The equipment that a barista needs for his work does not only include a coffee machine, a coffee grinder and quality coffee beans. There is much more and, for example, a barista scale is one of the important accessories, although at first impression it may seem unnecessary. You practically cannot prepare high-quality espresso without it, not to mention alternative methods of coffee preparation. There, the ratio of coffee beans and water is absolutely crucial. Investment in professional barista scales so it is really on point.
What are the benefits of using a barista scale?
If you prepare coffee, in any way, without a constant ratio of coffee beans, you will definitely not succeed in maintaining a constant quality of the drink. If someone likes to experiment, it may suit them not to have a scale and to change the ratio of grains with each cup. However, at the moment when you want to prepare coffee as good as you know from the cafe, without barista scales you definitely can't do without. Thanks to the precise weighing of the coffee beans, your caffeine drink will maintain a constant quality. Isn't that also the reason why you return to your favorite businesses? In high-quality coffee shops, weighing and precise portioning during the preparation of filter and espresso is a matter of course.
Research can also be an additional benefit. Thanks to the scale, you always use only as many grains as you need, so you don't have to throw away the excess.
How to choose a barista scale?
When choosing, it is necessary to look primarily at how the scale is able to work and what it will show you when preparing coffee. Of course, the accuracy with which they weigh must also be taken into account. After that, you will also be interested in what its dimensions are, whether it will fit comfortably, for example, next to the coffee grinder or in another desired place. The scale should also be waterproof.
Fortunately, there are not as many of them as, for example, coffee machines. So the choice is quite simple. You just need to organize what you expect from her. However, we highly recommend purchasing a scale with a built-in stopwatch. It may seem like a small thing to you, but believe me, even such a detail can make the job easier. Extraction, i.e. the flow of water through the ground coffee, should not be too fast or too slow. This is the only way you can properly monitor the constant quality of drip coffee. You can also pair some scales with your smartphone, giving you even more detailed control.
How to correctly measure coffee preparation?
It's absolutely simple. All you need for this is a barista scale, ideally one with a built-in stopwatch or one that you can connect to your phone, good coffee beans and drip accessories.
TIP: Acaia pearl digital scale will satisfy both beginners and professional baristas. It is practically storable, shows all the necessary values and can be easily controlled via the phone application. You can see a demonstration of connecting the scale with the application directly in practice here:
Approach:
- Turn on the scale and, if you have the option, connect it to your smartphone or tablet.
- Place the container in which you will grind the coffee beans on it and reset the scale to zero using the “T” button. Then weigh the exact dose of grains. For a classic drip, you should correctly weigh 16 grams of coffee. But if you choose another method, this value changes according to the given method.
- Grind the coffee to the appropriate coarseness and prepare a drip (if you have a paper filter, don't forget to rinse it thoroughly).
- Let the water boil and in the meantime move the entire pour over (drip) set to the scale, pour ground coffee into the filter and zero the scale again.
- Once the water is boiled, let it sit for about half a minute to stop boiling and get started.
- Start the timer on the scale and then slowly, for ten seconds, pour water into the filter so that the entire coffee surface is wet. The barista scale should count it down for you and then a half-minute break, which you should observe after the first infusion.
- After half a minute has passed, slowly pour the rest of the water into the filter in a circular motion so that the drip weighs 250 grams when using 16 g of coffee.
- Let the water from the filter drip into the container on its own and enjoy the most delicious and balanced coffee you've ever made at home.
This was the procedure for use barista scales when preparing a drip or pour over. It will be the same with the Haria V60. However, you can also use the barista scale as an enthusiast of classic coffee machines. It is always better to grind only as many grains as you will actually use. Ground coffee does not stay fresh for very long. So weigh the portions into the grinder exactly.
If you don't know how to do anything, you will certainly find help on our blog, which contains various instructions for preparing alternative methods, talks about the history of coffee or articles full of useful advice for all home baristas. If you do not find what you are looking for on our blog, do not hesitate to write to us, we will be happy to discuss anything with you.
