5 Best Coffee Scales in 2024 — Worth Their Weight in Gold?

Pour over (even espresso) coffee enthusiasts absolutely love the Timemore coffee scale with timer. It’s intuitive and easy-to-use, and has a sleek, hidden LED display—looking just as stylish as the Acaia Pearl or Acaia Lunar, at 3.5x less the cost.

Timemore’s newest (February 2020) edition of their coffee scale has one significant difference worth noting: this version has an auto-timer function that starts when it detects a weight change.

This proves very useful for pour over and espresso coffee brewing when you start your pour or start pulling a shot, allowing you to focus on the coffee brewing process instead of pushing a bunch of extra buttons. Just tap the timer button 6-8 times to activate/deactivate the auto-timer feature.

With a minimum starting weight of 0.5 grams and a max capacity of 2000 grams, this coffee scale is accurate in increments of 0.1 grams (great for dialing in the perfect espresso shot) with an error allowance of ±2 grams for every 1000 grams. This level of accuracy is going to be plenty sufficient for any pour over or espresso enthusiast.

With an overall size of 6″ x 3.5″ x 1.1″, this scale will fit under most espresso machine group heads, allowing you to weigh your water as you pull your shot. If you have a smaller espresso machine, just make sure the 1.1″ thickness will accommodate your favorite shot glasses or cup.

It has the expected tare functionality and also comes with a silicone mat to protect the scale from damage, ensuring it looks great beside all your other coffee gear for years to come.

When the timer is off, the scale will auto off after 3 minutes. With the timer running, but no change in weight, the unit will shut down after 15 minutes.

The Timemore is a sleek, affordable scale with lots of outstanding features that any home barista will love and appreciate.

It’s USB-C rechargeable, with a 16mAh battery that will last 10 hours on a full charge. Although I use mine mostly for weighing beans, I still haven't had to recharge it once in the 6 months I've owned it.

If you want most of the benefits of the Acaia pearl but don’t want to spend a fortune on a pour over coffee scale / espresso scale, then Timemore’s scale is the best pour over coffee scale with timer you can get for the money.

So a kitchen scale wouldn’t normally come up in the lineup for best coffee scales, but this one comes highly acclaimed.

Etekcity’s 0.1g Food Kitchen Scale is a kitchen scale that can measure up to 11 pounds with precision accuracy and shows the weight on an easy-to-read LCD display in grams, ounces (oz), pounds (lb) and ounces, milliliters (mL) or fluid ounces (fl oz).

Now you might wonder how a scale can measure volume. Easy, you can switch between solid, milk, or water modes for accurate weight measure of each, since the scale knows the average weight of the different densities of milk and water. I’m uncertain on what “solid” the scale assumes (flour…or concrete?), so that might throw a curveball in the mix.

But the really impressive part of this kitchen scale is that it can measure up to the first 1000 grams in 0.1 gram increments, making it a stiff competitor to other coffee scales.

However, because it lacks a built-in timer, it won’t replace the very best scales for coffee out there, but if you’re looking for a scale that includes food-specific features like volume by weight and a higher capacity (11 lbs.), this is a splendid choice.

Also, if you’re on a keto diet, watching your caloric intake, and/or just looking to explore your baking skills, this scale will assist you with all that. Nailed it!

It’s made of stainless steel and looks sleek on the countertop in your kitchen, comes with a handy bowl that doubles as a cover, has an auto off after 2 minutes, and all for a fair price.

The Eravsow coffee scale with built-in timer is another affordable option for beginners looking to up their coffee game. It’s a well-rounded scale that includes a timer function (up to an hour).

It’s highly precise, measuring in 0.1g, but only up to 100 grams. So if you’re looking to tare your portafilter, this scale may not be your best option for espresso. Although, a good workaround would be to use your portafilter basket by itself when weighing your dose out.

The integrated timer is nice to have on the scale, and you can start and stop it to suit your needs. Also, being backlit, it’s very easy to read, unlike some of the other scales that have smaller, unlit LCD displays.

This scale is powered by two AAA batteries, which are included, and also features an auto-off function after 5 minutes of inactivity to save battery life.

The ERAVSOW Coffee Scale with Timer features a modern stainless steel tray that makes cleanup a breeze. It also comes with a removable silicone mat, which when making drip coffee, can effectively prevent the coffee pot from slipping and protects the scale tray from being scratched or damaged by spilled liquid.

A couple users have reported that the display has crapped out on them, but ERAVSOW offers a full 1 year warranty if that happens. The manufacturer states a zero risk guarantee, and that if this coffee scale doesn’t work well for you, you can contact them for a refund or replacement. And according to various users, they are good at honoring this warranty.

Scale resolution/graduation: 2-100g = 0.1g increments | 100-500g = 0.5g increments | 500-3000g = 1g increments.

Units of measure include oz, g, and g/mL, making ERAVSOW a well-rounded, and quite affordable choice for pour over coffee brewing in 2022.

Coffee enthusiasts consider the Jennings CJ-600 the brother of one of the original gangsters in the coffee scale world. It’s one of the most consistent and accurate pour over coffee scales for the money out there. It’s consistent enough that you can weigh and remove the same object repeatedly, with exact results every time.

The Jennings is perfect for pour overs, but sacrifices a little precision because of its larger max weight capacity of 8+ pounds. Because of this, however, it also couples as the perfect scale for cooking/food prep (heavy mixing bowl), postal items, etc.

In terms of precision, though, the CJ-4000 will weigh in grams, ounces, pounds, and pieces, in 0.5g increments. Some other scales on the market are more precise to the tenth of a gram (0.1g), but this will make little to no difference with pour over coffee brewing methods.

While it will measure your beans with great precision, because of its size, it’s probably not going to fit under most espresso machines. This is only a problem if you’re looking for a scale to measure your espresso yield when pulling shots.

If you want a scale that for that purpose, look to our review of the MAXUS espresso scale below. It’s very affordable, and can be your espresso companion beside this scale.

Back to the CJ-600. It’s a very fast scale, meaning the time between adding weight and the scale registering said weight is quite fast without lag.

This is vital so you don’t end up messing your coffee/water ratio up by going over your intended weight when pouring.

One of the few scales to come with an AC adapter, you can finally forget about fiddling with batteries or having to recharge it, although it takes 3 AAA batteries (included) if your space doesn’t have an outlet nearby.

And as far as preventative damage, consider finding a separate silicone pad or small piece of cardboard to protect the scale from direct contact with extreme temperatures. Also, this one isn’t waterproof, so you should exercise some caution in preventing major spills.

On the downside, a few have said that they don’t care for the loud, annoying beeping sounds it makes when using it. There doesn’t seem to be a way to disable it either, short of disconnecting the speaker wire on the circuit board like one user did.

Ultimately, the Jennings CJ-600 scale is a splendid choice if you’re looking for a budget friendly way to precisely and reliably measure your coffee beans and pour overs.

It’s very impressive what they’ve packed into this compact coffee scale, given the price. Powered by two AAA batteries (included), this simple, yet reliable coffee scale perfectly suits almost any espresso setup. Many other craft coffee enthusiasts also hold these in high regard.

It features a stainless steel load plate that bears a 1000g max capacity, which is way more than most other pocket scales. Because of this larger max weight capacity, home baristas like yourself can even use it with some smaller (and lighter) pour over coffee setups.

Capable of weighing in grams and ounces in 0.01oz / 0.1 gram increments, it’s very precise considering this max weight capacity.

Geared toward the modern coffee drinker who values convenience and sophistication in their morning beverage rituals, this precision espresso scale features a fairly large, backlit digital LCD display, built-in timer, and a 5 minute auto off function.

It’s very compact, measuring only 4 7/8 x 2 7/8 x 3/4 inches, so it fits perfectly on the drip tray under machines like the Breville Barista Express and similar home espresso machines.

I own this scale and use it reliably with the Barista Express almost every single day.

Much to my surprise, only costing around $10, it doesn’t feel cheap and has far exceeded many others’ expectations as well. It’s assuredly one of the best budget coffee scales on the market.

A couple things to mention—it might be too narrow for some pour over applications, and your brewer could topple over if not careful.

Also, the built-in timer has no resume function, e.g., when you press the start button, the timer starts, press it again, it stops, press it a third time, and it resets, instead of resuming.

Still, this is absolutely one of the best espresso coffee scales for the money.