Coffee!!! Coffee!!! Coffee!!! Looking for kitchen scales for coffee with accessible app?

I've no experience with one, but I'm sure RNIB sell talking scales. You could try contacting the technology for life team who could probably answer your questions about whether it would be suitable.

Hopefully someone else on here can be more helpful.

I've seen quite a few kitchen scales for under £30 which is around half the price of talking scales. All of them have apps. Problem being is I don't want to buy any then find the app is useless with VO. Catch 22 really. We need someone to take the risk. As I'm buying glide this week it won't be me I'm skint lol.

I've got to admit having an app for kitchen scales feels overkill to me. But I do have the talking liquid measuring jug thing and it was a bit disappointing.

I have a My Weigh SCMVOXEVOL 5000g by 1g Talking Kitchen Scale. It is not a smart scale. Honestly I think trying to use an app and weighing things would be hard to impossible. Oops boiling water on the phone! However I understand what you mean. And for this scale, I use it to measure coffee, mostly just coffee beans. It does not look all that waterproof to me, with spaces under the platform for example. So I am not brave enough to use it for a pour-over setup although I wish I had an accessible scale that could do that.
As for its accuracy, I don't have another scale to compare it too. It gives the impression of being precise, but it could be precisely imprecise. Just at slight of hand I'd say it feels like it has a 2 gram error range when I measure coffee beans. If you are doing a single coffee serving that can be a lot. It is fairly consistent though so you can get a feel for it. Again, I don't feel it is a good choice to measure pouring water into your aeropress or pour-over setup. I have nt found an official pour-over scale like you find on coffee sites that is talking...

What gradient of accuracy do you need for measuring coffee? Back when I drank coffee, I had a scoop for the grounds. It was probably oversized...
My talking, kitchen scale only measures to the whole gram and might not read below two grams, but it is an inexpensive one off Amazon. I guess I need a milligram scale because I was building a fishing lure for someone yesterday, and I had to put several of each component on to get a reading, then divide it back out and hope my estimate was close.
If I can get the accuracy I need out of an app and bluetooth device, and a stand-alone is either too expensive or non-existent, I'd be interested. In fact, if I could get one of the AI apps to recognize the readout on a regular scale, even that would be useful.

I recommend the following Bluetooth scale which I bought on amazon.

Etekcity Nutrition Smart Food Kitchen Scale, Digital Ounces and Grams for Cooking, Baking, Meal Prep, Dieting, and Weight Loss, 11 Pounds-Bluetooth,
304 Stainless Steel (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QN1RX1K?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share&th=1)

It works great with the AeroPress. Feedback with Voiceover is quick and responsive. I personally use it for measuring my coffee beans and for my pourover routine almost every day. This scale is accurate, and the numbers stay pretty still when there’s no activity. If you leave more weight on it for some time, the numbers will very slowly decrease, but this is not an issue for me with my pourover routine. I’ve seen this issue far, far worse when using another brand scale with another app whose accessibility was a little inferior to VeSync. I use the scale I’m recommending with the VeSync app. The app is very accessible, though it may take a little getting used to. I do like this particular scale because it has only 2 buttons which are 3D. The buttons move. The one on the right turns the scale on with a quick press and off with a long press. When the scale is on, the same button activates the tare function when pressed quickly. The button on the left changes units. Amazon will recommend you get a newer scale, but I recommend against this. The scale I'm recommending has an accuracy of 0.1 grams up to 1000 grams. I believe the scale Amazon recommends is the one I had prior to the one I'm recommending. If I'm correct, I'll tell you that the newer scale lacks 3D buttons, and the accuracy is only as good as 1 gram.

Onto the VeSync app, The tare function and unit changes can also be done easily there. After you add your scale to the VeSync app, you will need to activate its name in the app to access its functions. If the scale is turned on and connected, you'll see the text "connected" on the screen, and one of the options on this screen will be called "Weighing". I'm not sure if there's any punctuation after that word, but I found it easy to locate this button since a little after the first time. After you click "weighing", you'll be in the screen with the actual readout. Thankfully, the readout is simple and begins with the number. I find that right before I begin weighing, I need to toggle Voiceover off and then back on. And after doing this, I activate the Voiceover command to watch the item (I mapped this command to a gesture of my choice). If you leave this screen or app, or if your iPhone locks and you unlock it again, you will probably need to toggle Voiceover and activate the watch command on the number value again. Despite the steps I spelled out, I find this scale helpful for my pourover routine. I know it could also help you with the AeroPress.

A few miscellaneous notes that may be helpful, especially if you want to try pourover... I use a metronome app on my iPhone. I get that going at my desired tempo before I go into VeSync for the pourover session. I have a time table that I've arrived at from research, trial and error. Basically, since I use a 1 to 15 coffee-to-water ratio, and I use twice the coffee weight for the bloom, I only have 13/15th of my water weight for the post-bloom pour. Therefore, the post-bloom system I've settled on involves me aiming to pour 13 grams of water every 3 clicks for the Hario V60 and 13 grams of water every 5 clicks for the Chemex. I have the time table memorized. The beauty of this is that I can also adjust the tempo on the metronome. So I have the Metronome set to 68 beats-per-minute for the V60 and 66 beats-per-minute for the Chemex at this point.

I put a square pad that I think is used to open jars via friction (my wife bought it but I steal it every morning now) on the scale. Then I put a plate (usually a small plastic one on top. Then I put another one of those friction pads on the plate. Then I put my mug on top if I'm using my Hario V60 or my Chemex on top if I'm using that. I use a goose neck kettle, which is also helpful with the AeroPress. I keep a rubber band wrapped several times around the goose neck right behind where it opens up on the top. This is so I can gently keep track of the end of the goose neck with my left hand without touching the hot metal. I use a wooden spoon to gently scrape the edges of the coffee bed when I feel it may be necessary. I usually do this at least at the end of every pourover when a lot of water is still going down.

Believe it or not, I didn't share everything, but I hope I struck a balance of being helpful without being offensive.

I admit that it might be nice if/when we can bypass all of this by using smart glasses that have improved significantly and can stay trained on the readout of one of the many stand-alone coffee scales. But for now, you can already stay accurately caffeinated!

I'm sorry to hear the scale is not available in the UK. Maybe the following item is available for you.

Amazon.com: Super Egg Scale - Egg Sizing, Sizes, Grading, Egg Weight Analysis, reflex 3000g / 0.1g Digital Scale Grams and Ounces USB Rechargeable, Portable, Accurate, Metal Stainless Steel Surface: Digital Kitchen Scales Wireless Bluetooth: Home & Kitchen (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LCM90C?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details)

I had pretty good success with this device. There are several apps that work with it, but my favorite is called Just Scale. I must say that when you have any weight on the scale, the numbers do tend to drift more than with the scale I recommended in my last post. But I've gotten many good cups with this scale, too. With my plate between my scale and my coffee apparatus of choice, spills are not really a problem unless I'm grossly sloppy with my pour. But do be careful not to get the scale recommended above wet at all, aside from a couple molecules! I'd give it a 1/5 with durability and water forgiveness. I've bought several of these scales because of its fragility. Because of the occasional drifting readout issue with this scale, I'd recommend something else/additional. For measuring coffee beans, I had decent success with the following non-wireless scale in conjunction with the instant text features of both Envision and Supersense on my iPhone.

Amazon.com: TIMEMORE Coffee Scale Basic 2.0 Electronic Espresso Scale with Water Flow Rate and Timer Function, Free Switching of Ounce/kg Units, Digital Scale for Kitchen/Baking/Cooking: Home & Kitchen (https://www.amazon.com/TIMEMORE-Basic-2-0-Electronic-Switching/dp/B0CMZJP9V8/ref=pd_rhf_ee_s_bmx_gp_787h86kn_d_sccl_2_1/143-5836911-5345829?pd_rd_w=aPOXQ&content-id=amzn1.sym.040c3cf2-1b6d-4b3a-9660-a25a74a5ff5a&pf_rd_p=040c3cf2-1b6d-4b3a-9660-a25a74a5ff5a&pf_rd_r=TDXDQM38W2ER360J0JVD&pd_rd_wg=rddEO&pd_rd_r=3e32b457-611e-46c2-9a2f-2c059aa6a3d7&pd_rd_i=B0CMZJP9V8&psc=1)

The readout stays very still on this scale, and its accuracy is 0.1 gram. I asked a sighted person to describe this scale, and he said the numbers are like those on a scoreboard for sports. I've been blind since age4, so I don't know exactly what this looks like. But OCR functionality works better with regular printed numbers than with these scoreboard numbers. if you want to use a scale with an app's instant OCR function for more than measuring the beans, you should probably find one whose readout is in regular print. I hope such a product exists, but I have no idea if it does. I did make a phone stand out of KNEX, and I was barely able to use the Timemore scale for my pourover routine by putting my phone in the stand. The biggest difficulty was getting the camera trained adequately on the readout. I believe printed numbers on the scale would have made this system much more viable, and maybe it would be better than the whole Bluetooth system. Maybe I'll try finding a good scale with printed numbers soon and try the phone stand concept again.

Thanks for the suggestion and link.
Almost all of the reviews on the page were for the basic scale, but I'm hoping the accuracy carries over to the bluetooth model. There are two, non-English reviews that confirm the basic scale can measure weights less than one gram, which was my main intrest. It's not clear from the description if that means you can put a .5 gram item on the scale and have it register, or if you have to start with at least one gram Not really an issue to me if so.

From what I read on the product link I shared for the Etekcity scale, you should be fine. Certainly my scale fits the bill. I shared the URL to this scale from my Amazon Order history. Under the heading level one titled “About this item” please review the first and second list items for Bluetooth info. When the VeSync app is mentioned, this implies Bluetooth connectivity. And please look at the fifth list item for info on accuracy. From 1 gram to 1,000 grams, the accuracy is 0.1 gram, and from 1,000 to 5,000 grams, the accuracy is one gram. So according to this info, you’ll get the 0.1 gram accuracy as low as but no lower than 1.0 grams. I haven’t tested anything less than 1 gram yet. But I measure 28 grams of coffee beans each time I make coffee, and the 0.1 gram accuracy Is definitely alive and well. It’s a bummer this product isn’t available everywhere, but it’s a good product to have if you can get it. Just make sure not to get the supposedly newer scale that Amazon recommends, because you’d lose any 0.1 gram accuracy and also 3D buttons. I do hope the OCR concept can become viable and comfortable soon so we don’t have to be so careful about all the details when shopping for scales. Not many sighted people care about Bluetooth scales, as you can see in some customer reviews. For every Bluetooth kitchen scale, there are many, many non-Bluetooth ones.

That makes sense the way you explained it. For some reason I couldn't get my mind around what the product page was saying. I've added it to my list. Thanks.

I ordered the scale, but I have mixed feelings about the app. You have to sign up and in with an email and password to use it. That grates on my nerves, but it's a common requirement with many devices nowadays. It is also a half-gig-sized app.
There was one thing on one of the screens while signing up where I had to turn on screen recognition to find where to select or check something. I don't remember exactly what that was, but I guess it's not too big a deal. I needed to turn screen recognition back off to peacefully look through the settings etc.
As far as I can think, none of the health stuff is of any interest to me. However, I did notice Etekcity has smart outlet devices. That might be of interest. I'll have to comb through their other devices--I have no need for an air fryer--to see if I can make myself feel better about the app's size and extraction of data.

¡I love this topyc!

I had the same isues. The acuracy of the basculas parlantes is not Good for coffee beens. I'm gona a buy the Smart to try.
I have a question: Do you find easier the methode of use an aeropess vs a v60? Any tip?

Thanks!

Regarding the preparation, the V60 requires a lot of precision. For example, when you are pouring the water, you should do it in 4-5 times, so you need to use the scale more and be more precise with the proportions.
I'll try with an AeroPress; maybe it's easier for daily use. Also, I just bought a bottle for making cold brew, which is also an easy method.
Please tell us about the RNIB question.

The Hario V60 and Chemex are the 2 pourover systems I've used for far more than 95 percent of my coffee brews over the last 2 years. Either one indeed requires more work than the AeroPress which I also know how to use, but it all comes down to personal preference, of course. I've found the Chemex to be a bit more forgiving than the Hario V60, and some discussion on reviews and forums seems to echo this. But I have also gotten my results with the Hario V60 to be consistent after a moderate amount of practice. I’ve liked the Chemex significantly more than the Hario V60 until recently. I now pour faster than I used to with the Hario V60, and I sometimes enjoy my Hario V60 coffee as much as my Chemex coffee. At the moment, I do one post-bloom pour with the Hario V60 and 2 post-bloom pours with the Chemex. But one could definitely change the routine /s--more complex pour sequences should not be a problem--and have the same non-visual success with the tools and techniques I mentioned in a previous post. You will find so many different brewing recommendations online, and the more you experiment, the better. Lately, I've also enjoyed a Yama stovetop siphon brewer as well. I think it's easier to do siphon coffee non-visually than pourover coffee if we’re talking the stovetop siphon brewer design. I haven’t used any other kind of siphon brewer, but I don’t covet the ones that use butane or halogen bulbs anyway. , and the taste of the coffee from my siphon brewer is quite special. I thought non-visually using a siphon brewer would be so much harder than almost all other systems, but this was truly a misconception. I still do pourover the most because clean-up is easier with the Chemex and/or Hario V60 than with my siphon brewer. And I still find myself frequently craving and being satisfied with the light-bodied and very clear flavors I get with the Chemex. I generally like light- and medium-roasted coffee beans. Your roast preference may influence your choice of brewing methods.

Olly,

have you tried www.thecoffeefactory.co.uk for freshly roasted ethically sourced coffee beans? I have their roaster's choice subscription and it's splendid. I use a bean to cup coffee machine as usually like a pot of coffee to keep me going through the working day. I love this topic, though, as I wouldn't use my machine for finer coffees that I only occasionally get, such as the great Jamaica Blue Mountain. I've nothing to add on the substantive topic but am going to continue following with interest.

The Etekcity and VeSync app, that is.
It was a little bit of a pain to pair it. I wasn't quite sure if the scale was on or off, and I think the included batteries were just about dead. I changed them out.
The app did eventually find the scale, and I got it added. The app wants you to pick a room that it's in. What ever...
So I weighed the box it came in in ounces, then found grams. It does in fact measure to the .1 gram, if anyone cares. LOL So on to weighing hooks and split rings, etc.

Hi,

I have the Reflex SmartChef 3000 scale that was mentioned earlier. It works great. They have multiple apps that work with these scales. There is a Talking Scale app they released at the request of blind people, which is neat.

I use the Timer scale app with the unit with Watch Item function whenever I want more spontaneous readings.
Talking scale app has about 3 second update time, which is plenty good for measuring coffee or something. When you want to track pouring water then voiceover is more realtime-ish.

I use an Aeropress as well. I brew a big cup so I use the right amount of coffee and fill to the top. I use a level indicator to prevent spillage.
Then, I will add water to bring to my preferred strength.

If you want to spend money, Acaia Pearl S model scale has a built-in talking feature. I don't know if it is worth 10 times the price. It is a very well built and precise unit. They are well known in the speciality coffee for their stuff.
I just think it is nice they added that function and there is a premium option.

Thanks.

When I was at Sight Village I came across a company called Ravencourt who were selling some kitchen scales (and also a talking microwave via RNIB). The scales could also do liquid measuring somehow. Anyway it didn't seem to have the problem my current measuring jug thing has in that it resets the amount as soon as you stop pouring for a second. My wife was also wanting some new kitchen scales anyway so we bought one. Was £45 at the show, normally £60. We've not even got any batteries for it yet so not sure if it would be suitable for the coffee use but will try to remember to report back here when we've tried it.

I know you've already gone the app route, just thought I'd mention it in case someone else stumbles in here.

NO self-voicing talking scale would work as it wouldn’t be able to keep up with the weight fluctuation as you pour.
I have a bluetooth Drop kitchen scale that works well, but unfortunately, it’s no longer being made.
I also have the Reflex Smart Kitchen scale that works with their Just Scale app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/just-scale-kitchen-scale/id1530622023
While it works, it’s not my first choice as instead of allowing VoiceOver to simply speak the weight change when focused n that element, it instead uses a separate TTS feature in the app. You can speed up the rate of speech, but even then, there’s a bit of a lag from the actual pouring to what’s being spoken.
I’m currently using an Acaia bluetooth Lunar scale https://acaia.co/products/lunar_2021
With the Filtru app on my iPhone https://apps.apple.com/us/app/filtru-buy-brew-coffee/id1150921819
It wasn’t accessible at first, but after reaching out to the developer, he updated the app for better VO accessibility. It’s free, but with some in-app purchasing options for some extra features. I choose to pay for the subscription to support the dev, but it’s not necessary if you just want the more basic features. The Lunar scale is crazy expensive and probably overkill, but it’s one of the few bluetooth scales that fit my Cafelat Robot manual lever espresso machine. Filtru also lists the various bluetooth scales it supports if you want to check them out. Acaia also has their Pearl S model https://acaia.co/products/pearl-model-s that has self-voicing capabilities. Indeed, if it wasn’t for the specific requirements of my espresso machine, I’d probably have purchased the Pearl S as it can be used with bluetooth or just as a simple kitchen scale if you need to weigh something. Acaia states that they developed the Pearl S with the input of blind folks, but of course their app isn’t all that great in regards to VO support.
There’s also another free app called BeanConqueror https://apps.apple.com/us/app/beanconqueror/id1445297158 The dev of this app has tried including mmore VO accessibility, but it can be a bit convoluted to use.
I’m a V60 pourover, Aeropress and espresso drinker and have recently tried my hand with the Hario Switch. I can brew all these different styles of coffee with my Lunar scale and Filtru with no issues.
Good luck,