La Marzocco and Acaia Launch Brew-By-Weight Scale for Linea Mini

Italian espresso equipment company La Marzocco has teamed with coffee accessories brand Acaia to launch the La Marzocco Home Brew-By-Weight Scale.

Selling on the La Marzocco Home website for $400, the Brew-By-Weight Scale communicates wirelessly with connected versions of La Marzocco Linea Mini espresso machines, which were first launched for the home market in 2015.

The company displayed the scale for the first time at the HostMilano trade show in Italy in October.

Data from the scale, which is essentially a custom variation of Acaia’s existing Lunar scale with La Marzocco firmware, triggers the espresso machines to stop shots automatically based on weight in the cup.

In functional terms, it is akin to the Mass Mode within La Marzocco’s Auto Brew Ratio (ABR) technology, which the company features on certain new commercial espresso machines.

Controllable through the La Marzocco Home app, the brew-by-weight feature involves positioning the scale directly under the Linea Mini’s group. Users program the weight, then shift the group paddle to begin the shot. The scale auto-tares the weight of the cup and auto-starts a timer when new shots are activated.

The aluminum-bodied scale measures to a resolution of 0.1 grams and is powered by a rechargeable battery. The company said the system’s accuracy also improves over time, as a “predictive drip algorithm” takes note of how much additional weight arrives in the cup after the pump stops. It then learns to stop the pump proactively in anticipation of the final drips.

The Brew-By-Weight Scale is arriving as La Marzocco has engaged in a separate weight-focused collaboration with grinder maker Mahlkönig. The two companies also used the HostMilano show to unveil The Sync System, which allows connected espresso machines to share shot data with specific grinders for automated adjustments.

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