So you have your ideal coffee maker, a packet of some of the best beans you can find, and hot water- all the ingredients you need to make the perfect cup of coffee! Somehow, the cup you make today is not as great as the one you made last week, yet you are doing everything exactly the same. You are scooping the same amount of coffee beans and using the same amount of water, but one day it tastes brilliant while the next time… your cup of coffee is spit-out bitter.
It might sound a little strange, but the weight of the coffee you are using makes a massive difference in the taste of your coffee. Making coffee is a science of measurement, right down to the smallest gram.
Baristas around the world are obsessed with weight and insist that measuring your favorite coffee beans is the first step to making a well-balanced, impressive cup of coffee. This means that a coffee scale is an essential appliance for all coffee enthusiasts.
Don’t be too shocked. A weighing scale has always been a must have in the kitchen, and all we are saying is that you just don’t have to use it when baking. For every reason why you should quit eye-balling your coffee measurements, are reasons why you need a coffee scale for your all caffeine fixes!
Why Coffee Scales are Important
Just from looking at different coffee beans, you will find that some are small and dense while others are large and seem almost hollow. For example, Ethiopian coffee beans are smaller in size as compared to Indonesian coffee beans. This comes about depending on the oil and moisture in the coffee bean itself, as well as the method used to roast the coffee. A scoop of small beans will not weigh the same as a scoop of the larger beans, just the same way a scoop of coffee beans will not produce a scoop of coffee when ground. However, 20 grams of coffee beans will produce 20 grams of ground coffee, regardless of how fine you grind the coffee.
Using a scoop or a spoon to measure out your coffee could be costing you money along with your taste buds. There is an authentic coffee golden ratio that baristas swear by; 1 gram of coffee to 17 ml of water. To make this easier, we have translated this to 60 grams of coffee per 1 liter of water. Going above or below the exact measurement can make a big difference, not just in your coffee but also in your life. You would be shooting yourself in the foot trying to achieve this balance without a coffee scale.
Do the benefits really affect your coffee intake? Let’s have a look at the 3 reasons why you need a coffee scale!
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1. Save Money using a Coffee Scale
Do you find that your bag of coffee says that you can make 27 cups of coffee, yet when you use it, it’s completely empty after 20 cups? You might be using the same sized scoop, but again, depending on the bean, you could be wasting a lot of coffee.
A good flavored bag of coffee does not come cheap. Measuring your beans on a coffee scale ensures that you are consistently using the right amount of coffee. This not only saves you from throwing out copious amounts of used coffee but also saves you money in the long run.
2. Weight Matters for the Taste of Coffee
To achieve coffee greatness, you need to have the coffee to water ratio just right. You need to be vigilant when measuring how much coffee you are using.
If you use too much, your coffee may turn out sour and if you use too little, your coffee may be weak and bland. The same applies to how much water you end up using. Too much water will give you a weak, watered down cup. While too little may make your coffee taste as bitter as a shot of Campari. You don’t want to be shocking your taste buds first thing in the morning!
3. Consistency is Key
You may have trusted your observation skills like a sixth sense when measuring your coffee with a scoop, but somehow, no two coffees are the same. One morning, your coffee is a delightful cup of sunshine and the next, it tastes like drain water.
Measuring your coffee and water before preparing it guarantees the perfect cup of coffee goodness, time and time again. If you can get the exact flavor the first time, you might as well get it right all the time.
With the thought of saving money, brewing coffee as it was intended and constantly making flawless cups of coffee– a weighing scale in your kitchen is indispensable. However, not every kitchen scale can be a coffee scale. There are a few things to look out for when picking out a coffee scale decent battery life being one of them.
Precise Weight Readings
Keeping in mind that coffee is quantified in small amounts, it is necessary to have a coffee scale that can meticulously measure accurate down to the last gram. A normal kitchen scale may be able to accurately measure large quantities, but when it comes to getting 15 grams, it may not be precise enough. You are better off getting a scale that can give you an accurate reading to one or two decimal places.
Tare Functionality
A ‘Tare’ functionality on a scale can go a long way in giving accurate readings. With this button, you can put a container on the scale and it will only measure the contents of the container and not the container itself. This comes in handy when measuring water for your coffee. The digits displayed on the coffee scale should be easy to read as well and accurate.
Size Does Matter!
A coffee scale should not be too bulky nor too small. It should have a large measuring platform, big enough to hold a French Press, water jug or other brewing apparatus, but it should also conveniently fit in your kitchen. It will not be fun lugging around a huge coffee scale first thing in the morning!
