I'm a bit of a coffee nerd. Ohmygosh, what a surprise, right? Not like I have a trove of reviews of the best espresso machines and best coffeemakers to my name, or anything. I jest — I may have reviewed loads of coffee gadgets, but I also come to you as a humble fellow coffee lover.
I've worked as a professional barista and now I'm a humble journalist using my coffee knowledge to roundup some of the best coffee gear around today. I've tested scales that cost $250, espresso machines that cost $2,000, and everything in between.
If you, too, are a bit of a coffee nerd, I'm sure you'll have heard of Acaia. The brand is famous in the coffee world for delightful designs, high user interactivity, intuitive products — and exceptionally high prices.
I like to think of Acaia as the Apple of the coffee world: diligently respected by everyone, unwavering in influence regardless of how high the prices may be.
But I'm not here to talk about Acaia as a brand. I've got reviews and opinion pieces on the Acaia Pearl S you can peruse in your own time. Right now, I'm here to talk about the Acaia Orion. The Orion is a coffee bean doser.
What does a coffee bean doser do, I hear you ask? Well, it dispenses a set amount of whole coffee beans.
That's it. That's all it does. And it's $1,050. Let me try and explain why...
I've got a latte to say
The Orion is one-of-a-kind. I've never seen a coffee gadget that does the same thing. And as I was testing this bean doser, I kept scratching my head. Why? Why does nothing else like this exist? Is it because no one really needs this?
Grinders are a different story. There are loads of grinders on the market — so many that one Google search might give you a headache. There are loads of grinders + dosers, including the $450 Rancilio Rocky and the $1,600 Acaia Orbit. The Orbit is a beautiful grinder, just like the Orion. If you really want an Acaia product, I would recommend the Orbit wholeheartedly.
Coffee grinders do everything coffee dosers do... and more. Obviously, the Orion is the best doser available today — the most precise, the fastest, the prettiest — but why would you not just buy a grinder?
Roast me
Throughout my two months testing the Orion, I came to a realization: there's only one major use case here.
Professional roasters.
Although the Orion is designed for commercial use, I can't see it being helpful in a cafe. It would make the coffee grinding and prep process just too slow. Especially if you already own the Acaia Orbit, which doses and grinds in one.
However, professional roasters could really benefit from the Orion. Instead of having to scoop or pour roasted beans into packaging, pouring the freshly-roasted beans into the Orion and letting it work its magic would make life so much easier.
So unless you're a professional roaster, I don't think the Orion is for you. However, if you do happen to work at a lovely artisan grassroots roaster (I love and respect everything you do), then the Orion is your expensive match made in heaven.
