A good coffee scale is the key to great-tasting espresso.
You use it for 3 tasks: dosing your coffee beans, weighing the amount of espresso, and timing your extraction. By using this as a basis to dial in your grinder, you find the right ratio for the best-tasting espresso!
Not every scale is the same, read on to find out what to look for when searching for the best coffee scale for your coffee setup.
Best coffee scale: What to look for
Coffee scales come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. This can make it tricky to know which coffee scale is best for you, and what to look for to tell the best from the mediocre ones.
Looking for the best coffee scale? Pay attention to these features:
Material: Better coffee scales are made from high-quality plastic and aluminium. They also have no awkward corners or gaps where coffee splashes can get into the device.
Response time: A good response time sets the best coffee scales apart from the rest. How quickly the numbers appear and change on your display determines how precisely you can make your espresso. The cheaper scales will have a slower response time than the more expensive ones.
Automatic mode: While every coffee scale can perform the three basic tasks, some scales have more modes. A more advanced coffee scale often has an automatic mode, where it automatically starts counting when your extraction begins. This can be used for espresso but is especially handy if you want to use the scale for filter coffee.
Size: When it comes to size, there are a few things to consider.
The height of the scale: do you have enough room under your portafilter to place both the scale and a cup? If space is tight, consider a more compact scale and use an espresso shot glass.
The width of the scale: most scales fit 2 barista cups at the same time. On larger scales it is possible to dose your coffee directly into your portafilter. On smaller models it is better to use a dosing cup or dosing tray to weigh your coffee.
Charging method: The best coffee scales are rechargeable with a cable (often USB-C) instead of running on batteries.
View our complete range of high-quality coffee scales here. All with timer, LCD display and splash-resistant design.
About our best coffee scale
We are super proud of our advanced mini barista scale with timer. In our eyes, it is an absolute favourite and our best coffee scale. But of course, it helps that we designed it ourselves 😉.
This scale has an automatic tare and timer function and a handy size (100x95mm). That means it fits in your pocket, while still being large enough for 2 cups or your portafilter.
And we are not the only ones who are convinced. In the independent test by Finer Brew, our mini scale was named best buy.
Besides our mini coffee scale, we also have two other barista scales we are really proud of: our basic coffee scale and our advanced coffee scale.
Why a coffee scale is a gamechanger
When you start out with your own espresso machine, a grinder and a coffee scale are indispensable.
When I started out, I just winged it. I assumed my grinder delivered the same result every morning, makes sense, right? But that’s not how it works. Heat, the freshness of your beans, even humidity: it all affects your grind. Without weighing, you only notice when your espresso disappoints, and by then you still don’t know why.
A scale gives you control. You know exactly how much coffee is in your portafilter, and you time how long your espresso takes. It might sound excessive, but it’s exactly what you need to make consistently great coffee.
We always recommend starting with the same base recipe: 18 grams in, 36 grams out in 25–30 seconds. That gives you a stable foundation. And once you have that foundation, you can start experimenting with ratios based on what you enjoy.
Read more here about the importance of weighing coffee and why a coffee scale with timer is such a helpful tool for your best espresso at home.
