I am looking for a digital scale with a large enough platform to use for roasting and accurate enough (0.01g or 0.1g) for espresso.

The one I am using now is a cheap one from bed bath and beyond. I figured its time to step up my game, but I am not familiar with scale brands what so ever. Any guidance or suggestions is appreciated.

Thank you.

The acaia scale (max 2Kg) can now be connected via bluetooth to Artisan. For now it needs a specific BLE dongle that is soon to be released for purchase by acaia. Artisan also supports some KERN scales via a serial connection. I have both and really like the acaia a lot, although it is a bit small to read the display with 2Kg beans on top. However, this is no problem as I take the readings directly from within Artisan.

I'm very happy with my Acaia scale. I got mine used from an HB member in the buy/sell forum, but I think is worth the $129 USD retail price. It does 0.1g resolution, so good enough for espresso dosing. Platform is large enough that I can tare my portafilter and check the actual dose. Because it can handle up to 2Kg it doubles as a general kitchen scale. Also has a timer you might find useful, and can display grams or ounces.

A couple HB sponsors, Seattle Coffee Gear, and Counter Culture Coffee sell it.

MaKoMo wrote:like the acaia a lot, although it is a bit small to read the display with 2Kg beans on top. However, this is no problem as I take the readings directly from within Artisan.

Good point about the display being obscured by large objects on the scale. You can also use the display on your iPhone or android (no dongle needed, just a free app.)

Another nice scale is the Hario V60 available from several coffee outlets - the pic is courtesy of Sweet Maria's.



It is good to 0.1 grams and has a timer.

How does the timer operate on the Acaia? I've thought it would be cool to have a scale where a timer would start as soon as it sensed weight being added and stop when the weight addition stopped (shot timing.)

You need scales which won't lose their tare when the battery saving auto-shutoff cuts in. That means AC power. I suggest this one, which has a 2kg capacity and 0.1g resolution. It's the one I use for brewing and espresso.

It's not the prettiest thing but it's a lot less expensive than the Hario or Acaia, and you can't call it on your phone. On the other hand, it's not in trouble for cyber bullying and does the three things you want a scale to do: tare, hold the tare (which the Hario won't do), and weigh accurately. In addition, the plastic covers work as trays which are handy for weighing things which may leak a little -- like portafilters.

Unfortunately, the plate is too small for the bean scoops and colanders I use for roasting. For that matter, all the dedicated "coffee" scales are. I use a commercial size, "trade rated" scale which is quite a bit bigger and more expensive.

On the other hand, the little AWS may be big enough for you. If it isn't, you only need 1g resolution for roasting. You can find all sorts of scales with enough capacity to weigh your bags of greens as they come in fairly cheaply. Look here, for instance. A little more expensive, this My Weigh KD 7000 (along with the AC adapter) is perfect for the home roaster who has room for a permanent setup, buys 10lb bags and charges at around 500g. As a matter of fact, it probably would have served me as well as my considerably more expensive My Weigh iBalance 5500.

Rich

Thank you all for the responses! Looks like I have some thinking to.

Since Rich mentioned AC power would be needed for reliability, would the acaia be able to provide this reliability?

Take care not to confuse "resolution" with "accuracy"! The resolution just mean the number of digit that the scale can display. Many peoples make this mistake. When you see the specs of a scale without the actual accuracy it's never a good thing. A lot of cheap scale that say 0.1g resolution have in fact around 2g accuracy which is too big for coffee. You can also buy calibrated weight to test and calibrate (if possible) your scale. The Acaia mentioned above seem good to me.

Bikeminded wrote:How does the timer operate on the Acaia? I've thought it would be cool to have a scale where a timer would start as soon as it sensed weight being added and stop when the weight addition stopped (shot timing.)

It doesn't work this way, sadly. You press a button to start/stop the timer. I had the same thoughts as you; I wish it did work this way. Maybe they can update the firmware someday. It does have a USB port, but I am not sure if that is just for charging.

It operates in 2 modes: a .1 g scale mode (only), then you can switch it to a mode where you get a timer and a 1 g scale mode. It is handy to track both the time and weight progression of the shot. I try to shoot for around 1g/s The scale is super-responsive compared to any other scale I have tried.

It doesn't seem to be optimized for espresso although it does work. It is more for pour-overs.