Weighing the grounds in the portafilter?

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Hudiny
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#1: Post by Hudiny »

I would like to get an easy workflow in which I weigh the grounds in the portafilter after hopper dosing. Ideally with 0.1g precision.

I couple of questions:
- Would this be an accurate approach? Most scales advertise 0.1g precision until 500g.
- Which scale would you recommend that (a) accommodates a portafilter and (b) fits the accuracy requirement?

Aside from single-dosing, would you recommend an easier and more streamlined workflow?

RockyIII
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#2: Post by RockyIII »

That is how I do it, and it works well. I tare my portafilter with basket and funnel, grind into it, place it back on the scale, and observe the weight of the grounds. A 500 gram scale would not have enough capacity for me though, as the combination weighs more than that. I use an Acaia Lunar scale which is fast, accurate, and has a 2,000 gram capacity.

Rocky

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dpiette
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#3: Post by dpiette »

You could get a Sette 270W
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DaumierS
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#4: Post by DaumierS »

I got a post office scale which is small (10 x 8 x 3 inches) and good. The precision is 0.1g and it does not depend on the weight. Capacity - 110 lb. I use it also as a tamping station, and it shows the applied weight of 30lb. Found it quite convenient, especially for weighting the beans in the portafilter. Small, but large enough for medium size objects like portafilter. Acaia is too tiny for that. $24 plus free shipping. You can use the batteries, but I plug it in, and it has an external monitor that you could put anywhere.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KY ... UTF8&psc=1

Lilybell2
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#5: Post by Lilybell2 »

I use the Acaia Lunar: Weigh and tare the portafilter, weigh the dose, then place the scale on the drip tray where it auto tares my cup and then times and weighs the shot from the second the first drop hits the cup. I'm happy with it. :)

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RapidCoffee
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#6: Post by RapidCoffee »

DaumierS wrote:I got a post office scale... The precision is 0.1g and it does not depend on the weight. Capacity - 110 lb.
Precision is listed as 0.1oz, which is 3g (not 0.1g). This is clearly insufficient resolution for weighing an espresso dose. Get a 0.1g resolution scale; many good ones are available for $10-15.

Consider prepping the basket outside the portafilter. This has several advantages, notably
1. less heat loss (PF stays locked into group until basket is fully prepped)
2. easier to hold basket flat against countertop while tamping
3. easier to prep several baskets when extracting multiple shots
4. more accurate weighing (even a 100g scale is adequate)

When you prep the basket this way, you will want to remove the spring clip from your portafilter (or use a ridgeless basket).
John

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slipchuck
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#7: Post by slipchuck »

I just tare the empty portafilter and add grinds and re-weight as required
Mine only does whole grams but is good enough for capps. $15

Randy
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DaumierS
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#8: Post by DaumierS »

RapidCoffee wrote:Precision is listed as 0.1oz, which is 3g (not 0.1g). This is clearly insufficient resolution for weighing an espresso dose.
Ops, you are right, I was wrong in my recommendation. Anyway, I have Hario and Acaia Lunar for the basket, and use the above post scale just for tamping as a station. Thanks for the tips as well.

Hudiny (original poster)
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#9: Post by Hudiny (original poster) »

Looks like the Lunar has a lot of fans. Jane and Rocks's workflows sound so streamlined. And it looks beautiful, too.

I would still prefer to go with a $20 scale and put $200 more towards a grinder. I don't care much about timing and weighing every shot as I'm gravitating towards the BDB machine with volumetric dosing. Hopefully it would eliminate the need to time and weigh shots regularly once the workflow has been dialed in.
Consider prepping the basket outside the portafilter. ... When you prep the basket this way, you will want to remove the spring clip from your portafilter (or use a ridgeless basket).
Will definitely try this, John. The heat loss point seems like a big plus, especially if I end up taking extra time to apply your WDT.
A question about the ridgeless baskets, e.g. a VST on a BDB. To what extend do they stick to the portafilter? Would I end up knocking out the basket every time I use the knockbox. Or alternatively, would it be hard to take the basket out every time for dosing?
You could get a Sette 270W
@dpiette and others - are you amongst the happy 270W owners? How accurately does it dose for you? Do you shoot for the exact amount and how does your grinding/tamping workflow look?

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RapidCoffee
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#10: Post by RapidCoffee »

Hudiny wrote:A question about the ridgeless baskets... To what extend do they stick to the portafilter? Would I end up knocking out the basket every time I use the knockbox. Or alternatively, would it be hard to take the basket out every time for dosing?
Good question. By straightening out the bends in the portafilter spring clip, you can adjust the "tension" to your liking. In my E61 days, I was very happy with 58mm ridgeless baskets.

Unfortunately, ridgeless baskets are not readily available for my 53mm Spaz, so I removed the spring clip from the portafilter, and use my thumb to keep the basket in place when I bang out the grounds. After a little practice, this becomes second nature. Give it a try and see for yourself. What have you got to lose, other than a few nerve endings? :P
John

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