A few gadgets in your kitchen can transform your entire morning coffee experience. One of them is as simple as a digital scale for coffee. Before I start making any more dad jokes, let’s look at the reasons why you need a coffee scale to get yourself the perfect morning brew with any brewing method.
You can make do with any regular kitchen scale and coffee scoops, but having a digital coffee scale tips the game in your favor.
It Saves You Money! (Reasons Why You Need A Coffee Scale)
Do you ever feel like you are using more beans when using the same scoop for your coffee ground? Like when your bag of coffee says you can make 30 cups of coffee, and yet you run out just after making 20?
While giving you a measurement, coffee scoops can’t be precise down to every bean. When you are using a scale, you know EXACTLY how many coffee beans you are using with any coffee maker to make sure you have a better grasp on your spending of both coffee beans and money.
Considering a flavored coffee bean bag isn’t cheap, you need to save every penny you can with every cup of coffee you drink using a coffee scale.
Right Weight For The Right Taste
If you’re trying your best to stick to the golden ratio of coffee and water, getting a coffee scale can help you do it more efficiently.
If you break the ratio, but not without knowing the exact quirks of experimentation, your coffee will either taste sour and weak or as bitter as a shot of Campari. You don’t want to ruin your morning that way, do you?
When measuring your coffee beans, you can determine the right amount you need to uphold the perfect coffee-to-water ratio and go with it.
Consistency Is Key
When you have the idea of an exact measurement of your coffee by using a coffee scale, you can repeat the same process for success over and over again.
And this goes not just for the coffee beans, but for the hot water as well. Doesn’t matter how good you are with a scoop and your sixth sense; nothing will get you the right amount of consistency more than a coffee scale.
You Can Experiment With Your Brews
With a coffee scale, you know how much coffee you need. But what if you did something wild one morning and changed the ratios up a bit?
But that’s the freedom a coffee scale allows you. With a coffee scale, you can use different measurements of coffee beans and different coffee-to-water ratios.
You can try out a new ratio and grind size with different brew methods to find if you like another way to drink a coffee that’s always been consumed the same way.
The Weight Affects Your Roasting Method To An Extent (Reasons Why You Need A Coffee Scale)
If you look at coffee beans, you can tell that not all of them are built the same way. There are types of coffee beans that are small in size but really dense, while larger beans are comparatively hollow.
For example, Ethiopian coffee beans are smaller than Indonesian coffee beans. Now here’s the thing: a scoop of large coffee beans will not brew and taste the same as a scoop of small coffee beans.
When you measure your beans using a coffee scale, you can pick through your coffee beans and choose the right ones for your morning brew.
5 Factors To Consider When Getting A Coffee Scale (Reasons Why You Need A Coffee Scale)
Notice that in the section above, we talk about the “coffee scale” and not the ” simple kitchen scale,” and there’s a reason for that.
Though a digital kitchen scale can help you out in the kitchen in more than one way, not every kitchen scale can become a coffee scale.
Factor #1: Accuracy Is Key
Since coffee is quantified in minimal amounts, you need to get a coffee scale to count down to the last gram for the most accurate reading.
Though kitchen scales can help you count down large amounts, when you’re trying to measure 35 grams of coffee grounds for a cup of espresso, only a digital coffee scale can help you with that, even down to one or two decimal points of precise measurement units.
Factor #2: The Tare Functionality Is A Saving Grace
The Tare button can help provide a more accurate measurement when measuring coffee beans.
When you put a coffee container on the scale for measuring, the tare function will only count the contents present in the container and not the weight of the container itself. But to do that, you need to measure the empty container beforehand.
This function also comes in really handy when you’re measuring the water for your ground coffee. The right measurement of your water and coffee beans ensures that you can get your water-to-coffee ratio just right.
Having fun Nomies? Check out our piece on sweetest coffee drinks in the world.
Factor #3: Size Does Matter!
Though the title of this subsection can give out divisive messages, we’re talking about considering the right size for when you are getting a coffee scale for your kitchen.
It has to be large enough to hold a French press, a water jug, or any brewing apparatus of your preference, but not big enough to give you a workout right after waking up and before having your morning coffee.
Factor #4: Consider The Load Capacity Factor
When you are trying to get a small-sized coffee scale with a sleek design with a lot of advanced functions for accuracy(like an LCD display that shows the results), you will have to cut down on the weight capacity of the scale itself.
And that means no more brewing French brew by the liters. Just kidding, you won’t need that much coffee just for the morning anyway.
Aside from that, when you’re making a cup of coffee with a pour-over ratio of 32 grams of coffee to 500ml of water, it’ll hardly make a difference. But the problem starts glaring at your face when you’re trying to brew an espresso with incorrect amounts.
Apart from that, 0.1-gram increments hardly make a difference in standard pour-over recipes, with a pour-over ratio of about 32 grams (1.12 ounces) of coffee to 500 milliliters (16.9 fluid ounces) of water. For espresso, things look entirely different, with a brew ratio of around 7 grams of ground coffee (0.24 ounces) to 25 milliliters (0.84 fluid ounces) of water.
Factor #5: The Reaction Time Is Also Important
Time is an essential factor that can be on your side if you utilize it right, and it applies to the scales. If your scale has a built-in timer function, you can measure the exact weight of the extracted coffee to find out if your brew is on point.
Note that instant readings can also help a lot, considering a much slower traditional, simple scale. An ideal digital coffee scale has a 20ms response time.
Now, this may sound like a real coffee snob thing to do, but believe me when I say that many coffee lovers put a lot of attention to this detail.
Aside from the crema and flow rate being essential calibration tools, the scale’s time measurement can help you assess the full extraction.
What’s important here is that your scale shows you the ideal result for your brew. This information can help you decide if you will be chugging down dishwater or a fine cup of java.
Had fun reading reasons why you need a coffee scale?
You’ll love to read our piece on strongest coffee in the world.
Bottom Line
A coffee scale is a device that can help you get complete control over your morning coffee ritual by ensuring you are using the right amount of coffee and water and offering you great coffee in the process.
I hope I’ve convinced you enough to get a dedicated coffee scale to help out with your brews.
Cheers, and happy brewing!
FAQs
The best coffee scale is portable with a decent load capacity and has a faster reaction time while providing you the most accurate results possible in specific decimals.
Measuring your coffee beans can give you a better insight into making a perfect brew. You can note down the amount and repeat it for better coffee every morning.
A designated coffee scale can give you better and more precise readings when measuring your coffee and water, so it’s better to opt for a designated coffee scale.
The weight of your drip pour can give you an idea if the brew is decent enough or not. Professional baristas always measure their drip-brew.
A designated coffee scale can give you readings down to one or two decimals if you get yourself an expensive one.
