Timemore · Dial-in chart
Timemore C3S grind settings
Where to set the Timemore C3S for every common brew method — worked out from this grinder’s own dial curve rather than a one-size-fits-all chart.
The shape of this dial
The top line is the universal grind index every BrewMark recipe uses. The bottom line is the C3S’s own dial. The connectors show how one maps onto the other.
Settings by brew method
Start at the recommended setting, brew, then move within the range by taste. Sour or weak means go finer; bitter or harsh means go coarser.
| Method | Setting | Range |
|---|---|---|
| EspressoFine. Aim for a 25–30s shot and adjust from there. | 9 clicks | 8 clicks – 11 clicks |
| Moka potFiner than filter, coarser than espresso. No tamping. | 12 clicks | 11 clicks – 13 clicks |
| AeroPress (short steep)For 1–2 minute recipes. Go coarser for longer steeps. | 13 clicks | 13 clicks – 14 clicks |
| Pour over — V60 / coneThe reference point for most published pour-over recipes. | 15 clicks | 14 clicks – 16 clicks |
| Pour over — flat bottomKalita, Orea and similar. Slightly coarser than a cone. | 16 clicks | 15 clicks – 18 clicks |
| Drip / batch brewAutomatic brewers. Coarser to suit the longer contact time. | 17 clicks | 16 clicks – 19 clicks |
| ChemexThe thick filter needs a coarser grind to avoid stalling. | 19 clicks | 18 clicks – 21 clicks |
| French pressCoarse. Too fine here is the usual cause of a muddy cup. | 22 clicks | 21 clicks – 24 clicks |
| Cold brewCoarsest setting you have. 12–18 hours of contact. | 25 clicks | 24 clicks – 26 clicks |
How much room you have to adjust
That is the resolution you actually have to work with on the C3S. Where the number is small, a single step moves the cup more than you would expect — so change one at a time and taste before moving again.
Dialing in the C3S
The C3S adds a foldable handle and revised burrs to the C3 formula. Dial behaviour is close to the C3 — if you are converting from published C3 numbers, start there and adjust by taste rather than assuming an offset.
Coming from another grinder?
Convert a grind setting to the C3S
If a recipe quotes a setting for a different grinder, this maps it onto the C3S’s dial using the same curve the chart above is built from.
Converting between two grinders that are not this one? Open the full converter.
How these numbers were worked out
Every grinder gets mapped onto a shared 0–100 grind index, where 0 is espresso-fine and 100 is the coarsest useful setting. Five reference points on the C3S are placed on that scale — espresso, moka, filter, French press and coarse — and the settings in between are interpolated.
The C3S’s five reference points have been checked against the manufacturer’s published grind chart and cross-checked against an independent source, and that check is written down in the repository. It is one of 46 models, out of 78, where that is true.
Because the C3S uses conical burrs, the curve between those points is fitted with a monotone cubic spline rather than straight lines. Conical burr dials are rarely linear, and the spline guarantees the curve never doubles back — a coarser index always produces a coarser setting.
The result is that “medium-fine” resolves to a real number on this grinder rather than a vague instruction. It is a starting point, not a guarantee — burr wear, bean density and roast level all move the target, which is why every row above gives a range as well as a number.
Free wall chart
Put the C3S numbers next to the grinder
Every method on one sheet, laid out on the C3S’s own dial so you can see where the settings bunch up. Print it, pin it, stop reaching for your phone with wet hands.
Or have the C3S chart emailed
The same settings, sent once, for when you are standing at the grinder and nowhere near a printer.
One email with the chart. Nothing else unless you ask.
Make these numbers yours
This chart is the same for every C3S in the world. Log what you actually brewed and it stops being — the app remembers the setting that worked for your beans and shifts the starting point toward it. Free on iOS.
Get the iOS appCompare the C3S
Side-by-side dial charts and a conversion table, so a recipe written for one grinder becomes a real number on the other.
Grinders that dial in like this one
Similar burrs, scale or dial range — which means settings translate between them more predictably than across the whole catalog.