The S5 Pro is the newest grinder in Timemore’s S series. Timemore redesigned it from scratch to fit a 48 mm burr into a body only a few millimetres wider than before, with the aim of getting the speed and consistency of a larger burr without the bulk of a tabletop hand grinder. It grinds for everything from espresso to French press.

The TriB-048-I burr

The burr builds on Timemore’s Spike-to-Cut (S2C) design. A 12-point pre-breaker at the top alternates larger seating teeth with smaller piercing teeth, so beans settle into place and are split into larger, more even pieces before they reach the main cutting surface. According to Timemore, this reduces the bean-on-bean collisions that create fines and cuts down on boulders (particles above 1300 microns), which under-extract and make a cup uneven. The burr is cut from a single piece of 420 stainless steel on a 5-axis CNC machine and hardened to 58 HRC, and its grinding area is 52% larger than the S2C890 burr used in the S3.

Grind adjustment

The dial at the top of the grinder is modelled on a camera lens aperture ring. Each click is firm and distinct, and the dial resists being knocked out of place while you grind. With 90 clicks in one rotation at 15 microns each, you can read your setting at a glance and change it without removing the catch cup. At zero the burrs sit about 0.075 mm apart. They do not touch in normal use, but Timemore notes that some light chirping at zero is normal if the burr comes under heavy sideways pressure.

Timemore’s suggested starting points are below. Each number on the dial is 10 clicks.

Build and handling

The S5 Pro uses metal components in place of plastic, with an aluminium alloy body and 304 stainless steel parts. Diagonal ridges along the body give your hand a better grip, the crank knob is 63% wider and 82% larger by volume than the one on the S3, and the inlet flares outward so beans pour in without bouncing back out. A silicone base protects the grinder when you set it down. At around 910 g it is heavier than travel-focused hand grinders, but the slim body and folding handle keep it easy to pack.

The catch cup holds about 30 g, enough for a single cup or a pour-over for two. Weighing the beans before they go in, on a scale like the BOOKOO Themis Ultra, makes it easy to repeat a recipe once you have found the right setting.

How it compares to the S3 and C5

The S3 has the same 15 micron click spacing and 90 clicks per rotation, so the step up to the S5 Pro is mainly the larger burr, the tighter bearings and the reworked handling. The C5 is a lighter, simpler grinder with twice the step size per click, which suits filter brewing well but leaves less room for fine adjustment at espresso settings. The cup descriptions below are Timemore’s own.

Specifications

What’s in the box

• Timemore S5 Pro grinder with foldable handle
• Cleaning brush