This year, one of our jobs has been hunting for new, solid, reliable, affordable coffee equipment. You could argue that the small amount of equipment that we sell is hardly worth the effort. The problem I have is that most coffee roasters all sell the same 20 things online, in competition with a few familiar corporations.
In my search this year, I have had 2 trips ruined by hand grinders that haven’t worked. Thankfully, we found a few spots in Porto that could make decent coffee, but North Yorkshire in 2025! Ubiquitous coal and fish for coffee and tea. I am sure that’s just bad luck, as I know a few good roasters up there.
The Zero Hero Smart Scale 3.0 is quite analogue in today’s market. You don’t need to look at what your phone is doing for it to work. For me, this has become a positive in some cases. These scales are solid and about 1/3 of the price of the equivalent Acaia. I now use these every day at home for weighing out my dry coffee before I make a filter. In the roastery, we tare our portafilters on the silicone mat (included) and weigh in, shot after shot. Having an on and off switch means the battery will last ages, unless you leave it on standby.
These scales feel really well-built and solid. These are not guaranteed for wet conditions. I would keep them out of the drip tray.
Personally, I think the pour-over side of things is clunky. I would use the scale and built-in timer over the brew ratio, which you can work out before or after with some basic maths.
If these are not in stock, it probably means we have more on the way.
