The Subscale Pulls Its Weight as a Dosing Cup with Built-In Scale

The new Subscale dosing cup with integrated scale and LED display from Subminimal. All images courtesy of Subminimal.

For as long as single-dose grinding has existed in coffee preparation, the tools and process have largely remained the same: place a dosing cup on a scale; zero out the scale; then weigh the whole beans.

A Singapore-based coffee equipment startup called Subminimal is proposing to streamline that process and minimize clutter with the Subscale, a dosing cup with a built-in scale and LED display. 

The matte black plastic cup seems relatively nondescript at first, save for an elongated rim designed for pouring coffee beans into a grinder hopper. Yet one touch of a subtle exterior button conjures a hidden embedded LED display that curves along an interior wall of the cup.

Capable of displaying weights in ounces or grams, and designed primarily for single doses in the range of 14-25 grams, the food-safe Tritan device can also hold wet contents, hot or cold. 

Prior to grinding, users can weigh a dose of whole beans into the Subscale and spritz it with a static-quelling mist of water without concern for the scale’s electronics. The same device can then be used for weighing an espresso extraction.

The Subscale is USB-C rechargeable, and its IPX-4 splash-resistant case is safe to scrub in running water, but not submerge. Subminimal told Daily Coffee News the cup’s lightweight construction is durable enough for use in commercial cafes.

While reducing physical clutter at the coffee station, the device is also designed to minimize functional clutter, with no connected apps or electronic timers, ratio calculators or brew guides.

“I’m trying to keep it minimal and simple, but fun to use,” Subminimal Founder Dominic Symons told Daily Coffee News.

Symons, a Swiss-British industrial designer and entrepreneur, discovered a predilection for specialty coffee early in his career while running a design consultancy in California.

“It was in 2005 that I designed my first espresso machine for a client in Austria and got sucked into the espresso rabbit hole,” Symons told DCN. “The company I designed it for no longer exists, but the passion stayed with me.”

In 2011 Symons relocated to Singapore where, prior to Subminimal, he founded Bluelounge, a design consulting firm that evolved into a brand producing original tech accessories. That venture expanded with sales in over 45 countries by the time he sold it in 2018. Symons launched Subminimal two years later, and the company currently ships products directly from California (to U.S. and Canada), from The Netherlands (to Europe) and from Singapore (all other orders).

“After selling the tech accessory business, I decided that my next company should be around something I will still be passionate about decades into the future, so specialty coffee is what I decided to focus all my energy on,” said Symons. “I’ve been looking for solutions and gaps in the market ever since.”

Subminimal launched a Kickstarter campaign to support manufacturing of its debut product, a handheld milk frothing wand called the Nanofoamer, in October 2020. The campaign surpassed its $14,000 funding goal in under four hours and went on to raise over $380,000.

The Nanofoamer Pro, which both heats and aerates milk, launched in March 2023 and was followed earlier this year by a Gen 2 version. Additional Subminimal products at this point include an RDT tool called the Flick, an espresso shot mirror, a milk steaming pitcher called the FlowTip Jug and an associated contactless thermometer.

The Subscale, which officially launched on Oct 24, is available for purchase from the company’s website for $49.95.

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