Acaia Pearl Review: Best Overall Coffee Scale

My Rating:

The best coffee scale on the market

Written by Arne Preuss (Coffee Expert) & Edited by Nicholas Marshall (Chief Editor US)

Updated on: 9 May 2025 Team Image We aim to provide you with the most relevant content! However, prices and availability can change at short notice. That's why we've integrated fact checking into our editorial process. During this additional step, our team members make sure that every article has the most current information available. That way you're always up to date! If you happen to notice an issue, please leave us a comment. Thank you! Facts checked by Nicholas Marshall

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Hi! My name is Arne. Having spent years working as a barista I'm now on a mission to bring more good coffee to the people. To that end, my team and I provide you with a broad knowledge base on the subject of coffee.

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Seeing as the Acaia Pearl Coffee Scale took the top spot in my guide to the best coffee scales, I've decided it's high time I wrote a dedicated Acaia Pearl review. After all, this classic device is now ubiquitous in high-end coffee shops around the world, as well as in the kitchens of coffee nerds like me.

Seeing as the Acaia Pearl Coffee Scale took the top spot in my guide to the best coffee scales, I’ve decided it’s high time I wrote a dedicated Acaia Pearl review. After all, this classic device is now ubiquitous in high-end coffee shops around the world, as well as in the kitchens of coffee nerds like me.

While I still haven’t had a chance to test the Pearl out, I do own the Acaia Lunar, so I’m familiar with the manufacturer’s products. Besides, I plan on ordering the Acaia Pearl from my friends at Seattle Coffee Gear in the near future.

So, without further ado, let’s take a first look at what makes the Pearl such a popular option among coffee lovers.

Sleek and sophisticated

Acaia Pearl Coffee Scale

The best coffee scale on the market

Solid construction

Multiple weighing modes

Minimalist design

Long battery life

Very expensive

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Table of Contents

Overview
Features Build and Design User Interface Flow Rate Indicator Weighing Modes App Charging
How to Use
vs Other Acaia Scales vs Acaia Pearl S vs Acaia Lunar
Verdict
FAQ

Overview: Acaia Pearl Review

Released in 2013, the original Pearl quickly took the specialty coffee world by storm, thanks to its thoughtful design and superior performance. Let’s just say this baby was no ordinary kitchen scale, offering the kind of precision that had pour-over lovers swooning.

Since then, the Pearl has been improved upon on more than one occasion, with the addition of the Acaia Pearl 2021 and the Acaia Pearl S. In today’s Acaia Pearl review I’ll be focusing on the former version, although I’ll touch on the S model a little later.

Costing around $160, the Acaia Pearl 2021 features an improved battery life, USB-C charging and a much brighter display. That feature in particular makes the scale way easier to use, especially if you buy the white version.

Another awesome new feature is the flow rate indicator, which will really float your boat if you want to perfect your manual brewing technique. Again, I’ll talk more about that a little later in this Acaia Pearl review.

Elsewhere, the updated Pearl maintains its superior weighing accuracy, and still offers a timer function as well as the ability to weigh in ounces or grams. Plus, you still get a handy heat-resistant pad that protects the scale when you’re brewing into a Chemex or other glass vessel.

With all that said, I should point out that the Acaia Pearl is far from ideal for use as an espresso scale, given the fact that it’s rather bulky in comparison with something like the Normcore Pocket Coffee Scale V3. However, for manual brewing, the Pearl is hard to beat.

Acaia Pearl Coffee Scale Features

Now that we know what we’re dealing with, let’s continue this Acaia Pearl review by digging a little deeper into its standout features.

Acaia Pearl Scale Build and Design

Weighing just over a pound (450 grams), the Acaia Pearl Coffee Scale isn’t the most lightweight model out there. What’s more, it’s 1.3 inches tall and 5.5 inches square, making it rather unsuitable for use as an espresso scale. Sure, you might be able to get away with using it under the portafilter spouts of a larger commercial espresso machine, but you’ll struggle with something like the Rancilio Silvia.

On the other hand, this scale is absolutely ideal for brewing coffee with a Chemex or the Fellow Stagg Pour Over.

Available in White or Black, I happen to love the Pearl’s chunky design. Still, this thing ain’t waterproof, so you’ll have to be careful when you’re using it. I also love the Acaia Pearl’s minimalist user interface, which comprises a simple digital LED display and two soft-touch buttons.

All in all, this is a sleek piece of kit that’s become an essential part of any top barista’s coffee brewing setup.

User Interface

As I mentioned above, the Acaia Pearl features a cool digital display, with a power button to one side and a T button on the other side.

Fortunately, the manufacturer improved the display, making it brighter and easier to read, especially when sunlight hits the scale.

While this user interface might look fairly straightforward, there’s actually a stunning amount of functionality hiding beneath the surface. Then again, you’ll need to spend some time reading the product manual to figure it all out.

I won’t get into all the details in this Acaia Pearl review, suffice to say that pressing the T button in different ways will give you access to all the weighing modes, timer, flow rate indicator and much more.

Flow Rate Indicator

The new flow rate indicator is, perhaps, the crowning glory of this fantastic coffee scale. Here’s the deal: When you activate the flow rate indicator, you’ll see a scale represented as an LED bar above the digital display.

The scale is meant to help you achieve the ideal flow rate as you’re pouring water, and measures this in grams power second. The “sweet spot” is on the middle of the scale, and as long as you maintain the correct pouring speed, you’ll stay within this section. Otherwise, the scale will light up, letting you know that you’re pouring too fast or too slow. How cool is that!

Weighing Modes

Given its sizable price tag, you won’t be surprised to learn that the Acaia Pearl is super accurate to the tenth of a gram. For reference, that’s roughly equivalent to one coffee bean. To the uninitiated, that might seem like overkill. However, if you’re really serious about achieving pour-over perfection, it’ll be a dream come true. Best of all, the Acaia Pearl Coffee Scale offers several weighing modes to choose from:

Weighing Mode: Displays weight only in grams or ounces.
Dual Display Mode: Displays weight and a timer (0-9.59 seconds). You can also use the flow rate indicator with this mode.
Pour Over Auto Start Timer Mode: For brewing pour-over. The timer starts as soon as the scale detects water flow and stops when coffee equipment has been removed from the scale. The scale then displays the final beverage weight. You can also use the flow rate indicator with this mode.
Portafilter Mode: The scale automatically detects a portafilter and tares its weight. Remove the portafilter to add coffee grounds, then place on the scale again to measure the weight of the coffee grounds, repeating if needed.
Beverage Mode: Measures the coffee-to-beverage ratio. The brew time, total amount of water used, beverage weight in the vessel and the coffee-to-beverage ratio are all displayed. You can also use the flow rate indicator with this mode.

Acaia Pearl App

Everything you buy comes with a companion app these days, so it’s no surprise that Acaia is excited to tell you all about the ways you can interact with your coffee scale via your phone or tablet. Personally, I usually ignore apps altogether unless they’re integral to the operation of a machine.

As for the Acaia suite of apps, I really can’t see them being valuable unless you’re the kind of person who likes to share recipes with the specialty coffee community, log data or design special pour-over graphs.

Then again, perhaps it’d be good if the Acaia Pearl is being used in a cafe, where baristas are using a variety of single origin coffee beans and consistency is vital.

Acaia Pearl Charging

Another major upgrade to this Pearl model is its charging system. The scale is equipped with a 1100mAh lithium ion battery, which is charged via a USB-C cable. Not only does this make charging lightning fast, the battery life has increased to around 40 hours. Trust me, you’ll hardly ever need to charge this coffee scale.

While the manufacturer does include the USB Type-C cable with your purchase, you won’t get an actual charger. Still, if you’re anything like me, you’ll have about fifty of those things hanging out in your kitchen junk drawer!

How to Use the Acaia Pearl Coffee Scale

Using the Acaia Pearl out of the box is a relatively straightforward affair. First things first, make sure to fully charge the scale using the USB-C cable that’s included.

Once that’s done, you’re ready to go. The scale comes with two modes already setup – the Weigh mode and Dual Display mode. However, if you want to go deeper into the more complicated modes you’ll need to consult the user manual. It’s not difficult or anything, but I won’t get into all the details here.

Chances are you’ll start off by using the Dual Display mode. To access this mode, long press the T (tare button). Now you’ll have access to both the weight and timer function, as well as the awesome flow rate indicator. Then, it’s simply a case of weighing your coffee beans before removing them, grinding then placing your brewing equipment on the scale.

Once again, use the tare button to zero out the scale then begin pouring water, keeping an eye on the flow rate, which will give valuable guidance as to your pouring speed.

Acaia Pearl vs Other Acaia Scales

Without a doubt, the Acaia Pearl 2021 is a wonderful scale if your preferred brewing style is pour over. However, it does have a lot of competition, especially from its Acaia siblings. Let’s take a look at a couple of other scale options to help you decide which model might be best for your needs.

Acaia Pearl vs Acaia Pearl S

Costing a whopping $230, the Acaia Pearl S is the manufacturer’s newest model. To call this coffee scale intimidating would be an understatement. Seriously, the Pearl S offers a stunning amount of complicated functions, making it ideal only for those who want to geek out like never before.

With the Pearl S, Acaia has added extra brewing modes and a countdown feature, as well as a sophisticated Brew Assist mode. Here, you’re able to upload award-winning recipes to replicate in the comfort of your own home. Oh, and the scale walks you through your chosen recipe, even adding optional voice guidance along the way.

Acaia Pearl vs Acaia Lunar

The superb Acaia Lunar Scale is my espresso scale of choice, and I seldom pull a shot without it. Thanks to its rugged metal housing and waterproof design, the Acaia Lunar has been built to withstand the rigors of a busy cafe environment. Plus, its slim, minimalist design and user-friendly operation make it ideal for espresso preparation. In fact, you’ve likely seen one of these being used in your local independent coffee shop.

Costing around $250, the Lunar is intended for serious baristas who demand consistency and precision while pulling shots. Oh, and you can use this coffee scale for manual brewing, but you might find that it’s a little small for your best French press.

See Also: Acaia Lunar Scale Review