Coffee Scales That Time Your Brew And Hit Every Ratio
Precision scales for pour over and espresso, tested on our own brew bar.
TL;DR: A coffee scale with timer weighs dose and water while tracking brew time. The Acaia Lunar reads 0.01g for espresso; the Hario POLARIS shows pour-over Ratio.
Pour over is a conversation between you and the water. The bloom tells you how fresh the beans are; the drawdown tells you if your grind is dialled in. A coffee scale with timer tracks the pour, the timing and the result in one place. We've been helping Australians weigh their coffee since 1999, and the scales here are chosen for real brew bars, not spec sheets.
What a scale actually controls
Weight is the only variable in coffee you can control to the gram. Volume lies; scoops lie; weight does not. For pour over, you want a scale that tares fast enough to zero before the bloom and a clear timer so you can match a recipe like Tetsu Kasuya's 4:6 method, which he used to win the 2016 World Brewers Cup. For espresso, you want 0.1g resolution and a fast response time so you can read your yield as the shot pulls.
Pour over versus espresso scales
The two jobs have different demands. A brew bar scale needs a footprint large enough to hold a coffee server and modes that track flow rate. An espresso scale needs to be slim enough to sit under a portafilter on the drip tray, with the speed to keep up with a 25-second shot. Setting up an espresso station instead? Our coffee scale kits are matched for under-machine footprint and weigh-in, weigh-out workflow.
Why we stock this range
We sell parts to technicians, so we know which scales survive daily café use and which die from one splash. Every scale on this page has been tested against that bar. The Hario V60 Drip Scale comes from the same house as the V60 itself — a timer-and-weight workhorse built for pour-over; the Acaia Lunar earned its place as the café-bench standard. We stock both because they do different jobs well.
Start with resolution
Resolution is the first decision. 0.1g is the standard for both espresso and pour over and covers almost everyone. The Acaia Lunar 2022 reads to 0.01g, which is genuinely useful for ristretto-level espresso work and flow-rate diagnosis, but for most home and café brewing 0.1g is plenty. The Precision Barista Pro reads 0.1g across a 5000g capacity, so it doubles as a bean-weighing scale.
Then capacity and footprint
For pour over you want capacity above 1000g so the scale handles your dripper, server and water together. For espresso you want a slim profile that clears the drip tray. Mini espresso scales like the Timemore Black Mirror Mini and the Muvna Zero-G Mini are built for exactly this, while full-size scales like the Hario POLARIS suit the brew bar.
Timer and brewing modes
This is where a coffee scale with timer earns its keep. Look for auto-tare and auto-start so the timer kicks off when water hits the cup. Several scales here, including the Zerohero range and the Muvna smart scales, add a powder-to-water Ratio mode that calculates your Ratio live. The Hario POLARIS displays the extraction Ratio as a percentage as you pour.
Weigh-in, weigh-out workflow
Serious espresso means weighing the dose into the basket and the yield into the cup. The Timemore WiWo Combo pairs a full scale with an espresso mini to do both at once, the workflow Anthony Douglas and other competitors rely on. If you grind by weight, pair your scale with a home grinder and keep beans fresh in proper coffee storage.
Battery and build
Rechargeable lithium batteries via USB-C are now standard and worth choosing over disposables. Aluminium bodies with a water-resistant or silicone-padded top survive bench life far better than bare plastic. If your scale lives near a kettle, check our electric gooseneck kettles to complete the brew station.
Coffee Parts is Timemore's exclusive Australian distributor. Timemore was the Top Sponsor of the 2025 World Brewers Cup in Jakarta, and its Black Mirror scales are a fixture on competition brew bars. James Hoffmann, the 2007 World Barista Champion, co-designed the Hario V60 Drip Scale we stock and uses Timemore scales in his own brewing. When you weigh on one of these, you're using gear proven at the level where a single gram decides a world title.
A scale is one piece of a brew bar. Here's what makes it complete:
Buy the scale that fits the brew method you actually use most, then build outward from there.
Most people buy a scale too small for pour over, then a second one for espresso. My advice: be honest about how you actually brew. If it's mostly V60 on a weekend, get a full-size scale with a good timer and a wide platform. If you live on espresso, get a slim 0.1g mini that clears the drip tray. We've tested the whole range on our own bench, and the gram of accuracy you can taste is worth more than any feature list. Weigh everything. It's the cheapest upgrade in coffee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best coffee scale with a timer for pour over?
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For pour over, choose a full-size scale with auto-start timing and capacity above 1000g so it holds your dripper, server and water. The Hario POLARIS displays the extraction Ratio as a percentage live, and the Fellow Tally Pro adds a Brew Assist mode. Both tare fast enough to zero before the bloom, which is what matters most for filter coffee.
Do I need a 0.1g scale for espresso?
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Yes, 0.1g resolution is the practical standard for espresso, letting you read your dose and yield accurately for a Ratio like 18g in to 36g out. The Acaia Lunar 2022 goes finer at 0.01g, which helps with flow-rate diagnosis and ristretto work, but 0.1g covers almost every home and café espresso setup.
What does weigh-in, weigh-out mean?
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Weigh-in, weigh-out means weighing your coffee dose into the portafilter basket, then weighing the espresso yield into the cup. It removes guesswork from your Ratio. The Timemore WiWo Combo pairs a full scale with an espresso mini so you can do both, the same workflow competition baristas use.
Are coffee scales accurate enough to replace kitchen scales?
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Coffee scales are more accurate than most kitchen scales, reading to 0.1g rather than 1g, and they add brewing-specific features kitchen scales lack: fast auto-tare, a built-in timer, and Ratio or flow-rate modes. A kitchen scale can weigh beans, but it can't track a pour as it happens.
Which Timemore coffee scale should I buy?
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The Timemore Black Mirror Mini suits portable espresso and small machines, while the larger Black Mirror models handle pour over and the brew bar. The WiWo Combo bundles a full scale and an espresso mini for weigh-in, weigh-out. Coffee Parts is Timemore's exclusive Australian distributor, so the full range is stocked here.
How do I keep my coffee scale working long term?
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Choose a model with a water-resistant or silicone-padded top, keep liquids off the load cell, and charge the lithium battery via USB-C rather than letting it run flat. Aluminium-bodied scales survive bench life far better than bare plastic. Wipe spills promptly, since moisture in the sensor is the most common cause of failure.
