and switching between its many functions is simple. It’s got app connectivity if that matters to you, but, as with the Lunar, we didn’t find it helpful for day-to-day brewing.
It’s a great scale, but despite having several espresso-specific settings, it’s too big to fit comfortably under most home espresso machines. And with a price tag that’s higher than the Fellow’s and a less intuitive interface, it didn’t crack our list of top picks.
Specs
Dimensions: 6.3" x 6.3" x 1.25"
Max weight: 3,000 g
Power: USB-C rechargeable
Maestri House S3 Coffee Scale
A simple coffee scale can get you through your morning brewing ritual—and cheaply at that. Compared to the Acaia or the Fellow, this scale is a bargain. The satin finish display is bright, beveled, and simple to read even with multiple data points illuminated at any given time. And in a field of so many “one button” scales, we appreciate that this scale has dedicated buttons for mode, timer start/stop/reset, tare/power, and brew ratio adjustment. Making adjustments requires a two-second press, so you’re not likely to accidentally send the scale into the wrong screen. It’s big enough to handle most pour-over setups and small enough it could probably fit most espresso machines, too. A simple weight mode and washable silicone mat also make this is decent kitchen scale contender as well.
The issue was, this didn’t weigh at the same level of precision as our top picks when we weighed a handful of beans at a time.
Specs
Dimensions: 6.25" x 5.1" x 1"
Max weight: 3,000 g
Power: USB-C rechargeable
MiiCoffee Nano Pro Coffee Scale
Of all the scales we tested, this was the only model with a two-color display that put the timer in red and the weight in white. That might not seem like a big deal, but the visual differentiation made this scale easier to use at a glance. We also liked that the tactile on-off and mode switches, made flipping between pour-over and espresso modes clear and secure—no accidental touchscreen taps.
That said, despite advertising saying it could weigh accurately to the tenth of a gram, I couldn’t get it to accurately weigh anything smaller than 0.4 grams, even after multiple tare attempts.
Specs
Dimensions: 3.9" x 3.75" x 0.75"
Max weight: 2,020 g
Power: USB-C rechargeable
Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2.0
Another super accurate and pour-over-friendly scale with a timer and flow rate on the main display. The Timemore is also compact enough to double as an espresso scale on a more spacious machine. The hidden display offers weight, timer, and flow rate as a default and is generally easy to read and navigate.
As a bigger scale it seems more suited for pour-over, but lacks the ratio calculation feature other scales have. Also, navigating different settings is a bit annoying. The auto-timer requires five taps of the timer button; switching units of measurement requires six.
Specs
Dimensions: 6" x 5.1" x 1"
Max weight: 2,000 g
Power: USB-C rechargeable
Coffee scales we don’t recommend
The Hario scale has a dim, old-school looking LCD display that isn’t backlit, and out of the box we had accuracy issues when we added the 100-gram weight. Also, when sprinkling beans on the platform, it took way too many for the display to finally register a reading. The instructions also advise you to choose a specific regional setting for your scale, offering nine presets covering dozens of cities around the globe. We don’t know how much this affected the results, but we weren’t impressed by the accuracy advertised (supposedly down to one-tenth of a gram) when put into practice. Lastly, the power source is AAA batteries in a field of scales that generally go for the greener rechargeable option.
As a kitchen scale, Oxo’s Good Grips model isn’t bad. It has a high maximum weight of 6.6 pounds, and it will even track how close you are to maxing that out with an indicator on the display. That’s handy with mixing bowls more than coffee gear though. But the display is too dim to read with large vessels on top of it, and the touch buttons were unresponsive at times. It also relies on four batteries, which isn’t ideal.
This modern-looking, accurate little scale integrates a digital display into the back wall of a cup-shaped weighing platform, allowing you to measure out beans and pour them cleanly into your grinder, and we were impressed by the accuracy. But it’s simply too limited in its usage. It’s basically a smart cup for measuring beans only. After that step in the coffee making process, you’re still going to need a flat scale to weigh out grounds into a portafilter or pour onto. It’s made of plastic and not washable, so there aren’t too many applications for this to be a handy kitchen scale, either.