Acaia Lunar Scale Review: Your Ultimate Companion for Coffee Brewing

I’ve decided it’s high time I conducted an Acaia Lunar Scale review, seeing as more and more of you are getting serious about espresso preparation. After all, if you’re trying to achieve espresso perfection without using a coffee scale, you’re fighting an uphill battle.

This tiny marvel has become the industry standard for baristas around the world, and it’s becoming more popular all the time. So, I’ve decided to take a closer look at the Acaia Lunar to see what all the fuss is about.

Let’s jump right in! 

Overview: Acaia Lunar Scale Review

In my guide to the best coffee scales, the Acaia Pearl earned the top spot thanks to its sleek design, versatility and overall awesomeness. Still, the Pearl was designed mainly for use with a pour over dripper, with its size making it unsuitable for use with many espresso machines.

Enter the Acaia Lunar Scale, which has become an essential must-have for professional baristas. Sure, the Acaia Lunar is expensive. In fact, you’ll have to shell out around $250 for one of these beauties. However, if you’re truly serious about making espresso, you’ll quickly see that the Acaia Lunar is as good as it gets.

For starters, the Lunar is practically indestructible. Thanks to its superb water resistant design and rugged metal construction, you won’t have to worry about coffee splashes or knocks and bumps. What’s more, the Acaia Lunar is incredibly precise and responsive, making it ideal for monitoring your espresso extraction.

In terms of its size, the Lunar is much more compact than the Pearl. So, if you have a home espresso machine with limited clearance like the Rocket Appartamento or the Rancilio Silvia, you’ll be able to fit this scale and an espresso cup under the portafilter spouts.

Accurate to the tenth of a gram, this sophisticated scale is no one-trick pony. Rather, you can choose from a range of weighing modes via the intuitive LED display. Oh, and I should mention that just because the Acaia Lunar is predominantly marketed as an espresso scale doesn’t mean you can’t use it for other brewing methods. I’ll get into more detail about that a little later.

Acaia Lunar Features

Now that we know what we’re dealing with, let’s continue this Acaia Lunar Scale review by examining its most important features.

Acaia Lunar Dimensions

As I’ve already mentioned, the Acaia Lunar Scale is very compact. In fact, this square scale’s sides measure just 4 inches, and the thing rises to just over half an inch.

Compared to the fantastic Fellow Tally Pro Precision Scale, the Lunar is positively tiny, but that’s the whole point. After all, things can get tight under an espresso machine’s portafilter.

Of course, the Lunar’s size means it might not be suitable for a larger Chemex or a pair of latte cups. However, you’ll certainly be able to fit two espresso cups nicely.

From what I can gather, weighing your portafilter shouldn’t be too much of a hassle, although it could be a balancing act. With that in mind, the manufacturer offers a weighing plate for an additional 30 bucks.

Build and Design

Made from beefy anodized aluminum, the Acaia Lunar is super tough. Of course, that’s very important in a busy commercial setting, as I know only too well. Trust me, things can get pretty messy when you’re churning out espresso during a rush. So, the last thing you want is to worry about spilling water or coffee on your scale.

Thanks to its special design, all the important internal parts are protected. In fact, I’ve heard that the Lunar is even hydrophobic! 

User Interface

The Acaia Lunar features a minimalist digital display that’s nice and bright, making it easy to read. Aside from the LED display, there are a couple of buttons for navigating the user interface.

I won’t go into great detail about how to use the control panel – that’d quickly get boring. Still, for the purposes of this review I can give you the lowdown on the seven weighing modes on offer:

Flow Rate Indicator

The latest incarnation of this scale is the Acaia Lunar 2021 Smart Espresso Scale, which features a super cool flow rate indicator. Trust me, this update makes the Lunar one of the best espresso accessories out there.

Put simply, the flow rate indicator is an LED bar on top of the display. It helps you visualize your espresso flow rate in real time, providing valuable information about your extraction.

I won’t get into all the complicated details of how it works here. However, I can tell you that you’ll be given an average flow rate once your espresso is ready. Also, the indicator will let you know in real time when your flow rate is too high.

And don’t worry if you’re planning on using the Acaia Lunar for pour over – you can set up the scale to help you visualize your pouring speed. Heck, it’ll even give you recommendations for ideal flow rates!

Acaia Lunar Bluetooth

You probably won’t be surprised to hear that the Acaia Lunar Scale has Bluetooth compatibility. I mean, doesn’t everything have that now?!

Jokes aside, this is actually a really cool feature if you’re the kind of barista that loves to geek out on data. As it happens, Acaia offers a whole suite of sophisticated apps for that very purpose, including the popular Brewmaster app.

Here, you can log your flow rates and pours as well as a ton of relevant data. You can even add tasting notes and information about your grind size. How cool is that!

Acaia Lunar Accessories

Personally, I feel like the manufacturer should include the aforementioned scale plate with every purchase. Still, that’s just a minor gripe.

Anyway, Acaia does include a nifty heat-resistant pad with the Lunar, which will come in handy if you’re using the thing for pour over preparation. Also included are a 100-gram calibration weight and a USB-C charging cable, which is an improvement on the micro-USB cable used with the previous generation Acaia scale.

Incidentally, once the battery is fully charged, the Lunar should provide around 30 hours of use, which is very impressive! Still, if you worry about running out of juice, you can check the battery level via the user interface.

How to Use the Acaia Lunar

While the Acaia Lunar Scale might seem a little intimidating at first, you’ll soon find a weighing mode that suits your needs. With that said, I’d recommend spending time with the user manual. That way, you’ll be able to learn about all the different weighing modes and how to access them.

Before getting started with the Acaia Lunar, you’ll likely need to plug it in for charging. I’d recommend leaving it to charge fully, which will take a couple of hours.

Once you’re ready to go, just remember that you’ll press the power button once to turn on the scale. From there, press and hold the power button to switch between weighing modes. Oh, and use the T button on the right side of the scale for taring.

How to Calibrate Acaia Lunar

As I already mentioned, the Acaia Lunar comes with a 100-gram weight for calibrating the scale. Personally, I’d recommend doing this before using the scale for the first time.

To calibrate the Lunar, turn on the scale, switch to Weighing Mode and then tap the T button rapidly for a few seconds. Eventually, “CAL” will appear on the display, at which point you should place the calibration weight on the scale.

Wait until you see “End” pop up, and you’ll know that the process has been successful!

Acaia Lunar Espresso Mode

Trust me when I tell you that the Acaia Lunar Scale will quickly become an indispensable part of your setup, along with your espresso grinder and tamper.

As we’ve seen, the Acaia Lunar is espresso-focused, offering six espresso modes. Of course, you’ll need to experiment in order to find the espresso mode that works best for you. In many of these modes, the timer will stop automatically when espresso flow is no longer detected. That’s a super cool feature, but it means you won’t be able to use these modes for pour over.

Acaia Lunar Pour Over

If you’re using the Acaia Lunar with a pour over coffee maker, you have fewer options to choose from. That said, you won’t want anything other than the Circle and Droplet Mode.

Once you’ve selected the correct mode, place a cup (with the dripper on top) on the scale before manually taring. The scale will activate the timer once it senses liquid flowing into the cup. Whereas the espresso modes stop the timer when liquid ceases to flow, in this mode the timer stops only when brewing equipment is removed from the scale.

Oh, and make sure to keep an eye on the flow rate indicator as you’re pouring; it’ll provide really helpful information!

Acaia Lunar vs Other Scales

As we’ve established, the Acaia Lunar is an incredible coffee scale. Still, I figured it’d be a good idea to see how the Lunar compares to a few other scales.

Acaia Lunar vs Pearl

Costing around $150, the Acaia Pearl is certainly a lot less expensive than the Lunar. And while this model might not be as suitable for espresso preparation, it’s still super cool.

The Acaia Pearl is much larger than the Lunar, so it might not be a good fit for some espresso machines. Plus, it’s not as durable and water resistant. However, it’s definitely a better choice for manual brewing into larger carafes.

There’s a flow rate indicator and three brewing modes, as well as USB connectivity for use with Acaia apps. Overall, the Pearl will serve you well unless you want a more compact espresso-focused scale.

Acaia Lunar vs Pearl S

The newer Acaia Pearl S is very similar to its predecessor. However, it offers an improved display as well as better app functionality. Best of all, the Acaia Pearl S features a Brew Guide Mode that assists you in following your preferred pour over recipes.

Acaia Lunar vs Timemore Nano

Compact and lightweight, the Timemore Black Mirror Nano costs a fraction of what you’ll pay for the Acaia Lunar Scale. Sure, it’s not as bombproof, and it is a little larger, but the Timemore Nano has garnered rave reviews from professional baristas.

With that said, I have heard that the Timemore scale is a little more fiddly to use. Plus, it doesn’t offer the staggering range of brewing modes you’ll find on the Lunar.

Still, at the end of the day, the Timemore Black Mirror Nano is a steal at around $90, which makes it a very attractive proposition.

Verdict: Acaia Lunar 2021

I’m really glad that I decided to write this Acaia Lunar Scale review. I mean, as far as I can tell, this incredible device has it all. Apart from its super solid construction and compact dimensions, the Lunar offers superb functionality. Plus, you simply won’t find a quicker or more responsive scale for espresso.

While the Lunar’s price tag will certainly put many folks off, those who want the very best will have no problem paying the big bucks. Personally, I can’t wait to get hold of this coffee scale. So, keep checking back in if you want to read about my experiences using it.

Acaia Lunar Coffee Scale FAQ