When I brew coffee each morning, the items I pull out onto the kitchen counter consist of a conical burr grinder, and electric water kettle, a bamboo stir stick, my coffee brewing device (such as the AeroPress or French Press), my coffee beans, and a digital scale. It may sound like a lot but it isn’t really that bad.

For years I would eyeball the amount of coffee and water for my french press or drip coffee maker. And, to be honest, I got away with making a pretty good cup of coffee most days of the week. But then I picked up a digital scale, and I realized how using a scale to measure out the amount of coffee and water made a huge difference in consistently getting a great cup of coffee.

A digital scale for coffee brewing may seem intimidating or over the top, but it’s not. Moreover, you’d be surprised how many times a digital scale comes in handy. I have a cheap one that I got from Bed, Bath and Beyond that I paid $25 for. But this bad boy from Ozeri has an industrial design that is a thousand times better than my ugly scale, it can handle twice the weight, and it’s the same price thanks to Amazon’s 60% discount.