Timemore is doing a lot of things very well at the moment.
The brand already makes my favorite coffee scale, and I was also quite impressed with the budget-friendly C2 grinder released last year.
The company’s Slim-model recently got updated with a new, and supposedly better, set of burrs.
In this review, I’ll take a geeky look at the grinder to see whether it’s ready to play in the premier league of manual coffee mills.
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About Timemoreโs grinders
By now, Timemore has quite a few different manual coffee grinders on the market.
- There’s the cheap C2, which I reviewed last year.
- There’s also the brand new Timemore C3
- Then there’s the tiny Nano model meant for travel.
- The Timemore Slim Plus is placed at the upper echelon of Timemore’s grinder hierarchy; however, it’s still a bit cheaper than the newly released Chestnut X.
As the name indicates, the Slim Plus is indeed very slim. That’s very refreshing today where most manual grinders can be a bit difficult to hold. I have pretty big hands, so it’s usually not a problem for me, but many people struggle to get a good grip on grinders such as the Comandante.
Timemore Slim vs C2
Besides that, the device has a lot in common with the C2 look-wise. It has the same textured surface that is both nice to hold and quite nice looking with its minimalist appearance.
However, upon closer inspection, most of the details are a bit nicer on the Slim-model. It uses metal in most places where the C2 uses plastic, and internally it has a unibody structure.
For that reason, the capacity is a lot more generous than one might think. I could fit between 25 and 30 grams of coffee in the grinder, depending on the roast level.
The knob on the handle is a wooden, magnetic piece that can be pulled off. It’s an interesting idea; however, sometimes, the knob can come off while grinding, which is slightly annoying.
Overall, the whole grinder feels sleek and well-engineered. I imagine a coffee grinder designed by Steve Jobs could have looked like this.
Small quirks
However, if I have to nitpick a bit, a few things could be better.
I think the adjustment wheel on the bottom could be a bit nicer. It moves in pretty big increments, and it’s not always clear where you are since there are no numbers to help you quickly return to old settings. Of course, you can count ‘clicks’ like people tend to do with the Comandante, but the tactile feedback is not the most satisfactory one when twisting the dial.
On my unit, the hand crank’s fit on the axle is also a bit too tight. This will probably get better with time. However, every time I remove the handle, there’s almost a vacuum sensation when trying to remove it.
New E&B burrs
The Timemore Slim has, of course, been on the market for a few years now. What’s newsworthy here is the brand new and upgraded E&B burr set.
E&B stands for “espresso and brew burrs.” Previously, the Slim was available with either coated burs with espresso geometry or uncoated standard burrs, similar to those found on the C2.
The new burrs are allegedly better at both types of coffee than the previous ones.
When I reviewed the C2 grinder, I was super impressed at how aggressive and fast a small set of 38 mm burrs could be. The C2 is one of the fastest grinders on the market. Luckily, the Slim Plus also shares this trait; it’s just so darn quick it’s hard to believe. You can almost get to a gram per second, which is just mind-boggling for 38 mm burrs.
it’s just so darn quick it’s hard to believe. You can almost get to a gram per second, which is just mind-boggling for 38 mm burrs.
The old burrs were useless when it came to espresso, though. It would take several minutes to grind for a single shot.
I have found that the new burrs are a significant upgrade in my testing — they can grind for espresso, and they are super fast. You can probably grind 18 grams in 40-45 seconds, which is on par with 1Zpresso Jx.
The superior ergonomics and slim body of the grinder make it quite comfortable to grind for espresso.
However, there’s just one big problem here. The adjustment dial moves in huge increments, making it quite challenging to dial in a proper shot.
- I tested the grinder with the Gaggia Classic Pro, and on 7 clicks, the machine choked.
- On 9 the flow ran way too quick.
- On setting 8, I landed on a decent shot time of 28 seconds.
This little experiment tells you that the grinder can only be dialed in by dosing up or down. This lack of adjustability is not ideal.
Of course, you can dip your toes in espresso and use it with a cheaper gadget like the Cafflano Kompresso. But for people who drink espresso daily or even weekly, it’s just not ideal.
I wonder if the fix would be as simple as an adjustment wheel with double the settings?
Overall, the new burrs are great news if you’re making Turkish coffee or fauxpresso, or anything that requires fineness rather than precision.
Cup quality
What about consistency when it comes to other brewing methods such as pour over or Aeropress?
My initial impression from everyday brewing was that the grinder performed pretty well. The coffee tasted clean and balanced.
I then executed a taste comparison. First, I used cupping, and afterward, two of the Gabi Master A drippers. Cupping is a standard tool for coffee evaluation, but in the future, I will also use the Gabi drippers since they mimic real-life brewing better. I have a suspicion that immersion brewing such as cupping might help smooth out errors, whereas percolation is less forgiving.
My cups brewed with the Gabi drippers ended up having a TDS within 1-3 points difference, which is remarkably close.
My initial impression from everyday brewing was that the grinder performed pretty well. The coffee tasted clean and balanced.
At first, it was hard to notice a clear difference, but as the cups cooled down, it became apparent that the Jx grinder produced cups with a more clean aftertaste and focused flavor notes.
The Slim Plus was still decent, and I had to taste the coffee side by side to be able to pinpoint the difference.
Consistency and particle analysis
To get a bit more quantitative data, I ran a series of tests to determine how it fared against the Jx grinder, which is my current top choice for manual mills in this price range.
First, I did a particle analysis based on an app created by Jonathan from Coffee ad Astra. This test showed that the Slim was quite similar in terms of distribution, however, with a less narrow peak and more particles in the boulder range (coarse).
The particle analysis app cannot accurately measure the ultra-fine particles, so I used the Kruve sifter set for the second part of the analysis. I used a coarse screen at 1200 um and a fine one at 400 um.
Here it became clear that the Slim Plus has a less focused peak compared to the Jx.
Coarse | Medium | Fine | |
Timemore Slim Plus | 34,5 % | 58,5 % | 7 % |
1Zpresso Jx | 32,7 % | 62,3 % | 5 % |
Also, the same methodology has been followed for both sifting and measuring, and obviously, the same beans have been used.
It doesn’t say that the Timemore Slim Plus is a sub-par performer; just that the outstanding Jx has a slightly more narrow distribution.
Pros
- Size: The form factor is the biggest plus of the Slim Plus. It’s a small and compact grinder, but the capacity is still generous enough that you can use it on an everyday basis.
- Speed: It’s a high-speed grinder
- X factor: Overall, it’s a clean and minimalist grinder that’s a pleasure to use
Cons
- Adjustment: The steps are too big for dialing in espresso perfectly
- Hand crank: Too tight tolerance. Maybe this is only on my unit.
- Grind consistency: Not as precise as other “premium” grinders
The verdict
Timemore Slim Plus is worth recommending, especially if you’re looking for a smaller grinder that’s compact and easy to hold.
It looks good and will do well for most brewing methods, except for serious espresso.
However, at the pour over range, I don’t think it’s a significant step up from Timemore’s C2-model. And it’s still not in the same league as the grinders from some of the top brands.
Compared to the C2, it does feel more premium, though, and there’s no plastic, so at the current price point, I still think it’s a good purchase.
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