The best coffee, without a doubt, comes from freshly-ground beans and, to avoid waste, you really need a scale capable of weighing small quantities accurately.
I have a scale that weighs to 1g, which is ideal for what I use it for – breadmaking – but I fancied something small that could be kept alongside my grinder and take up minimal space.
Having scoured Google for over an hour, the only place with suitable scales at sensible prices, was a head shop. I had a good look around anyway and, almost spoilt for choice, I settled on this one.
For a tenner, including batteries, it’s hard to fault. The platform is big enough to sit a filter on, to put the beans in (or, as I do, use the foil case from a steak and kidney pie – it’s just the right shape for forming a spout to tip the beans into the grinder), and it weighs up to 600g in 0.1g divisions. It has a button marked “T” which stands for Tare in this context** – in effect a zeroing button. Put your filter, or whatever, on the platform, press T and it’ll reset to zero, so what you weigh is just the beans, you don’t have to subtract the weight of the container.
**It might stand for Troy, but I really can’t think why it would. Update, June 22 – it’s Tare. Nice little scale, too – it came today – it’s the perfect size.
With a flip-over cover to keep it clean, it’s just the job.
As a bonus, if you’re into drugs, you can top up your smoking paraphernalia while you’re there 
Oh, and on your card/bank statement, it’s not identified as a head shop, so no-one will get the wrong idea – though they do offer you a wristband as you check out – handy for festival cred, if that’s your thing.
