That free scale at the local roastery messed up my pour over for 2 weeks

The guy at Blue Bottle in Berkeley handed me a free digital scale and swore it was accurate to 0.1g, so I ditched my old timer method. Turns out it drifts about 2 grams after 30 seconds, so my 1:15 ratio was actually 1:10 and everything tasted like battery acid. Anyone else trust a shop's giveaway gear and regret it, or did I just get the one dud in a million?

2 comments

2 Comments

wyatta302d ago

That "drifting about 2 grams after 30 seconds" bit hit me right in the gut cause I had the same thing happen with a freebie from a shop in Portland. They swore it was calibrated and everything, but my morning brew started tasting like I was sucking on a lemon rind. I kept thinking I was messing up my pour, changing my grind size, my water temp, the whole routine. Then I set my old scale next to it and weighed the same beans, and sure enough it was way off after just a little bit of time sitting there. Now I only trust the cheap one I've had for years, and I check any new scale against a nickel or a known weight before I even put coffee near it. That free stuff is always a trap, man, you're not alone in this.

the_mia2d ago

Ugh, tell me about it. I swear I read a whole thread on a coffee forum once about how those freebie scales from roasteries are basically just promotional junk that can't hold a steady reading. Like, they spend all that money on the fancy packaging and the logo, but the actual strain gauge inside is the cheapest thing they could find. I have a little digital one I got for like 15 bucks and it's miles better than any of the nice-looking ones I've been given at events. Now I always do the nickel test on anything new that hits my counter before I trust it with my morning beans.