Brewing espresso at home is an art and a science. Using a scale for home espresso is essential for consistency and precision, which leads to a better understanding of your own preferences! But of course, if you’re reading a blog about the Acaia Pearl scales, surely you’re already acquainted with the need for a scale in your espresso workflow. If you’re on the fence about using a scale at all in your espresso, please read THIS BLOG by our Head of Coffee, Phil, to convince you why it’s one of the best investments you’ll make into your home espresso set-up!
Review: The Acaia Pearl Scales - Professional and reliable
The Acaia Pearl scales are built for the professional barista. A very popular option for use in cafes, these scales have all the features you need to keep your coffee tasting good. This can translate to home use but comes with a footprint that may not work with some home espresso bars.
The cafe’s choice
Very tough and ready for anything, the Acaia Pearl scales are a staple in most cafes. They are useful for most tasks and have a large surface area for good work flow in the cafe environment. Their robust build can stand up to even the most heavy-handed barista.
Being great for the cafe probably doesn’t do so well for the home coffee bar because these scales may be a little oversized for those with limited space. The height is also not conducive for using in conjunction with the espresso machine as you will almost certainly not be able to fit it under the group handle with a cup on it.
Accuracy and responsiveness
The Acaia Pearl scales are super accurate and have a very quick response time. With a 0.1 accuracy, they will help you fine tune your brew recipe with great detail. And because they are of a larger size and so robust, they are possibly a great choice if you need an excellent set of kitchen scales at the same time.
Features that you want
Stop watch? You got it! Real-time flow indicator? Sure, it’s yours. Along with these super handy features, you get an auto-start timer and various modes depending on your style of brewing. It’s so stacked with features that they needed an app to fit even more in. Through the app, you can control the scale remotely and analyse the brew settings.
The large display screen is super helpful, especially for those of us who are optically challenged. Because there’s so much surface area, it’s very easy to use and manage any of the functions with the large touch buttons on either side of the weight display area.
Read more about other essential equipment for your home coffee setup
Final thoughts
The Acaia Pearl scales are perfect for the busy commercial cafe. They’re excellent for all of your coffee brewing needs. However, as we are thinking from the perspective of the home barista, I’d have to say these may be a little excessive in size for most home setups. Also, with a heavy price tag, you’d want to be pretty serious about your coffee and have space to spare. But if you think you can squeeze these into your home bar and budget, then you’ll be super happy with your purchase.
P&R’s score:
- Price/Value - 6/10
- Form Factor - 7/10
- Features - 9/10
- Overall - 7/10
