The R2 Extract and Micro Balance by DiFluid
I purchased a kit of 5 DiFluid micro balances and 5 DiFluid R2 Extract units and decided to test them.
This led to some expected but nice findings. I’ll walk through each unit type and the experiments and conclusions I reached.
First is the Micro Balance scale. A “smart, dumb scale,” according to their marketing. Yeah, that’s pretty true. Bluetooth, easy to use, two buttons multi-unit scale. Bluetooth functionality takes an optional back seat to it being a scale that is easy to use. Oh, and it’s quick and accurate. With plenty of weighings against competing scales, I can say that it looks at 100g as 100g and is accurate to its declared sensitivity. So don’t worry, it’ll weigh your coffee as well as every other coffee scale, AND it will connect to your phone, Decent Espresso machine, and any other smart things you want to integrate with the soon-to-be-available SDK.
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Next is the R2 extract. What an upgrade from the R1 and other 30% digital refractometers(some exceptions, I’ll explain more about those later). With the upgrade to the sample dish, the coating, and the change in the sensor unit, this got a lot more forgiving. It correctly plotted expected trends due to changes in preparation, and the units were consistent between tests on the same sample. I know this sounds like a low bar to pass, but so far, competing units for the same functionality have been much more expensive. This is an excellent tool for learning for those who aren’t making tens to hundreds of drinks a day and for those that are that want to explore repeatability in their process.
Now for how I tested them.
For the scale, that was easy. Take an empty scale, put on weight, record, compare to the next unit, and finally compare to the control. It didn’t show anything worrying, it didn’t show anything out of the ordinary, and the weights all lined up. Brewed a bunch of brews on it and didn’t notice anything wrong. There was some drip and breeze drift, but that happens with other scales, too, like the Acaia Pearl or Lunar. Any fast or accurate scale can show some change as the load cell rebounds from drips or pressure is exerted on the unit from a stiff and strong wind. So nothing scary, nothing weird, and all showing the numbers they should. Great scale, good timing function, and a flow rate indicator. Add in Bluetooth, and you have a VERY compelling option on the market. Would I recommend this if you already have a scale? Probably not, unless you want Bluetooth. Does it fit well in most of the espresso machines I’ve checked it with? Yes. It’s a fairly agreeable size between a Lunar and a Pearl. It’s a great all-around scale. Still doesn’t fit in a Flair 58, but not most scales fit in Flairs. It does fit on my e61 and BDB drip tray, though, and it works great for any brewing method. A great scale at a great price.
For the R2, I did a small sample set using the same sample shot for different units. They all read differently(big surprise, all refractometers do between units of the same line), but they all trended the same and were within the margin for the same sample. This is good. It means they’re repeatable and usable the same way an Atago or a VST would be, but with less guarantee. Does this mean that you can compare it to an Atago or a VST? No. Those can’t even be compared Atago to Atago or VST to VST, and just like that, you couldn’t compare R2 to R2. What it is great for is for the coffee explorer who wants to explore changes quantitatively or a shop looking to teach people how different methods and changes in technique or pour lead to different outcomes. Your best tool is still your tongue, but this can at least give you a trend for your tongue to follow and compare between techniques. This is a good, no a great, gift for the coffee explorer in your life who has always been curious “if wdt is worth it” or “does a distributor tool really help” or other such questions.
So do I recommend these to people? Sure! It’s a grand entry into coffee exploration, and for the price and features, they are very competitive. Of course, this means you’ll need to learn proper refractometer technique, and for that, I’d point you to the following blog post by pocketscience coffee https://pocketsciencecoffee.com/2022/12/07/my-current-refractometry-workflow/
