Subminimal Subscale review: A coffee scale you can drink out of

The Subminimal Subscale is an espresso doser to be used with the best espresso machines. Eyeballing coffee measurements is never a good idea, especially if you’re trying to perfect your espresso routine. However, most of the best coffee scales have timers to ensure you’re extracting at optimum flow rate — and here is where the Subscale falls behind. As it has no timer, it’s best used to weigh beans before and after grinding. At $49, this is a pretty premium price for such a restrictive product.

Perhaps justifying its price tag, the Subscale is a thing of beauty. The gorgeous, weighty (but not hefty) plastic feels well-made and considered, while the LED screen has absolutely no lag. You can also pour espresso directly into this scale, and, in theory, you can drink said espresso out of it too. Given its IPX4 rating, it’s safe to rinse in the sink, so maintenance is a breeze, too.

But is it worth your hard-earned money? As it lacks a timer — maybe not. A timer is important for consistent espresso extraction and a fundamental element of home espresso, especially for beginners. For the Subscale’s beauty, though, you might be able to look past this. Find out the full story in this Subminimal Subscale review.

Subminimal Subscale review: Cheat sheet

• Who is it for? Aesthetically-minded espresso drinkers
• What does it do well? You can pour espresso directly into the scale
• What do we wish it did better? It should have a timer
• Anything else to know? This is best for using with espresso machines

Subminimal Subscale review: Specs

Subminimal Subscale review: Price & availability

The Subminimal Subscale is available for $49 direct from Subminimal. If you’re in the U.K., it’s also £49 direct from Subminimal. The Subscale is cheaper than Hario V60’s Drip Scale, but its cup-like shape means you can’t use this with drippers or larger brewers like a Chemex. The KitchenTour Coffee Scale is $29 from Amazon U.S. and is more versatile than the Subscale, given its flat surface and timer.

Subminimal Subscale review: Design & functions

The Subscale’s biggest drawback is its lack of timer. No matter how beautiful or affordable or accurate a coffee scale is, if it has no timer, there is no way for the user to easily measure their espresso extraction time. Of course you can use the timer on your phone, but that’s an extra step you shouldn’t have to do if you’ve already splashed out $50 on a coffee scale.

On top of this timer restriction, the physical shape of the Subscale is another important downside. The Subscale is built from tarnish-proof Tritan plastic with a sophisticated and minimalistic design. The bright LED panel is instantly responsive and the on/off button is sleek.

However, the scale is shaped like a cup, limiting its uses — you can’t place a pour over on top, like the Hario V60 or Chemex. The interior of the scale can hold up to around 60g/2.1 ounces of coffee beans and 60ml of espresso, but not much more, effectively limiting the scale to espresso usage, at least in regards to measuring output. The IPX4 rating means you can pour espresso directly into the Subscale, which is handy, although there isn’t enough space inside the container for any significant volume of milk, so milk drinkers will want to pour the espresso into a different container for anything larger than, say, a cortado. The scale is temperature-proof up to 100°C/212°F, which is fine for espresso pours, but isn’t much protection against super hot steam, so keep that steam wand away.

So if you’re after a doser for your espresso machine, this is a passable option if you’ve got a separate timer — although $49 for an espresso doser without a timer is relatively steep. But if you haven’t got a timer? I’d look elsewhere, like the mini-but-mighty Maestri House scale ($39).

Subminimal Subscale review: Performance

Using this scale is actually fun. Because of the instant LED screen, you don’t have to wait for the screen to catch up when you pour the beans in. The screen accurately displays weight before you can even blink.

While I was comparing it against four other scales, the Subscale was the most consistent. Other scales read 0.1 of a gram differently each time, but the Subscale always read the same as at least one other scale. If you need to calibrate your Subscale, though, Subminimal has calibration instructions on its website.

I used the Subscale with whole coffee beans before and after grinding. I poured in 18g/0.63 ounces of whole coffee beans to the Subscale, which was a breeze given the instant weight display. Then I ground the beans to espresso-fine using my KitchenAid Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine directly into the Subscale. I carefully poured the espresso into the KitchenAid group handle and extracted the espresso into the Subscale doser. It’s a little frustrating that the Subscale’s standby time is just 60 seconds, but that shouldn’t be a major issue — if your espresso shots take over 60 seconds to pull, there’s something wrong anyway. As I mentioned earlier, there’s no timer to measure shots before that 60-second standby time.

Subminimal Subscale review: Storage & maintenance

As the Subscale is rated IPX4, it can be washed in running water to clean. It can’t be submerged because of the battery, but you’re safe washing it up as you would a normal cup. The Tritan plastic is good at remaining clear and untarnished. Because of its 4-inch height, it’s small enough to tuck itself away in your kitchen cupboard, or even sit on top of your espresso machine in-between uses.

The battery reportedly lasts up to eight months with once-a-day use, but you can recharge it with the provided USB-C cable should it need more juice.

Subminimal Subscale review: How does it compare?

If you want a coffee scale to use with drip brewers, this is not the coffee scale for you. This is best used with an espresso machine. Even so, there’s a limit to how good a doser without a timer can be. You could save $13 and get an almost as pretty scale (with a timer) in the Maestri House coffee scale ($36). The KitchenTour coffee scale is just $29 and has a timer, too, so could save you even more. If you’re after something waterproof and budget isn’t a concern, the $59 Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 scale has a timer and automatic flow rate monitor. For drip brewers, this was the wrong scale in the first place — you want something bigger (and flatter) like the Hario V60 ($56).

However if you enjoy solely aesthetically-pleasing products, the Subscale can do no wrong there. If this was a permanent participant in my kitchen, I’d proudly show it off on my countertop.

Subminimal Subscale review: Verdict

The Subscale is an attractive device that weighs coffee beans well — but that’s pretty much all it can you. If you’re seriously into coffee, you’ll need a scale with a built-in timer for ease of use. On top of this, if you have a dripper, this isn’t the product for you. The shape means you can’t place your dripper on top to measure how much water you’re pouring in. You’d be better off with the KitchenTour Coffee Scale or the MaestriHouse Coffee Scale.

Being able to measure the whole beans, ground beans, and espresso directly in the same doser takes a lot of frustration out of brewing coffee. Maintenance is a dream too, seeing as you can rinse the doser in hot water after use. I do wish its standby time was a little longer and it had a timer, which massively impacts its usability.

Is the Subscale a necessity in your coffee routine? No, not without a built-in timer. It’s still a good doser, but it would be much more usable with a timer.