Just got a Mini Coffee Scale, or still making up your mind? In this blog you’ll learn how it works, which mode to choose for espresso or filter coffee, and what to do if something doesn’t work the way you expect. Still deciding which scale suits you? Compare all our coffee scales side by side.
Your Mini Coffee Scale at a glance
The Mini Coffee Scale is a compact, rechargeable coffee scale that weighs to within 0.1 gram and that you can calibrate yourself. You operate everything with two buttons.
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Weighing range | 0.3 g to 2 kg |
| Accuracy | 0.1 g |
| Units | grams, millilitres, ounces |
| Dimensions | 100 × 95 × 19 mm |
| Weight | 134 g |
| Timer | max. 10 minutes |
| Auto shut-off | after 5 minutes of inactivity |
| Battery | built-in, 400 mAh, charging via USB-C |
| Operating temperature | 10 to 40 °C |
| Material | ABS plastic |
The Mini Coffee Scale has three modes: manual mode (you do everything), P1 (semi-automatic) and P2 (fully automatic). The automatic modes come built in as standard. Use them if you like, manual mode works just as well.
Which mode should you choose?
Choose based on what you’re going to do. To go to the next mode, tap the power button twice.
| What are you doing? | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Making espresso, or weighing/timing anything else | Manual mode | You’re in control: weigh, tare and time whenever you want! |
| Making espresso | P2 | Tares your cup, starts at the first drop and stops by itself when your shot is done. Weigh your beans before switching to this mode. |
| Making espresso without switching modes | P1 | You weigh your beans and pull your shot in the same mode. The timer stops when you lift your cup off, rather than at the last drop. |
| Making filter coffee | P1 | The timer keeps running between your pours |
The two buttons
On the left is the timer button with the clock icon. On the right is the power button, which also tares (sets the scale to zero) and switches between modes.
| Button | Short press | Press twice | Press and hold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clock (left) | Start, pause or resume the timer | Switch unit (g, ml, oz). Straight after switching on: sound on or off | 3 sec: timer to zero. 6 sec in manual mode: calibrate |
| Power (right) | Tare (set to zero) | Next mode: Manual → P1 → P2 | 1 sec: switch on. 3 sec: switch off |
On the display you’ll see the time on the left and the weight with its unit on the right. Below that are the battery (4 bars), the speaker icon and P1 or P2 when an automatic mode is on.
Switching on, charging and switching off
First: peel the protective film off the display. There’s a thin film on the display that sits very tightly. You can barely see it, but it can make the display look scratched or damaged. Carefully lift it from a corner with your fingernail.
Switching on: hold the power button (right) for about 1 second, then let go. If you hold it longer, it switches straight off again.
Switching off: hold the power button for about 3 seconds. If you don’t use it for 5 minutes, it switches off by itself. As long as you’re weighing or using the timer, it stays on.
Charging:
- Before using it for the first time, fully charge the scale once via the USB-C port.
- Use a regular phone charger (5 V, 1 to 2 A).
- Once the battery icon stops changing, it’s full. Take it off the charger then, and don’t leave it plugged in for days.
- Try not to weigh while it’s connected to the charger.
Where to put it: on a flat, hard surface. Avoid vibrations, draughts and strong magnets nearby, as they make the reading unsteady. Place whatever you’re weighing as close to the centre as possible.
Settings: unit, sound and calibration
Switching unit: while weighing, press the clock button (left) twice quickly. It cycles from grams to millilitres to ounces and back again.
Sound on or off:
- Switch the scale on.
- Within 3 seconds, press the clock button twice quickly.
- Repeat the same steps to switch the sound back on or off.
With the sound on, it beeps at every button press and at every full minute on the timer.
Calibrating (with a 100 g calibration weight): do this if it shows, say, 98 or 99 for a 100 gram weight.
- Switch the scale on in manual mode, with an empty platform.
- Hold the clock button for 6 seconds until you see CAL.
- Press the clock button once more. You’ll see 100 flashing.
- Place the calibration weight exactly in the centre.
- Wait until you see PASS.
- Switch the scale off and on again. Done, it weighs accurately again.
Manual mode (default)
In manual mode you do everything yourself: taring, starting and stopping the timer. The scale always starts in this mode. Use it to weigh out your beans, or whenever you want to keep everything in your own hands.
Making espresso in manual mode:
- Place your dosing cup or portafilter on the scale and press the power button to tare.
- Weigh out your ground coffee (our basic recipe: 18 g, made for an 18 gram basket) and lock the portafilter into your machine.
- Place the scale on the drip tray under your group head, with your empty cup or an espresso shot glass on top. Press the power button: 0.0 g.
- Press the clock button the moment you start your machine.
- Stop your shot at 36 g and press the clock button to stop the timer. Between 25 and 30 seconds? Then you’re spot on.
- Hold the clock button for 3 seconds to reset the timer to zero.
In manual mode you count from the moment you start your machine, so including pre-infusion. Exactly how our basic recipe is meant to work.
P1: semi-automatic
In P1 you first weigh and tare whatever you like, and only get the scale ready when your shot is about to start. The timer then starts by itself at the first drop and stops when you lift your cup off.
How to switch on P1: in manual mode, tap the power button twice. P1 lights up on the display.
Making espresso in P1:
- Weigh your beans, grind them and do your puck prep. You can do this in manual mode or already in P1.
- Place the scale on the drip tray under your group head, with your cup on top.
- Press the power button to tare.
- Tap the clock button once. You’ll see three dashes: it’s ready.
- Start your machine. The timer starts by itself as soon as espresso drops into your cup.
- Done? Lift your cup off. The timer stops.
- Time and weight stay on the display for 10 seconds, so read them straight away. After that it resets by itself.
In P1, too, the timer counts from the first drop. How that fits with our basic recipe is explained below under P2.
Side note: P1 also works for filter coffee. Because the timer keeps running when you briefly stop pouring, P1 is handy for pour-over with a bloom and several pours:
- Place your jug with dripper and filter on the scale and tare.
- Add your ground coffee and tare again.
- Tap the clock button and start pouring. The timer starts by itself.
- Done? Lift your dripper off and read the time and weight.
P2: auto timer for espresso
In P2 the timer starts by itself as soon as espresso drops into your cup and stops by itself when no more espresso comes out. Only switch the scale to P2 once you’ve weighed your beans and finished your puck prep: in this mode it automatically tares anything over 10 grams.
How to switch on P2: in P1, tap the power button twice again. P2 lights up on the display.
Making espresso in P2:
- Place the scale on the drip tray under your group head.
- Put your cup on it. It tares automatically (almost every espresso cup weighs more than 10 g).
- Start your machine.
- The timer starts automatically as soon as espresso drops into your cup.
- The timer stops automatically as soon as the espresso stops. Sometimes it runs on for another 1 or 2 seconds.
- Time and weight stay on the display for 10 seconds. After that it resets by itself.
A note on our basic recipe: we recommend 18 g of coffee in, 36 g of espresso out, in 25 to 30 seconds. That time includes pre-infusion: you count from the moment you start your machine. In P2 the timer only starts at the first drop, so the scale doesn’t see the pre-infusion or the seconds until that first drop. As a result, the number on your display will be lower. If you know how long your machine pre-infuses, add that on. Want to measure exactly according to the basic recipe? Use manual mode.
Want to see how fast your espresso is running during your shot? You can with the flow rate display on the Pro Coffee Scale.
Tips for filter coffee
Whichever recipe you follow, your Mini Coffee Scale keeps track of how much coffee, how much water and how long. How to work step by step is explained above under P1. Prefer to start the timer yourself? You can also do it in manual mode: tare after the filter, tare after the coffee and press the clock button at your first pour. Don’t use P2 for filter coffee: it stops the timer as soon as you pause pouring.
- Tare after the coffee. That way you don’t have to do any maths and you can see straight away how much water you’ve poured.
- Keep the display in view. The scale is compact. Place your jug in the centre of the platform so it doesn’t cover the display.
- Pour slowly. That way the scale can keep up and you’re less likely to overshoot your target.
- Stick to grams. Water weighs 1 gram per millilitre, so you can simply follow a recipe in ml in grams.
- Watch the total. Jug, dripper, coffee and water together must not weigh more than 2 kg.
- Don’t spill. The scale isn’t waterproof. If hot water runs over it, wipe it dry straight away.
- Long brew? The timer runs up to 10 minutes, more than enough for any filter method.
Care and correct use
- Not waterproof. Never rinse it. Wipe it clean with a damp barista cloth, also when espresso has run over the edge.
- Not on a hot machine. It works between 10 and 40 °C, so don’t put it on the cup warmer on top of your machine.
- Maximum 2 kg. Anything heavier can damage the load cell.
- Don’t open it. It’s a precision instrument. Handle it with care and don’t drop it.
- Calibrate now and then. For example after moving house or if it has been dropped.
Something not working as expected?
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| It won’t switch on, or switches straight off again | Hold the power button for about 1 second, then let go. After 3 seconds it switches off instead. |
| It switches off by itself | After 5 minutes of inactivity it switches itself off. As long as you’re using it, it stays on. Just switch it back on. |
| The timer stops after 10 minutes | That’s the maximum. The scale stays on and you can keep weighing. Reset the timer to zero by holding the clock button for 3 seconds. |
| 100 g weighs 98 or 99 g | Calibrate it with a 100 g calibration weight. |
| Very small amounts don’t show up | It weighs from 0.3 g. Below that it stays at zero. |
| The timer won’t start in P1 | Did you tap the clock button once after taring? You should see three dashes. |
| P2 keeps setting everything to zero | That’s right, it automatically tares anything over 10 g. Weigh your beans in manual mode. |
| The time in P1 or P2 is shorter than our basic recipe | P1 and P2 count from the first drop, the basic recipe from when you start your machine. Add your pre-infusion time or use manual mode. |
| The weight keeps jumping around | Place it on a flat, sturdy surface, away from draughts and vibrations. |
| It beeps every minute | That’s the minute alert, handy for keeping track of how long you’ve been brewing. Switch the sound off if you don’t want it. |
| You don’t know which mode it’s in | Check whether P1 or P2 is lit up. If nothing is lit, it’s in manual mode. |
| The display looks scratched or damaged | The protective film is probably still on. It sits very tightly, so lift it from a corner with your fingernail. |
Stuck? Just send us a message, we’re happy to help.
