If you’ve started reading any of my past blogs, you’re probably beginning to pick up on the fact that I’m a true coffee connoisseur.

Places I’ve traveled for the purpose of finding a great coffee: San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Colorado.

To just name a few.

The best coffee, I have to say, is actually in Orange County, believe it or not. But while I love coffee, this post isn’t solely about caffeinated goodness. It’s about something related.

The kitchen scale. I truly believe that every couple, newlywed or not, should have a kitchen scale. I want to get straight to the point, so here are three reasons why I think this.

1. Precise Coffee Making

Surprise, surprise; the first reason is about coffee making. Some of you may know this—the coffee connoisseurs of the world—but the best coffee requires precision.

From the amount of coffee, to the amount of water; from the kind of water to the temperature of the water; and from the origin of the coffee to the way it’s being roasted.

There are a lot of variables needless to say.

One of the most important of them is precise measurements. “3 scoops” of pre-ground coffee doesn’t cut it.

Some of the best coffee I’ve had and I make is done using a 17:1 ratio. This means that for every 17 grams of water, I use one gram of coffee.

You need a scale that can measure in grams; volumetric measurements will no longer cut it.

Whether you think so or not, a few grams in either direction can completely change the taste and character of the coffee. So, pick up a scale.

Here's the one I love and recommend: Jennings CJ-4000. It's perfect because it's both plug in and battery powered.

But if you're not on a budget, and you want to go top-shelf, I recommend the one pictured below. (Don't forget: add your biggest dream items on your registry!)

You’ll want a scale that measures to the tenth of a gram if you can.

Onto reason number two why I think you need a scale.

2. Perfect Baking & Cooking Measurements

Much of baking and cooking calls for scaled measurements: 16 oz of this; 5 oz of that.

While in a great many cases you can get away with “eye-balling” it, trust me: that will not always be the case.

In fact, with baking, precision can be absolutely key. The slightest overage of salt, some of us have come to learn, can ruin a dessert.

The slight overage of vinegar can ruin a dish.

You can control for these situations with a scale in ways you simply can’t with volumetric measurements.

And perhaps the biggest reason for this is that volumetric measurements don’t account for mass. A half cup of water vs. a half cup of oil, for example, will show this.

3. Professional Cocktail Making

Lastly, you can step up your cocktail making game. Now, I’ll be honest, weighing out each ingredient for a singular cocktail can be quite tedious.

Using a jigger is often the easier way to go.

But once again, these measuring tools don’t account for weight, and if you’ve made cocktails from recipes before, then you know recipes call for weight measurement (i.e. once ounce of this, a quarter ounce of that.)

While on my honeymoon I actually forgot my jigger at one of the places we stayed, which was super unfortunate obviously, but when I got home I could still do drink making because I had my scale.

Saved by the scale.

Lastly, I find that it makes batched drinks even better.

Ever prep a ton of margaritas or four old fashions at once, only to find they tasted slightly off? This can be genuinely avoided by relying on a scale for your measurements.

There you go! Three reasons why I think you should add a scale to your kitchen.

The best part? They’re not very expensive. See here for a cheaper, descent option.