We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. What to Buy Coffee, Tea & Espresso The 4 Best Coffee Scales, According to Baristas For intentional home baristas, a digital scale ensures the perfect coffee-to-water ratio. By Ariane Resnick Ariane Resnick Ariane Resnick, CNC is a leader in the realm of nutrition and special diets, helping to make healthy eating affordable and easy for all. She has cooked professionally, intermittently, for well over twenty years, and has nearly a decade of professional writing experience. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 30, 2024 In This Article View All In This Article Our Top Picks Reviews Our Favorite Coffee Scale Factors to Consider FAQ Our Expertise Photo: Food & Wine / Acaia Going from pre-ground coffee to grinding your own beans is a big step in the right direction, but the journey to brewing quality coffee doesn’t end there. “If you’re in the market to upgrade your coffee game, a coffee scale is an excellent tool,” says Veronica Pearl, founder of Glitter Cat Barista and a former United States Barista Champion Runner-Up. “Coffee scales measure the proper coffee-to-water ratio for consistently balanced results." The best coffee scales have advanced features to help you hone your brewing skills. No matter what brewing method you use — whether a pour-over coffee maker, a French press, or an espresso machine — a coffee scale is a worthy addition to your coffee setup. Read on to discover which coffee scales baristas recommend, plus pro tips on how to accurately weigh your coffee for a well-balanced cup. Our Top Picks Best Coffee Scale Overall: Acaia Pearl Model S Scale at Amazon Jump to Review Best Value Coffee Scale: Coffee Gator Coffee Scale with Timer at Amazon $20 Jump to Review Best Scale for Pour-Over: SALE Hario Black V60 Drip Scale at Amazon $57 $46 Jump to Review Best Scale for Espresso: Timemore Basic 2.0 Coffee Scale at Amazon $59 Jump to Review Best Coffee Scale Overall Acaia Pearl Model S Scale View on Amazon View on Bluebottlecoffee.com View on Seattlecoffeegear.com Pros This coffee scale is suitable for beginners and experts and provides accurate results along with helpful features. Cons It’s much more expensive than other scales on the market. As our best overall pick, the Acaia Pearl Scale Model S exceeds our expectations. It offers several upgrades when compared to the base model Pearl. In addition to monitoring weight, time, and flow rate, allowing you to pour at the right speed for a perfect cup, it also has a higher weight capacity of 3000 grams (compared to the original Pearl's 2000 grams) and comes with a new dot-matrix display that can show recipes and more, among other new features. This scale's modern design is just a bonus, along with the fact that it's rechargeable via a USB-C cord and comes with Bluetooth syncing capability. We especially love its easy use for all skill levels and its outstanding speed and accuracy. It has all the bells and whistles experts suggest for those looking to get the most out of their scales. “If you’re upgrading your scale or want something with a few more features, find a scale with a built-in kitchen timer and brewing apps,” Pearl says. “Having the timer and weight on the same screen makes for easier, more consistent brewing, yielding repeatable delicious coffees.” This coffee scale offers all those elements. In addition to readings in real-time that can help you improve your pouring technique, it offers a pour-over auto-start option and adjustable light settings to make the numbers readable no matter where or when you use it. Max Weight: 3000 grams | Precision: 0.1 gram | Battery Life: 16-40 hours / USB-C rechargeable | Size: 6.3 x 6.3 1.3 inches | Measuring Units: Grams, ounces Best Value Coffee Scale Coffee Gator Coffee Scale with Timer PHOTO: Amazon $20 at Amazon Pros This coffee scale comes with its own loading tray and can be used with an assortment of measuring units, from milliliters to pounds. Cons It can take a moment for readings to appear. Unsure about investing in a coffee scale? This inexpensive-yet-quality scale will make the transition an easy one. Coffee Gator prides itself on being easily usable by home brewers who aren’t baristas, and the features on this scale are all straightforward to understand. It measures precisely while also being able to weigh larger quantities for baking, meaning it’s useful as a food scale in addition to a coffee scale. Everything you need to get started, from batteries to a loading tray, is included with purchase, and the scale is durable with non-slip, rubberized feet. It’s large enough to hold a pour-over carafe but precise enough to measure a single serving of espresso for your favorite espresso cup. Max Weight: 3000 grams | Precision: 0.1 gram | Batteries: Two AAA batteries | Size: 7.48 x 5 x 1.18 inches | Measuring Units: Ounces, pounds, grams, gram milliliters, and milliliters Best Scale for Pour-Over Hario Black V60 Drip Scale PHOTO: Amazon $57 $46 at Amazon $52 at Seattlecoffeegear.com View on Hario-usa.com Pros Featuring a non-slip base and water-resistant design, this scale embodies the professional quality of Hario products. Cons The buttons require a firm press to turn the machine on and off. Japanese-based brand Hario makes high-quality coffee gifts and equipment suitable for home brewers and professionals alike, and the V60 coffee scale is one of our favorite pieces with its slim design and precision in tenths of grams. Compared to the previous model, this newer version has rubber feet for extra sturdiness, better water resistance, and a faster start-up time. The built-in timer is crucial for pour-over coffee, and the surface is the perfect size for most carafes. We love the easy-to-read display, with the timer on one side and the weight on the other, but the power button requires more force than you might expect. Overall, it’s a popular choice by baristas for pour-overs, and our top pick if that’s your most frequent brewing method. Max Weight: 2000 grams | Precision: 0.1 gram | Batteries: Two AAA batteries | Size: 7.4 x 4.7 x 1.1 inches | Measuring Units: Grams Best Scale for Espresso Timemore Basic 2.0 Coffee Scale PHOTO: Amazon $59 at Amazon View on Timemore.com Pros Ideal for everyday espresso shots, this scale is consistent, accurate, and compact. Cons It only measures in grams, so it’s not suitable for machines where you need to weigh in ounces. For those who want to nail the perfect shot of espresso over and over again, we recommend this scale. It reads quickly and accurately — down to a tenth of a gram — and its built-in timer helps with calibrating how long the shot has been running. It’s small enough to fit under most drip trays and will fit right in next to your small espresso machine. Whether or not you’re using the timer, there’s no risk of running out the battery thanks to how the device shuts off after set durations of standby time. When off, it looks like a small black box: The display and buttons are hidden and only visible once the unit is turned on. Pearl reminds you to “always remember to zero out (tare) the scale before you start brewing to avoid adding the weight of the coffee to your final water weight,” and this scale makes it simple to do. Max Weight: 2000 grams | Precision: 0.1 gram | Battery: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion | Size: 5.98 x 5.12 x 1.02 inches | Measuring Units: Grams Our Favorite Coffee Scale The Acaia Pearl Model S Coffee Scale is an extremely accurate, barista-recommended choice with clever features like Bluetooth compatibility and real-time readings to hone your brewing skills. The Hario V60 Coffee Scale is another more affordable favorite of professional baristas for pour-over coffee. Factors to Consider Scale Precision The whole purpose of a coffee scale is to weigh your grounds for consistent espresso shots and brews, so it’s crucial to get an extremely accurate model. To get the most out of your scale, it should measure in tenths of grams to accommodate the small quantities of beans and grounds that most brewing methods use. At the end of the day, a precise coffee scale will allow you to obtain accurate measurements so your coffee-to-water ratios aren't thrown off. Features Pearl considers the tare function the most important feature of a coffee scale. She finds timers to be less necessary, as “most of us have timers on our phones we can use for brewing, plus scales with timers tend to be more pricey.” As far as batteries go, you’ll want to choose a scale that has a battery functionality that works with your lifestyle. “I’m terrible at keeping a stash of batteries, so I always go with rechargeable scales,” she says. Additionally, Pearl prefers scales with sound. “I also like scales that either beep at me when I press a touchscreen button or have actual clickable buttons.” Pour-Over vs. Espresso Why are some coffee scales more suitable for brewing pour-over coffee and others for espresso? The truth is, it all comes down to size. Ultimately, the size of your coffee scale should accommodate your brewing method. This is particularly important if you’re going to be using an espresso machine or coffee maker where you might want to put your scale under the drip tray. Some coffee scales may be too thick to fit under the drip tray and won't leave enough room for your espresso cup underneath the portafilter, while other scales are more suited to that task. If you'll be using it for pour-overs, you’ll want a coffee scale that's large enough for the carafe to fit on the scale and one with the display positioned so that you can see it even with your brewing vessel sitting on top. Frequently Asked Questions How do you use a coffee scale? First, turn it on, place the filter or vessel on the scale, and then press the tare button. Next, calculate your coffee-to-water ratio — Pearl says that “example brew recipes would be 25 grams of coffee and 375 to 400 grams of brewing water.” Zero out the scale again with the coffee in the filter and begin adding water until you have reached your proper coffee-to-water ratio. For speaking in tablespoons, Pearl says that “ about 3 tablespoons of coffee would equal 25 grams of coffee, and you’d need about 1.6 to 1.7 cups of water to brew.” Do you need a scale for pour-over coffee? You don’t need a scale for pour-over coffee, but using one will supply more consistent results. If you don’t have a scale, Pearl suggests the following: “You can measure coffee without a scale by using tablespoons; measuring with tablespoons is a little less precise but can still give you consistent brews.” One tablespoon equals about 8 grams of coffee, and 1 cup of water equals about 236 grams. Can you use a regular kitchen scale for coffee? According to Pearl, any scale that can measure in grams or ounces (with a couple of decimals) works for making coffee. “For years I used non-coffee branded scales until I could afford a higher-end scale with more bells and whistles. For sourdough bakers out there — those scales work for coffee too!” Can I measure coffee without a scale? You can, but the results can be less accurate. “Measuring with tablespoons is affected by the coffee’s roast profile, varietal, processing method, and more,” Pearl says. “Lighter roasted beans tend to be smaller than the same coffee roasted darker because coffee expands as it’s roasted. You might need an extra half tablespoon or so to brew a darker roasted coffee using the recommended ratio above. Other factors that affect mass are variety/cultivar and processing method: Java or Mokka coffee beans are very small and dense, whereas Maragogipe beans tend to be slightly larger but less dense.” Our Expertise Contributor Ariane Resnick is a special diet private chef, certified nutritionist, and lifestyle writer with two decades of culinary and literary experience. Her work has been featured in Simply Recipes, The Spruce Eats, Clean Plates, Huffington Post, Verywell, and more. For this article, she conducted market research and consulted with Veronica Pearl, founder and “Chief Glitter Officer” of Glitter Cat Barista, and the United States Barista 2018 Champion Runner-Up. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit