Youd expect beauty, brains, and a bit of intuitive innovation in there, too.
For the most part, youd be right including being waterproof.
However, the scale relies on its user owning other high-end tech for optimum performance.
The Acaia Lunar is one of the priciest,best coffee scalesavailable right now.
Unlike the Pearl S or the Orion, the Lunar is designed explicitly to work with thebest espresso machines.
But beauty doesnt come cheap.
Itisan Acaia scale, after all.
Find out in this Acaia Lunar coffee scale review.
It’s$250 direct from Acaia.
I wouldnt recommend it for a busy commercial cafe, however small artisan coffee shops and serious home baristas?
The Lunar is available in black, silver, cool white, beige white, and space gray.
I tested the black version, which is incredibly beautiful.
Thats where Acaias lineup really excels: its aesthetics.
Compared to other Acaia scales, the Lunar is the second-priciest.
The compact 6 x 6 inch surface makes way for ultimate compatibility with espresso machine drip trays.
It slotted perfectly into my DeLonghi La Specialista Opera machine during testing.
While designed for espresso machines, the Lunar isnt just restricted to espresso.
you could use this with some of thebest coffee makers.
Theres a pour-over mode as well as a range of espresso-forward functions.
I mostly used pre-infusion auto-tare with my espresso machine.
Even an app that links to the Lunar viaBluetoothand walks you through ideal espresso ratios would be great.
While theres no Brewguide app, there is Brewmaster.
Brewmaster is a little like Brewguide in that it helps you master coffee.
The Lunar has really got me tracking my espresso pulls on graphs.
As someone who loathed math at school, this is the first graph Ive actually enjoyed analyzing.
Not only can you track live flow-rates, you might also evaluate the espresso in the Brewmaster app.
In spite of the mediocre beans I used, I thoroughly enjoyed tracking my brew on the Brewmaster app.
Check, check, check.
However, incredibly precise accuracy is the Lunars magnum opus and its Achilles Heel.
The Lunar issoaccurate that its precision encroaches on usability.
Sure, I want to weigh my espresso to 0.1 accuracy.
However, this accuracy means that the weight jumps around and is really hard to pinpoint a specific weight.
I repeated this process six times and never did the portafilter settle on a specific weight.
This is a notable con for a professional-grade scale.
However, this wasonlyan issue for portafilters.
When I placed my espresso mug on the Lunar, it immediately weighed as 193.7g.
I was able to tare and go about my normal espresso process in seconds.
In terms of accuracy, the Lunar comes with a 100g calibration weight.
I used this weight to calibrate the scale upon receipt.
Heres a table of my weighing tests.
All measurements are in grams, as grams is the standard coffee unit.
However, there were a few instances that were different, namely the first weight and the fifth weight.
Acaia Lunar Coffee Scale review: How does it compare?
The Pearl S is just so much more affable and appealing.
Again, this has no app at all, but its a good entry-level scale with premium features.
You expect a premium-priced product to perform well enough to justify its cost.
Yes, the Lunar looks gorgeous, and yes, it does function well.
However, a commercial-tier espresso scale that cant weigh portafilters is a missed trick.
Every other scale Ive used to weigh portafilters just work.
Even Acaias own Pearl S can do it.
The bottom line is this: the Lunar is good, but the Pearl S is better.
