The 18% extraction number on my $15 scale is not the same as the 18% on my buddy's $150 rig

Drew Ramirez · 2026-10-21T19:30:04.603807+00:00

I spent 20 minutes last Saturday arguing with my neighbor in Syracuse about why his pour over tasted sour while mine was sweet, and it came down to the extraction readout on his scale. He'd been trusting that 18% like it was gospel from a lab, but the reading drifts depending on how the water hits the sensor and how fast you pour. I ran the same 300g batch on both machines, same grind, same 205 degree water, and got a 2.4 point gap between them. That gap is the whole flavor difference between bright and flat, and it threw him for a loop when I showed him. So now he weighs output and times the drawdown instead of trusting one number. Anyone else find their scale lying to them like this?

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The 18% extraction number on my $15 scale is not the same as the 18% on my buddy's $150 rig | Coffee Enthusiasts - Free To Speak