The Best Scale For Coffee: 2023 Top Picks (#1 May Surprise You)
Heads up: This content is reader-supported, meaning we may earn a small commission if you click on some of our links.
Brewing delicious coffee at home isn’t complicated, but to consistently achieve an epic cup, there are a few coffee accessories you simply can’t go without.
A solid coffee scale is one such tool. Precisely measuring coffee and water (instead of just eyeballing it) will help you find consistency in your coffee brewing and make the process a little more fun.
However, choosing the best scale for coffee can be daunting with so many coffee and kitchen scales on the market today.
Don’t stress. We’ve rounded up our favorites, from the simple workhorse to the fancy show pony, to help you make the right choice.
So let’s get weighing.
Table of Contents
The Best Scale For Coffee
Let’s take a look at our picks for the best scale for coffee at a glance:
PICK | NAME | WHAT WE LIKE | BUY IT |
 | Timemore Black Mirror Plus |
| |
 | HARIO V60 Coffee Scale |
| |
 | Etekcity Coffee Scale |
| |
 | KitchenTour Coffee Scale |
| |
 | Acaia Pearl |
|
Coffee Scoop Measurement
Before we get to our full reviews of the best scale for coffee, let’s take a step back. First things first, how exactly do you measure coffee and water? In grams? Ounces? Cups?
Many people just keep a generic one-size-fits-all coffee scoop lying around and use it to measure pre-ground coffee. (more on that in a moment)
The main problem with using a scoop to measure coffee is that densities and weights vary from bean to bean, so, ultimately, the scoop method will never be accurate.
To ensure a precise coffee water ratio and make the math more manageable, we use a coffee scale and measure both coffee and water in grams.
This keeps the coffee water ratios super simple. For example, if you’re brewing with a 1:15 ratio for drip coffee, you simply weigh 30 grams of coffee and 450 grams of water. Easy peasy.
How To Measure Coffee Using A Scale
Measuring coffee with a kitchen scale is very straightforward. Any of our picks for the best scale for coffee will get the job done in mere seconds.
- Place your coffee scale on a flat surface and turn it on
- Place a container for the coffee beans on the scale (a small bowl, coffee grinder hopper, etc.)
- Press the tare button to zero out the scale
- Add whole coffee beans until the desired weight is achieved
- Go slowly and be as precise as possible (all of the best coffee scales will give you accuracy down to 0.1 gram)
Remove the container of coffee beans from the scale and grind them accordingly for your brewing method.
Always measure coffee as whole beans rather than grounds. If you grind the beans first, you may over or underestimate the amount needed and either waste coffee or end up having to grind another batch.
And if you’re buying pre-ground coffee or have your coffee ground for you at the retailer, this next section is for you.
Grinding Your Own Coffee Vs. Pre-Ground
If you’re a person who prefers to buy pre-ground coffee, we beg you to change your ways. (We hope that since you’re considering the best scale for coffee, that means you’re stepping up your coffee game)
Let’s be honest: pre-ground coffee will never taste as good as freshly ground coffee. This is because coffee beans begin to oxidize immediately after roasting (yikes), and the more exposure the beans have to the air, the faster they expire.
When coffee is ground, more oils and aromas are released from the beans, and even more of the bean is exposed to the air around it. Therefore that bag of ground coffee from your local market is already stale when you bring it home.
Gross.
Always buy whole-bean coffee and grind it yourself just before brewing. Store your coffee beans in an airtight container away from sunlight. Coffee beans will last about 90 days post-roasting (in their original vacuum-sealed bag) but will only stay fresh for about 10-14 days once you’ve opened the bag.
Ok, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get to our thoughts on the best scale for coffee.
Best Coffee Scale
Overall Winner – Best Scale For Coffee: Timemore Black Mirror Plus
Our overall winner for the best coffee scale is the Timemore Black Mirror Plus. While Timemore may not be a household name (yet), it should undoubtedly be on your radar.
Timemore is a Chinese company that a few coffee-loving friends founded. They’ve been around since 2012 but are relatively new to the US coffee scene.
But these guys know a thing or two about making beautiful coffee equipment. The first thing you’ll notice about the Mirror Plus is its sleek and minimalistic design. The display is bright and easy to read.
When the scale is turned off, the display completely disappears, and the scale becomes a pleasing matte black square (although also available in white). The only comparable coffee scale is the Acaia Pearl in terms of design alone.
The Black Mirror Plus is more than just good looks, however. It is highly accurate (to 0.1g) and features an auto-timer. We think it just might be the best coffee scale for pour over. Period.
If you ask us, it’s a perfect size, as it’s large enough to hold your favorite pour over brewer yet slim enough to fit on most espresso machine drip trays.
In addition to its sleek design and ideal size, the Black Mirror Plus is water-resistant (read: not waterproof, do not submerge it in water) and recharges quickly via a USB-C.
Now for the not-so-good stuff. Luckily for us, there isn’t much to report here. First, the Black Mirror Plus only measures in grams. So if you’re a fan of ounces, you won’t find them here.
Second, the display sensors can be a bit touchy and sometimes respond before you even touch the control, yet other times lag a millisecond or two.
None of these tiny deficits should deter anyone from this digital coffee scale, but we had to find something wrong. As far as we’re concerned, this coffee scale is of tremendous value for all that it offers through functionality and design.
The Timemore Black Mirror Plus is hands down a winner.
Runner Up: Hario V60 Drip Coffee Scale
Not surprisingly, the Hario V60 Drip Coffee Scale also tops our list of the best scale for coffee. This coffee scale is attractive and sleek and works perfectly with your V60 brewer, as the name implies.
Like the Black Mirror Plus, the Hario Drip Scale is designed for measuring and brewing coffee. It has a built-in timer and auto-off function (that doesn’t kick in for 5 minutes and won’t activate when the timer is engaged) and is accurate to 0.1 grams.
It’s an excellent choice for those who brew with the V60 but works well with any manual brewing setup (like a French press). We love this digital coffee scale’s simplicity, elegance, and precision.
Finding something we don’t like about this scale is a challenge, but if we had to name one thing, it’d be that it runs on AAA batteries and is not rechargeable. Yes, we know, it’s a tiny complaint.
Overall, the Hario V60 Scale is an excellent value and a solid coffee scale for any home brewer that will look sharp on your kitchen counter.
Best Budget Pick: Etekcity Coffee Scale
Looking for a dependable, precise, and affordable coffee scale? Look no further. The Etekcity Coffee Scale earns our top budget pick for the best scale for coffee.
Is it technically a kitchen scale? Yes. But do you need a special scale for specialty coffee? Not necessarily.
If you want bells and whistles, look elsewhere. But what this little guy lacks in features, he makes up for in precision and units of measurement.
This little kitchen scale can handle up to 5kg (compared to the others, which max out at 2-3 kg), and it also features every unit of measurement you could desire: ounces, grams, pounds, fluid ounces, and milliliters. Boom.
While the Etekcity lacks a timer, its primary flaw, we find it particularly useful for measuring larger quantities of beans. We keep one handy near our small-batch roasters for quick and precise green and roasted coffee bean measurements.
If you don’t plan to use your digital scale for brewing and therefore don’t require a timer, we highly recommend this guy as the best kitchen scale for coffee.
Best Value: KitchenTour Coffee Scale With Timer
If you’re on a budget but need a coffee scale with a timer, we recommend the KitchenTour EK6012. It’s a decent digital scale for the money.
This KitchenTour scale features a timer, tare function, a bright, easy-to-read LCD display, and a removable silicone pad to protect it from heat and scratches while brewing pour over coffee.
We love that this scale also features an adjustable auto-off feature (hallelujah!). The default setting is two minutes, but instructions to change this setting are included in the manual.
The only thing we don’t love about this KitchenTour scale is its feel. While our other picks for the best scale for coffee feel sturdy and well-constructed, this scale leaves a bit to be desired in this area. It functions well and definitely gets the job done, but feels a little flimsy compared to the others.
Overall, this KitchenTour coffee scale is an excellent pick for the money. At $20 at the time of writing, it’s a steal if you ask us.
Best Smart Scale: Acaia Pearl
To put it mildly, the Acaia Pearl is a splurge. But if you’re in the market for a smart scale (i.e., one that will outperform any other on the market), this is the pick for you.
We’d be remiss to round up our picks for the best scale for coffee and leave out the Pearl. The newly reimagined Pearl takes the original Pearl scale and adds the latest weighing technology to make the Pearl faster and better.
The Pearl was designed with multiple brewing modes to help you perfect your technique.
It also features state-of-the-art upgrades like a real-time flow-rate indicator, optimized sunlight readability, and a portafilter mode. It is faster, more responsive, and precise down to 0.1 gram.
Like the others on this list, the Pearl is not waterproof, so care should be taken when brewing. It comes with a heat-resistant silicone coaster for pour over coffee brewing and is rechargeable via USB-C (would you expect anything less?)
The only real downside to this scale is the price tag. It is in a completely different category than our other picks for the best scale for coffee. But is the Acaia Pearl worth it? For those who are willing to fork over the cash, absolutely.
If you’re serious about improving your coffee brewing game and are looking for the absolute best digital scale for coffee, you can’t go wrong with the Pearl.
Final Thoughts
The best scale for coffee is the one that best suits your needs. Maybe you’re just looking for a no-nonsense, precise digital coffee scale at a fair price. We get it.
Or, perhaps you’ve reached a point in your coffee brewing adventure where you’re looking to experiment and fine-tune your brewing skills. That’s awesome, too.
Whatever your goals, any of these coffee scales will serve you well. All offer accuracy down to 0.1 gram, a compact footprint, and transparent, bright displays. We also like to think that all 5 of our picks look pretty sweet on the kitchen counter.
So choose the one that speaks to you (not literally), and start brewing delicious coffee today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heather Calatrello
Heather is the head coffee roaster and founder of ShedLight Coffee Roasters in San Diego, CA. She has repeatedly been featured in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parade, and more, and her solar-powered coffee roastery was recently the subject of a BlueDot Living dispatch.
