Coffee Scales: Why Using One Will Make Your Coffee Better

You followed the recipe exactly as written, but boy, oh boy, did something go wrong - oh, there it is; 1 tsp of salt, not 2. Rats! Whether it's baking or cooking, you need to follow the recipe carefully - or else. What about your coffee-making recipe? Are you consistently making a perfect cup every morning? Especially if you're in a hurry, that first cup can come out either too weak or too bitter.

Is there such a thing as a magic recipe? Well, you could call it a magic tool that'll give you a perfect brew. It involves a small but mighty addition to your coffee setup - a digital scale. At one time, you would only see them used by pro baristas, but today more home-brewers have discovered that measuring coffee with a scoop is fraught with variables such as the variety, size and roast of the beans (dark roast beans will typically weigh less than light roast beans).

With a digital scale, you control the variables by weighing the beans and water before brewing. Place a container on the scale, tare it (reset to zero) and add coffee beans. For espresso, measure the coffee after grinding. The guide for the ratio of coffee to water is 1g of coffee to 15-17g of water. For the V60 - 1-15, the filter ratio is 1-16 and espresso 1-2. Start with these fundamental suggested ratios and adjust by one or two grams either way to find your perfect sweet spot.

Think it's all too time-consuming and demanding? Then, let us count the benefits of using a digital scale with a timer:

- your scale will be accurate to a 10th of a gram, removing the guesswork and allowing you to brew consistently.
• Exact dosing - your perfect 'recipe' is the weight of your coffee and the time to brew it.
• Troubleshooting - It's easier to figure out where you're making mistakes in either coffee weight or water quantity.
• Pour-over timing - The scale will time your pour and indicate when you've added the correct amount of water.
• Less wasted coffee - You'll only grind the exact amount of coffee you need.
• Experimentation - You will have the ability to tweak your coffee to water ratio by minute amounts.

Espressotec features scales from Hario and Java Gear at budget-friendly price points.

And of course, we can give you a demonstration any time in-store. So if you're already a convert to coffee scales, we would love to hear about your results.