Tips and Tricks: For Novice Brewers
If you’re brand new to brewing, be it pour-over, immersion or espresso, here we’ll run through the basics and some helpful tips to get you started. With Acaia scales, we’ve made our equipment easy to use so to better help you achieve some great results with coffee. It is important to keep your scale in a good condition so as to extend its use and make it integral to your daily ritual.
Keeping your Scale Protected
There are a number of ways of protecting your scale and keeping it at the best of its ability.
When creating longer brews such as pour-overs, we recommend using the heat pad that is provided in the scale’s box. The heat from longer brews can directly affect the accuracy of the load cell, which is the mechanism that makes our scales so precise. As well as affecting the load cell, the exposure to heat can shorten the life of your scale. The heat pad will also protect from potential scratches to the surface.
When not using your scale, we recommend not leaving it with anything heavy on top of it. Even when the scale is off, the load cell will still engage.
Changing Modes and the Best Modes to Start out on
Press and hold the “power” button for 1 second each time to toggle through different modes. If your scale is not performing the action, check to see if you have the latest firmware.
Our recommended modes to start with:
For the Lunar/ Espresso:
Our friends at La Marzocco have posted this video on the Lunar's features. We agree with starting off with the basic Dual Display mode and the auto-tare/auto-timer mode. In time, you learn which modes you prefer as you become more comfortable with using the scale.
Original Pearl and other Pearl scales for Longer Brews such as the pour-overs or Immersion brewers:
Acaia Pearl Scale Beverage Mode:
Auto Tare Mode:
If your carafe or cup is in direct contact with the scale, make sure to use a heat resistant mat between the items. You can find out more about all the modes and auto-start modes in the booklet provided in the box with your scale.
Charging
Any charging block with an output of 5 volts and 1 amp is good to use with all of our scales.
There are a lot of "fast-charger" blocks sold at electronics stores that have a high amp output that is good for charging something like a cell phone very quickly. These blocks are not the best for our scales. To get the most life and use out of your scale, use a charging block at or under the recommended specifications. It's only necessary to charge an Acaia scale once or twice a week. A fully charged battery will last for about 25 hours of constant use, which takes about a week or so. It is not recommended to let the battery run out completely before a charge.
Something has popped up on my scale and I don’t understand. What do I do?
There are a number of error codes that will appear on our scales which indicate where the issue may lie. Codes such as H20 which appear on our Lunar scale indicate there may be water or pressure on the tare or power button. You can see our list of errors here.
Updating Your Scale’s Firmware
Other Tips and Tricks
If you would like to know more about the science behind your brew, some basic or professional recipes, and how to get the best out of the coffee you’re drinking, here are some of our recommended links to get you started.
Best Practises for Pour-over by SCAA Espresso Basics by Bunn Coffee Tasters Wheel by SCA News
Have Questions?
If you have any more questions please message us on social media or at hello@acaia.co We’re happy to assist the best we can.
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