It's insane the amount of things this scale will do, the timer setting really blew my mind. Also send props to the man behind the camera, those product shots and broll looked amazing! This review is literally professional.
My husband just surprised me with one before I even said I needed one after getting a flair. It’s so fast, the auto detect modes are great and the flow ratio is so handy for beginners! I kept being afraid he splurged and why it’s so expensive but this really makes me happy to own one without guilt! I like that you add that it might not be justifiable for beginners, but with the flair, there’s so many things I have to do by hand / variables that this is a godsend!
I have that exact Hario scale now and the latency of the scale does get to me and often leads to over extraction as I have to cut my machine off early to try and accommodate for the delay and sometimes I get close to my desired output and often not. Would you really recommend the lunar when comparing directly to the hario?
I know your pain! If you really want to improve your workflow and you can afford to buy the Lunar, it will make such a big difference! I do recommend it as an upgrade if your main focus is espresso.
A year later, I finally splurged on the Acaia lunar scale LM brew by weight which is a even more expensive version of the same scale! Retail 400 US or 560 CAD for my upcoming Linea Mini R! With QC tax, I paid 645 CAD! Insane!
Wow! Nice to see you back a year later! Do you feel it’s been worth it? Certainly LM needs a fine pairing like the Lunar. A year later I can honestly say I can’t imagine my workflow without my Acaia!
@@lizhappybeansIt works like a wizard! The milk steam can be done 3-5 seconds! It heats up really fast with just a tiny turn on the knob! The heat stability is amazing! With the schedule turn on, the machine works right away so fast warming up that you don’t notice! I sometimes refill up cold water while it’s on. I still get hot water instantaneously! It does worth 9k Canadian dollars to get a machine that really stabilizes heat! My last machine was Breville Barista Pro and the temperature never went up to temp that it kept giving me sour shots! I even sent it back for a replacement and it still has the same issue. I then got fed up and get a refund afterwards for the huge disappointment! How’s your Gaggia Classic? Is the heat stable all the time?
Thanks for this. I have the Hario after reading a ton of reviews and I’ve really grown to hate it. I find it reacts randomly, very late then catches up and then misses the mark, only to settle a few seconds later. My experience looks like yours hario. Another thing I really find frustrating with my hario, if I have torn a weight for say my dosing cup, then my espresso shot glass which is .4g different will still read as zero.
I absolutely share these pain points. I feel it really impacted the flow of the extractions and made it all increasingly frustrating… I know a gadget like the Acaia is expensive but I don’t regret it in the least!
@@lizhappybeans I sent your video to my wife, maybe this will convince her haha! She said no more toys, but I’m hopeful. And yeah expensive but to get away from the pain points will make it worth it I think. I’m glad you did this video because I was always wondering if it was worth it.
@@lizhappybeans Ended up buying this scale. Blown away by it's quality. Just got it today so I can't wait to check it out. Thanks again for doing the video.
Concise, articulate, and very well presented video. I have both a Lunar 2021 for espresso and a Pearl S for pour overs, and they are both brilliant. Specifically, the Lunar is so sensitive and accurate, and it just works as it should every time. Espresso is challenging enough without having to tolerate a finicky, slow, inaccurate, or poorly made scale. I’ve seen how other scales perform and, as a result, I’ve only ever owned Acaia scales. For me, they’re worth every penny.
Thank you for your feedback! I completely agree that espresso is already challenging enough to make our lives harder with inaccurate tools. I can confirm that my workflow has seen a tremendous upgrade after purchasing the Acaia Lunar! Even more than what I imagined!!
@@skyking9248 Fair question. I bought the Pearl a couple of years before the Lunar when I first started as a home barista because it fit on the drip tray of my espresso machine. When I upgraded machines, however, the Pearl was too large to fit the tray so I needed a smaller scale. As my large Chemex is too large for the Lunar, anyway, the Pearl is still needed for pour overs.
This really depends on your recipe (dose, target yield, etc.). For me though, I’ve seen the best results when pouring around 4.5 to 5g per second. Hope this helps!
I've been investing heavily in my pourover setup, landing on the Fellow Tally as my scale of choice. I'm an espresso newbie though, so while the Lunar is tempting, that pricetag doesn't make sense for me at all, especially since the Chemex and V60 are may daily drivers.
Absolutely agree with you! If you were to buy an Acaia scale, maybe the Pearl would be best for you! But the Lunar doesn’t align with your current needs
I bought an Eureka Precisa which isn't cheap either, but has a lot of problems. I'm not using it anymore: even if you don't touch the scale, the value constantly changes, it won't really fit under my Flair Pro 2, the timer does stop randomly which isn't fun if you are in the middle of a shot... I'm now seriosly thinking about buying the lunar. I already have the pearl for years and never regretted the buy: it was expensive but worth every penny.
Wow… what a terrible experience with the Eureka. Hopefully, if you ever decide to switch to Acaia Lunar all these problems will go away! It’s impressive how much of an impact a single tool can have to your whole workflow!
I have so many comments I do not know where to start. First, wonderful content. It is so refreshing to see a woman in the male-dominated world of coffee on RU-vid. I am not sure why I have not found you until today. Second, I have been looking at scales and yours is the best review I have seen of any scale! Your advice is spot on about who this scale is for. Third, I was curious if you could venture into the world of manual espresso makers. Again all (that I have found) are by men. I am curious about the real life force it takes to use something like the Cafelat Robot or the Rok, or even the Flair systems. I am leaning toward the Robot but have not pulled the trigger yet because a significant number of the reviews (by men) say it takes a lot of force and I even see men using there body weight to pull a shot. I am an older woman in great shape, but I do not want to have to rely on working out in the gym to make espresso. I want a manual machine because of space, travel, aesthetics, and I try to do everything as simply as possible. I agree with one of the reviews below, your channel is under-rated and under-subscribed. I have subscribed.
Thank you so very much for your lovely comment! I'm humbled that you've found my video valuable and happy to hear you've subscribed to my channel! In regard to the manual espresso makers, I have only experimented a bit with Flair. And yes, it is a considerable amount of force that needs to be applied for extraction - definitely something to give some thought to if you're using it on a daily basis and as your main espresso maker! Perhaps you could consider a simpler espresso machine like a Breville Bambino Plus? Doesn't take a lot of counter space and has a similar price to a Cafelat Robot. Main downsides would be its portability for travel and it's not as aesthetically pleasing [Link: amzn.to/3wbpPG1] I wish to review a manual espresso maker in the near future - with a female perspective to it; hopefully I'll see you around for it! Let's keep brewing! ☕
Don't forget the new pour over mode (mode 7). The scale is now really the best package you can get. The greatest thing is pairing it with the Acaia Orbit for grind by weight.
YES! Absolutely! I had the chance to play a bit with the Orbit at the SCA expo and it was a fantastic experience, for sure. Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on one at some point!
I normally wouldn’t justify the 300 dollar price on a coffee scale. I don’t care about the premium material construction if the cheapest scales too provide the similar features as the premium ones. However, there’s only one premium scale that sold me to shell out 300 bucks on it. That’s the Fellow Tally Pro studio edition. I only got it for the brew assist! It calculates the water ratio after you weight out the beans! Very handy! So I bought it for that reason!
I totally get you! That feature is amazing, I’m happy you got a scale that meets your needs! It’s impressive how a single tool can make such a difference!
This is a nice scale but way more expensive than anyone ,even in a coffee shop) needs. Time more makes a very similar unit for about $45 usd. Dual display, auto timer or manual timer, usbC recharging, water resistant etc. especially for home use, why pay more?
thank you very much ! I really appreciate your videos . yes, in terms of price it is against all reason. But - just being sensible isn't any fun either. As you said, you haven't already spent a lot on equipment and other things... and having fun with things that make the difference is a nice thing. feels good too! ordered one today 😁
Awesome, Liz. Any chance you could do a vid to make an all around V60 recipe using only common volumes instead of weight? In other words, no scale and use only ounces of water and teaspoon/tablespoon measurments for coffee? No timer other than estimates or counting. I know it sounds kind of ridiculous but it would help for traveling or when visiting folks who have minimal gear. Thank you!
🙌 I haven’t thought about it. Pour Over is all about measurements if you want consistency, however, when you get used to a specific roast, origin or brand, you can eventually have a good eye for the measurements without the need of scales or timers. My daily brews are like that unless I’m testing new stuff. It won’t be exactly the same, but it can be pretty close.
@@lizhappybeans I hear ya. I just thought it would be interesting. A "Liz in the woods" kind of thing. I realize that it would be a crude approximation that betrays the point of craft brewing. It's the kind of math that Hoff might get a kick out of. To be clear I just meant take your grams of coffee after it is ground then measure it with a measuring spoon. Use a measuring cup for the water. Just a silly thing. Guess I'll have to buy all the gear and try it myself 😀
Oh I get that for sure! I don’t see why not. I’d like to make a video about methods and ways to enjoy good coffee in situations like that, like “travel tips for coffee lovers” and such. Ways to do it without carrying all your gear. Sounds like a fun thing to try!!!
I'm in Canada and I bought it from Eight Ounce Coffee! They ship to the US too and I'm 99% sure that the shipping is free when the order is above $100! If you're interested, you can use this affiliate link to place your order: bit.ly/3ACr8wV
