I Tested 15 Coffee Scales to Find the Best Ones for Pour-Overs and Espresso Shots

As a baker, I know a kitchen scale can ensure consistency with cakes, cookies, muffins, and bread. Coffee is no different. Accurately weighing coffee beans and water leads to reliably excellent coffee, whether your brewing method is a pour-over, espresso, or French press. And though a regular kitchen scale will do in a pinch, dedicated coffee scales are more precise, have built-in timers, and often include special features to make brewing easier.

Coffee scales are available in a range of prices and sizes. In search of the best, I tested 15 coffee scales to find ones that pulled their weight. 

The Winners, at a Glance

This thin coffee scale was easy to use and had a bright, digital screen. It was slim enough to place under an espresso machine’s portafilter, and it featured an automatic timer and adjustable coffee-to-water target ratio.

Similar to the Hario Polaris, the Fellow Tally Pro was easy to use and accurate. It featured a vivid digital screen, an automatic timer, and an adjustable coffee-to-water target ratio, so you know exactly how much water to add for a pour-over or French press without having to do the math.

This petite scale is precise and quickly gives accurate measurements. It offers lots of useful features, including auto-tare and an auto-start timer, which makes pulling back-to-back shots easy and quick. Its small footprint and slim profile allowed it to fit underneath an espresso machine’s portafilter without hanging off the edge of the drip tray.

The Acaia Pearl can withstand heavy use in a home kitchen or a busy coffee shop. It features a number of modes that help you perfect your pour-over skills, including a timer, a screen with adjustable brightness, and a flow rate indicator, so you can see how quickly you’re adding water.

The OXO coffee scale didn’t have any special features; however, it’s reasonably priced, accurate, and easy to use out of the box.

The Tests

• Accuracy Test: I placed 100-gram, 50-gram, 20-gram, and 10-gram laboratory-grade calibration weights on each scale to see how accurate it was.
• Sensitivity Test: I added a ceramic ramekin to each scale and pressed the tare button to zero it. Then, I placed a single coffee bean in the ramekin to see if the scale registered the weight.
• Pour-Over Test: I brewed pour-over coffee using a Hario V60 coffee maker—one of our favorite coffee makers—and pour-over mode, if the scale had one.
• Espresso Test: I placed each scale on the Breville Barista Express Impress’s drip tray to see if it would fit. I then added an espresso cup on top of the scale and pulled a double shot, using a specific espresso mode if the scale had one.
• Usability Test: I noted how intuitive each scale was, including the readability of its digital display. 

What We Learned

Coffee Scales Are Different From Kitchen Scales

If someone likes to bake, they should invest in a kitchen scale. It’s a great way to ensure consistency. However, a coffee scale is specifically designed for brewing coffee and has a number of features that make it better for this task than a kitchen scale. 

Coffee scales have built-in timers and are calibrated for smaller increments of weight. Some scales register when a single coffee bean is added. (Many kitchen scales record a minimum of five grams.) Higher-end coffee scales also have features like ratio calculators and flow rate monitoring to help with pour-overs, and most of them feature a heat-proof silicone pad. This is because digital scales use load cells and electrical resistance to measure weight. Heat can disrupt the electrical resistance, and too much heat can permanently damage a scale. A pad prevents this.

Many of the Coffee Scales Didn’t Work Well for Both Pour-Over and Espresso

Finding a scale that works for both pour-over and espresso machines is surprisingly hard. Most coffee scales had wide surfaces, suitable for mugs or glass carafes. And some of the higher-end coffee scales, like the Acaia Pearl and Pearl S, have specific espresso modes that help with pulling shots; they automatically tare the scale when a static weight like a glass is added, but start a timer and register weight when a steady stream of espresso begins to flow.

But placing these larger coffee scales on the drip tray of a home espresso machine proved challenging. The Acaia Pearl and Pearl S didn’t fit, with parts of the scales hanging off the tray. This led to inaccurate measurements, as the scale wasn’t stable. 

Conversely, small scales that were designed for espresso, like the Acaia Lunar or Weightman, had thin profiles and smaller footprints, allowing them to comfortably fit on the espresso machine’s drip tray and under its portafilter. But this small size also meant mugs and carafes dwarfed the scale, obscuring the screen. In the end, only a few scales, like the Hario Polaris and Timemore, were suitable for pour-over and espresso, and, even then, they required turning the scale sideways, which made them slightly awkward to use. 

I recommend getting the right scale for your preferred brewing method, whether that’s espresso or pour-over. And if you do both, consider getting two scales, or know that you may have to turn the scale sideways when pulling shots.

Form Factor and Design Were Important

My favorite scales had easy-to-press buttons or ones that turned on with just a touch, like the Fellow Tally Pro, Hario Polaris, and Acaia models. These scales also had digital readouts that were large or brightly lit, so they could be seen even with the morning sun shining on them.

But some scales failed these basic design requirements. The MiiR Digital Coffee Scale had a touch-sensitive button that required me to press and hold it for a few seconds to turn on the scale. And the Timemore’s controls were triggered by drips of water, which potentially could tare and zero the scale mid-brewing. 

Some Brewing Modes and Features Were Useful

Both the Hario Polaris and Fellow Tally Pro have modes that allow you to set your preferred coffee-to-water ratio. If you like a typical-strength pour-over, you’d opt for a 1:16 ratio, meaning one gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water. If you prefer a more robust cup (like my husband does), you can dial this down to 1:13. Once you add the beans, the scale automatically tells you how much water to add. When the target water weight is hit, the scale alerts you. 

Automatic timers that started the minute the scale sensed water being added were also useful, as I didn’t have to press a button as I poured. My favorite feature on the Acaia Luna was an espresso mode that auto-tared when you put a mug or glass on the scale, and that triggered the weight and timer the minute the scale sensed a consistent drip of espresso. 

All that said, a lot of features and modes on the higher-end scales were confusing or useless. The auto-tare function was frustrating, constantly resetting the scale in the middle of measuring beans or making a pour-over. Step-by-step brewing required me to carefully consult the manual and involved trial and error to understand what each step did—not the most user-friendly process. 

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Coffee Scale

Look for a scale that has large or easy-to-press buttons. The best coffee scales have a generously sized, brightly lit screen for readability. They should have fast and accurate readings—my favorites registered in one second or less. They should also feature useful functions like automatic timers and target ratio weights to easily achieve an ideal pour-over strength. 

Our Favorite Coffee Scales

What we liked: This versatile coffee scale was large enough for a pour-over and small enough to fit on a drip tray of a home espresso machine. It also turned on immediately with a loud beep and had a bright screen, making it easy to read and know it was on.

The Polaris features a ratio brewing mode, making it easy to home in on the target weight. It tells you the percentage of water you’ve added during brewing (e.g., 50% or 75% of the overall target). It also beeps when you hit the target water amount. The auto-start timer made brewing a pour-over easy, and it was one of the few scales that was sensitive enough to register a single coffee bean as 0.1 grams.

What we didn’t like: The screen was bright and sharp, but the digits are smaller than those in some of my other favorite scales, making it harder to see at a distance. 

Key Specs

• Size: 6.5 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Batteries: 3 AA batteries
• Precision: 0.1-gram
• Maximum weight: 2000 grams
• Measurement units: Grams

What we liked: The Fellow Tally Pro has useful features, including a bright screen with three buttons, without the unnecessary bells and whistles that other scales offer. The mode button switches between weight, timer, and brew assist. The larger, raised button is a power button, as well as a knob for toggling measurement units or ratios. And the trigger button—with an hourglass symbol on it—turns on the timer or brew assist mode.

Like the Hario Polaris, the brew assist mode is the most useful, allowing you to adjust the coffee-to-water ratio. Once you’ve added your beans and picked your ratio, you hit the trigger button and start brewing. The timer automatically starts once the scale senses water being poured. And the target weight is highlighted in white once it hits the number. It was one of the few scales sensitive enough to weigh a single coffee bean as 0.1 grams, though it took a second or two for the scale to register it.

What we didn’t like: The Fellow Tally costs twice as much as the Hario Polaris. It’s also larger and doesn’t fit on an espresso machine’s drip tray.

Key Specs

• Size: 7 x 5.125 x 1.25 inches
• Batteries: Rechargeable via USB-C charging port; 13 hours per charge
• Precision: 0.1-gram
• Maximum weight: 2500 grams
• Measurement units: Grams, ounces, pounds, milliliters

What we liked: If you’re looking for a dedicated espresso scale, the Acaia Lunar is a compact option designed to help you pull the best shots. Its small footprint means it comfortably sits on an espresso machine’s drip tray without hanging over the edges. It’s thin enough that 3.5-inch-tall espresso mugs can sit on it and still fit under a portafilter. And it’s sensitive enough to register a single coffee bean.

The Lunar’s screen is relatively large and bright. It has a number of modes, some of which are less useful than others. But the “auto tare timer starts with flow” mode (mode 4) is ideal for pulling shots, as long as you know how to use it properly. This mode auto-tares any consistent weight placed on it, like an espresso cup. Then, once weight is added at a consistent flow (like when espresso starts to drip), it automatically starts the timer and registers the weight. Once the shot is pulled, the timer stops, making it helpful when manually pulling shots.

What we didn’t like: The scale can be too sensitive. If your espresso machine is on an unstable surface, the scale’s auto-start mode can be accidentally triggered. Though the scale has a pour-over mode, the platform is too small for pour-over carafes and mugs, with the larger item obscuring the scale’s digital screen. Finally, the Lunar is expensive.

Key Specs

• Size: 4 x 4 x 0.75 inches
• Batteries: Rechargeable via USB-C charging port, 30 to 40 hours per charge
• Precision: 0.1-gram
• Maximum weight: 2000 grams
• Measurement units: Grams, ounces

What we liked: The Acaia Pearl is sleek and has a number of modes and features ideal for home kitchens and coffee shops. It comes with a large, heat-proof silicone mat that doubles as a non-slip surface for mugs and carafes.

Designed especially for pour-over enthusiasts, the Pearl features a flow rate indicator, which shows you real-time water pouring speed. Being able to dial this in gives you more precision and consistency, as fast pours lead to uneven extraction. 

What we didn’t like: Toggling between modes isn’t intuitive, and I had to read the scale’s manual several times. For most folks, this scale is overkill, featuring a lot of modes that aren’t useful for the average coffee drinker. The scale is also too large to fit on the drip tray of a home espresso machine.

Key Specs

• Size: 6.25 x 6.25 x 1.375 inches
• Batteries: Rechargeable via USB-C charging port; 30 to 40 hours per charge.
• Precision: 0.1-gram
• Maximum weight: 2000 grams
• Measurement units: Grams, ounces

What we liked: This no-frills coffee scale does the basics: weighing and timing. It doesn’t offer any special features or modes, but it does have a simple on/off button, a tare button, and a timer that starts with a single press of a button, making it intuitive to use out of the box.

The heat-proof silicone pad fits nicely around the edges of the scale. The large, 2700-gram (six-pound) maximum weight capacity makes it more versatile than other coffee scales. In a pinch, it could be used as a kitchen scale.

What we didn’t like: The scale’s digital screen is dim, making it hard to read in bright sunlight. It could also be quicker to respond to weight changes. There was a lag time of about a second or two.

Key Specs

• Size: 7.75 x 6.25 x 1.25 inches
• Batteries: 4 AAA batteries
• Precision: 0.1-gram
• Maximum weight: 2000 grams
• Measurement units: Grams, ounces

The Competition

Other Good Options

• Acaia Pearl Model S: This professional-grade scale is a more robust version of the Acaia Pearl, with a price tag to match. It has numerous excellent features and modes, including sound and voice notifications, making it a great option for those who are visually impaired. However, it’s an exceedingly expensive scale with a lot of features that the average coffee user might not need or use.
• Greater Good Coffee Scale: This scale was almost my budget pick. It has differently colored digits, and the raised buttons are easy to press. However, the screen dimmed randomly during testing, raising concerns about long-term use.
• Subminimal Subscale: This scale is basically a small cup with a built-in scale in its base and a digital screen. It’s super useful for quickly measuring coffee beans, but that’s about it.
• Escali Versi Coffee Scale: The Escali Versi was almost the runner-up. It was nearly as accurate as the Acaia scales at weighing coffee, had quick response times, and had a great form factor. The Versi was too sensitive during brewing, however, and the weight readout fluctuated during pours.

Not Recommended

• MiiR Digital Coffee Scale: The buttons on this scale were less sensitive, making it harder to use. 
• Timemore Coffee Scale: The touch-sensitive buttons on this scale were also activated by water, causing inaccuracies if any dribbles or drips occurred.
• Weightman Espresso Scale: This small espresso scale had a small screen that was hard to read.
• Hario V60 Scale: With a microscopic display and no backlighting, the Hario V60 scale was the hardest scale to read. It also wasn’t precise enough.
• Brewista Ratio Scale: The Brewista scale was a headache to use. It’s now discontinued.
• KitchenTour Coffee Scale: This scale was slow and inaccurate.

FAQs

Is a coffee scale worth it? 

A coffee scale is a great investment if you make a lot of pour-overs or want to refine your brewing technique. Coffee scales are designed for lower amounts of weight than kitchen scales, are more sensitive to smaller weights, and have built-in timers.

Why do I need to weigh coffee?

The best way to have a consistent coffee is to make sure you’re using the same amount of coffee to water ratio in every brew. Scooping and measuring coffee by volume is inaccurate. The only way to ensure accuracy is by weighing your coffee and water.

How accurate should a coffee scale be? 

Ideally, a coffee scale should measure in grams, as small amounts of coffee are used in pour-over and espresso. (This is why coffee recipes and instructions are given in grams instead of ounces.) The best coffee scales record down to 0.1 grams, allowing you to accurately measure the coffee-to-water ratio. 

Why We're the Experts 

• Irvin Lin is a cookbook author, recipe developer, food writer, photographer, and ceramicist. 
• He’s tested and reviewed hundreds of kitchen items, including stand mixers and digital thermometers.
• For this review, Irvin tested 15 coffee scales, making multiple cups of coffee on each scale, as well as pulling numerous espresso shots. He is still wide awake and wondering when the caffeine will wear off.