About
The Basic 3 starts its espresso timer without anyone touching it. Put a cup on the scale and it tares itself, then timing and weight tracking begin with the first drop from the portafilter.
Most scales leave that to a button press at the moment both hands are busy. Here the scale waits for the coffee. A multifunction slider, which also switches the power, selects between three timer modes: Regular, Pour-Over and Espresso. Pour-over has its own quirk. Tap the timer and a 3-second lead-in runs, then the clock holds until the first pour actually lands. Add the ground coffee, tap Ratio, and the display shows the coffee-to-water ratio live as the brew goes on.
Timemore's Basic 3 is accurate to 0.1g from 0.2g to 500g, loosening to 1g up to 1000g and 3g up to 2000g. A custom load cell does the weighing, and an electromagnetic shield guards against interference from magnetic tools and nearby devices, which matters on a counter crowded with grinders and kettles.
The wrap-around mat hugs the chassis edge to edge and has channels that guide spills away. Flip it over and it becomes a contoured portafilter rest. The scale itself is rated IPX3 for splashes, and Timemore says it is nearly 25% lighter and 35% more compact than the model it replaces.
At 2cm thin, with a 168cm² top, it takes up little bench space, and it is a scale built around the sequence of an actual brew.
