Are you passionate about precision in your coffee brewing or baking? Discover how Acaia scales revolutionized the industry and might just transform your kitchen experience. Join us as we explore the innovative features and unparalleled accuracy of these game-changing scales.
Back in 2013, a group of enthusiasts decided to create scales suitable for professionals in the coffee industry. They started raising funds on Kickstarter and in 2014 released their first scales, the Acaia Pearl. The presentation took place at the SCAA Expo, where the scales received the Best New Product Award.
"We founded the company with a simple mission: to unite design and technology in the world of specialty coffee," says the Acaia team. Today, you can find this brand's scales (and other equipment) all over the world, and it's fair to say that it's become a mark of quality to some extent. The best coffee shops, the best baristas, and other professionals use these scales.
Real-life Application
Remember when I wrote a review about the Hong Kong coffee chain %ARABICA? Well, they use Acaia Pearl scales, even integrating them into their counters, and many others do the same!
Acaia Standards
Quality is the key parameter of all Acaia products. All products have high-quality components and materials, everything is tested and created in laboratories. Everything is made by hand, and moreover, all feedback and suggestions are implemented in the software. And if any help is needed, the support center is always at your service.
When the specialty coffee industry needed accurate and convenient scales, Acaia gave this product to the world. Created in laboratory conditions, taking into account all the experience of industry professionals.
Acaia Lunar
In 2015, Acaia released a new model of scales, the Lunar. Smaller size, more advanced technologies and materials, more modern design, but the same quality!
Today, I'll tell you about the Lunar model specifically.
Packaging
A small, weighty box immediately tells you what's inside. If you're looking for a worthy gift for a coffee lover or pastry chef, think about it - beautiful printing, excellent size, and even proportions.
Inside, you'll find everything you need. The unpacking experience of such a box is fantastically pleasant. It seems that as soon as you have a question, you immediately find an answer to it. You could say that all items are laid out in layers, you take out the first, then the second, and so on.
In the kit, you'll find a stylish Acaia sticker for those who like to decorate laptops or other surfaces. There's a small envelope containing three protective films for the scale screen and two strips that will serve as feet on the bottom. Next come the scales themselves, instructions, a rubber pad for heat protection, a USB charging cable, and an unusual thing - a weight. It weighs exactly 100 grams and is used for calibrating the scales.
The Acaia Lunar Scales
The scales themselves measure 105x105x15.5 mm. Very compact, proportional, and stylish. The body is made of two parts (upper and lower). The entire upper surface is the weighing surface. The body material is black anodized aluminum, and the screen is acrylic.
The first thing that "catches the eye" is the weight. With such a miniature size, the Acaia Lunar scales weigh 270 grams. It seems to me that this is not just a coincidence; probably, the stability of the scales makes them more accurate. The second bonus is that they are unlikely to slide on the work surface.
High Technology
Today, it's hard to surprise anyone with the fact that a household appliance can output information to a smartphone or be controlled by it. The Acaia Lunar scales offer incredible functionality tied to a smartphone.
Firstly, you can update the scales' software through your smartphone. For example, here's what changed in the Acaia Lunar firmware: 20% reduction in battery consumption, the ability to change scale sensitivity for automatic start, new usage modes added, the ability to control auto-tare, changed battery charge display settings, and so on. Just imagine, your scales can do more and more with each year. A device that cannot become obsolete, but can become more functional. Not bad, right?!
Secondly, you can install several applications that help brew coffee.
Scales and Coffee
In my coffee encyclopedia, I talk about different methods of brewing coffee. An amateur will be surprised at how many methods actually exist, and there are no better or worse ones, each is a separate story and a reason for love.
That's why coffee scales will always differ in functionality from ordinary scales or even pastry scales. In addition to being able to measure the mass of objects (Acaia Lunar allows you to weigh up to 2 kilograms, and this is with dimensions of 10 centimeters), they provide unlimited possibilities.
For example:
- Weighing mode (daily function)
- Timer mode (shows weight and time)
- Auto-start when pouring (timer starts when you start pouring espresso)
- Auto-tare when pouring (taring starts when the first drops of espresso hit the cup)
- Auto-tare cup (shows total pour time, including pre-infusion)
It may seem complicated, but for coffee lovers and professional baristas, this means that the scales can do absolutely everything! Everything to help you enjoy drinks prepared in any way.
And if you're more of a pastry chef, the app will help you better see information and make small notes.
For "coffee people" there is incredible potential here. Different applications allow you to create, record, and use profiles - that is, coffee brewing scenarios. This means that you can brew coffee the way you like it, and the scales will help with this. They build graphs, tell you when and what you need to do, in general, they guarantee a great cup, every time.
Characteristics
The Acaia Lunar scales are shock-resistant and waterproof. Moreover, you can not just pour water on them, but drown them in boiling water. Therefore, even in moments of full workload, any barista will be able to use the scales without any restrictions.
Accurate and sensitive scales allow you to measure weight from 0.1 gram (optionally from 0.01) to 2000 grams. They are so accurate that they even reflect changes in the mass of bodies due to heating or humidification.
The lithium-ion battery guarantees the operation of the scales for 20-30 hours without recharging. Given the auto-off function, your charge will last for a long time!
And the number of applications and the ability to update the functionality of the scales make them the best in the industry.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Stunning design
- Quality materials
- Highest accuracy
- Rich functionality
- Size and pleasant weight
- Calibration with weight
Cons:
- Plastic sticker feet
- Low display contrast
Impressions
It's been a long time since I've had such excitement about a device I'm testing. As one of my roaster acquaintances said: "This is the iPhone among scales!" And so it is. Every detail amazes. From the packaging, its design, dimensions, quality of materials, to everything necessary inside and, of course, the Acaia Lunar scales themselves. These scales and the Acaia company have already entered history and, it seems, are not going to stop. Having drawn conclusions based on the Pearl scales, they created a new product Lunar, even more logical and convenient.
Everything here is admirable! Precision in fitting details, dimensions, weight, quality of body materials, and all the possibilities that the scales provide by themselves and in conjunction with smartphone applications. Their accuracy is impressive, with an error of 0.05 grams, calibration that will always give an accurate result - all this is just the beginning.
If we talk about the minuses, I want to find fault with the feet. It would be more logical to see something rubber so that the scales would stand softer on the surface; plastic stickers seem a bit illogical here. The second is the contrast of the screen. Although the yellow numbers are visible quite brightly, I admit there may be moments when the screen will glare and hide information. Probably, the calculation here is that you will more often read information from the smartphone screen. Although, the display is still quite informative.
There are no more minuses! This is an ideal product in all respects. The case when you get even more than required. For example, I will use it for confectionery purposes (taring ingredients such as agar-agar, pectin, and others, where sometimes 0.5 grams are needed), and brew coffee only occasionally for pleasure. But, the realization that I have a flawless product in my hands makes the Acaia Lunar scales fantastically attractive.
This is an ideal gift for a professional and an enthusiast, it's a kind of guarantee of success and a product that you're proud to acquire, it's worth every cent!