A barista in Portland told me to stop weighing my beans and I'm not sure how to feel
Was at a shop in Portland last month and the barista watched me pull out my scale in line, then said his best shots come from just eyeballing the scoop. I've been using a scale for two years and thought it was non negotiable. Now I keep going back and forth on whether I'm overthinking it or if he's just gotten lazy. Anyone here ditched the scale and actually noticed a real change, or should I stick with my 18 grams?
Man, come on. Eyeballing a scoop is not the same as weighing 18 grams, and the difference shows up the second your beans age or you switch roasters. I weighed for two years too and every time I got lazy and just scooped, my shot ran fast or choked and tasted off. A scale takes five seconds and costs less than two lattes, so calling it overthinking is a stretch. That barista probably dials in his grinder every morning on a scale anyway and just doesn't want you slowing down his line.