Felicita Coffee Scales Review
Scales are ubiquitous bits of equipment in the world of specialty coffee shops. Something relatively basic on the outside; scales enable baristas to make subtle adjustments to espresso and filter coffee brews and hone their craft.
Coffee shops are pretty unforgiving environments for electricals, and the crossover of an accurate set of scales that is up to the task of being covered in ground coffee, steaming water and the bumps and bruises from nearby portafilters is pretty limited.
To date, coffee shops have typically relied on a set of Acaia or Hario scales. Acaia offer robust, water-resistant models suited to being next to an espresso machine, whilst Hario are more suited to the filter brew bar and are more affordable
Over the past year, however, new scales from Felicita have been spotted in more and more shops, and we’ve been given an opportunity to review their offering in detail.
Quick demo of the responsiveness and auto-tare in the Felicita Arc
The Felicita Coffee Scales Range
The range comprises the Arc, Incline and Parallel. Helpfully their size follows their alphabetisation, so we can start with the Arc...
The Felicita Arc
The Arc is the smallest of the range but probably the mightiest. A set of features reinforce that this scale is engineered to thrive in conjunction with an espresso machine.
Beyond the standard tare/timer function you’d expect from a set of coffee scales, the Arc features auto-tare and auto-timer functions. What does this mean? It means that you can place your extraction vessel on the scales, which then auto-tare to zero grams, then when your shot starts extracting, the weight change is registered and the timer will start. After the extraction finishes, the timer stops and the final yield flashes, beeps, and stays on the display after you take the vessel; super handy for dialling in a few shots.
The scales are very responsive in their 0.1g accuracy - they are fast to update and the display is clear from various viewing angles; you can keep an eye on it from a few meters away.
The challenge for any espresso machine coffee scale is water resistance; even the neatest barista is inevitably going to give the scales a good, hot showering every now and then. Full water-proofing for any electronic device is obviously a challenge, and it’s best to think of the Arc as water resistant and not water proof. Note that this is pretty much the standard for any scales claiming to be immune to the influence of water. We have run the Arc underneath an open grouphead for 10 seconds and it's given us no complaints.
The Arc is a great combination scale that suits espresso and filter brewing, but repeatedly switching the scales between auto-tare and auto-timer will probably lead to frustration, and we’d recommend the Arc primarily with an espresso workflow (e.g. the auto-timer/auto-tare will likely mess with the initial bloom of a filter coffee, which can be followed by a pause of up to a minute before you continue brewing. We did find that without reading the instructions (we know, we know), the auto-tare was a little confusing to turn on/off, but after a few goes it became fairly routine for us.
Key Highlights
- Water-resistant
- Fast and responsive 0.1g weight increment, up to 2kg
- Non-slip, heat-resistant removable rubber mat
- Auto-tare and auto-timer start/stop
- Charged by USB (can be used whilst on charge, but watch the water)
- You can fit a full portafilter on it (La Marzocco tested, your mileage may vary)
Full extraction video showing auto-tare and auto-timer.
The Felicita Incline
The Incline is one of Felicita’s two filter brewing scales (although it does suit espresso brewing, to a degree). Whilst the Arc can be used for filter coffee, it is a little too small for many brewing vessels. That said, the Incline may also be on the small side if you’re brewing a full size Chemex (for example); the Parallel is more suited to this.
For the typical single-brew coffee bar (or the home coffee brewer), the Incline is a fast responding and accurate scale.
Slightly larger than the Arc, the bright, angled display of the Incline makes easier reading of time and weight. The removable, heat-proof rubber mat is a welcome addition as it can be lifted and replaced for cleaning very easily.
This is a great coffee scale for small/single brew bars or home brewing. Being slightly larger than the Arc, it also serves as a good portafilter/coffee scale next to a café grinder/espresso machine.
Key Highlights
- Fast and responsive 0.1g weight increment, up to 2kg (100g calibration weight included)
- Non-slip, heat-resistant removable rubber mat
- Charged by USB (can be used whilst on charge, but watch the water)
- Will fit all but the biggest portafilter
- Incredibly straightforward to use; clear display and responsive touch buttons
The Felicita Parallel
The Parallel is the big brother of the Arc and Incline. With its large footprint it'll occupy quite a bit of space at your brew bar.
If you can spare the space, though, the Parallel will be a work horse for you. The Parallel is big enough to comfortably take a fullsize Chemex (probably the bigget brewing vessel that comes to mind), and the non-slip rubber creates a stable and heat-resistant platform.
The scale is quick to respond to changes, and features auto-tare which is a great help when moving the scale between serving a brew bar or weighing a portafilter with ground espresso. Our only gripe with the Parallel is that the display has less contrast/brightness when compared to the Arc and Incline, making it harder to read from a distance or in bright natural light.
Key Highlights
- Fast and responsive 0.1g weight increment, up to 2kg (100g calibration weight included)
- Non-slip, heat-resistant removable rubber mat
- Charged by USB (can be used whilst on charge, but watch the water)
- Comfortably take large brewing vessels (e.g. full size Chemex)
- Auto-tare helps simplify brewing workflow
Where to buy Felicita Coffee Scales
You can buy Felicita scales at our own shop, just check the Felicita section or Scales section. Stock can be limited at times, so other places to check are:
- UK: Innes.co.uk (may also consider international delivery), Clifton Coffee
- Australasia: Ozone NZ
- Sweden: Espresso Gear (may consider international delivery)
- US/International: Felicita Scale (may do international, priced in USD)
Please let us know if you find anywhere else retailing the scales via hello@bestcoffee.guide.