Timemore Chestnut C5 Pro

What it does well

Pour-over cup quality is the headline. In Coffee Chronicler's blind lineup of the C3, C5 and Chestnut S3, the C5 made the most delicious cup in the first round, with the C3 clearly last. The reviewer concluded the C5 is a big step up from the C3 for pour-over, though not as good as the S3.

It feels like a more grown-up grinder. Coffee Chronicler found it solid without being too heavy, with a new criss-cross knurl, smooth bearings, rubber under the catch cup and thin lips on the hopper for easier pouring. Timemore lists an XL inlet, a slim 53 mm body and a grippy silicone base.

The dial is easier to live with. It is internal, but Coffee Chronicler found the numbers legible and logical, and praised the grind size guide on the adjustment wheel as a help for beginners. Timemore adds that a 3-click buffer acts as a practical zero point, protecting the burrs from accidental damage.

Specs are respectable. Slow Pour Supply lists a 42 mm burr, 0.031 mm per click, 48 clicks per rotation and a bearing tolerance of 0.007 mm. Timemore lists a 30 g grind chamber with a 25 g catch cup and about 640 g in weight.

Where it falls short

Espresso is not its strength. Coffee Chronicler called it "painfully slow for espresso," about two minutes for an 18 g dose, and needed finer settings than the printed ranges suggest. The reviewer liked the flavor and texture of the shot, but the grinding time is the complaint. At 31 microns a click, the dial is coarse for espresso, which is why the finder gives the C5 Pro an espresso 0. The C5 ESP Pro exists for that job.

Burr performance is good, not great. Coffee Chronicler found it still lacks some of the sparkle of higher-tier burr sets. In a second tasting, the C5 developed a drying, astringent finish as it cooled and lost to the S3 and to the 1Zpresso Q Air, though the reviewer says a lower TDS on the Q Air means the result is not definitive.

Printed settings are unreliable. Coffee Chronicler found espresso needed finer than the printed range and pour-over coarser, at 15 to 17 rather than 10 to 14. Slow Pour Supply publishes the 10 to 14 range, so use it only as a starting point.

It is bigger than the C3. Coffee Chronicler puts it at about 620 g against about 476 g for the C3, and says it has lost the carefree appeal of the C2 and C3. Slow Pour Supply also notes that light-roasted or dense single-origin beans may be harder to grind by hand on this model.

Who should buy it, and who shouldn't

Buy it if you brew pour-over, AeroPress or French press, want a numbered dial and a sturdier body than the C3 line, and like a handle that folds.

Skip it if espresso is your main brew, or if you want to switch between methods quickly with an external dial. Skip it too if you are cost-sensitive; Coffee Chronicler points out that at this price you can find grinders with cleaner flavor.

How it compares

The Timemore Chestnut S3 is the grinder Coffee Chronicler places above the C5. The C3S Pro is the smaller, cheaper way into the same folding-handle design, though Coffee Chronicler's testing found the C3 clearly behind the C5 for pour-over.

The KINGrinder K6 and the 1Zpresso Q2 are cheaper-class rivals with an external dial and, in the K6's case, a finer click; Coffee Chronicler names the K6 and the similar 1Zpresso Q Air as real competitors. The ESP version of this grinder is covered at the C5 ESP Pro.

Owning it

Keep water away from it. Slow Pour Supply's note for the C5 series is not to wash the grinder with water, and to clean with a dry brush after use. Our guide to cleaning a hand grinder covers the routine.

Timemore's store page lists a one-year warranty and seven-day returns for the C5 series. Find your zero point after any strip-down with our calibration guide.