The Timemore Chestnut X is the latest entry to the ever-growing premium hand grinder market.
Design and Build Quality
The Timemore Chestnut X is a 30-35g capacity espresso grinder weighing in at 765g. It has won awards for its sleek, quality design, and attention to detail. The Timemore Chestnut X has a CNC cut aluminum unibody for durability and ease of grip, and features an innovative grounds bin that locks into place for increased stability. For convenience, the shaft on the grinder pivots smoothly on two bearings for consistent grinding each time.
The Handle
First appearing on the Timemore Nano grinder, the foldable handle is game-changing, but a simple piece of engineering. When not in use, the handle folds down to the side of the grinder and stays nicely tucked away. The back of the knob also has a rubber damper that both prevents the body from being damaged, and doubles as a knock tool to ensure that any residual grinds can be cleared from chamber. When you straighten the handle out, it locks into place and is a pleasure to grind with but, in all honesty, the soothing sound of opening and clicking into place would make us buy this grinder on its own.
Burrs and Grinding
The Chestnut X, Timemore went back to the drawing board on the design of the burr set and created an entirely new conical burr that they call Spike to Cut (S2C). Made from high hardness, water and rust resistant SUS440 high carbon stainless steel, the 42mm burrs are designed to work in two stages: firstly, to spike the beans and break them down into smaller pieces - this also has the advantage of keeping the silver skin of the coffee in larger pieces so it can be sieved out more easily if you are so inclined. Secondly, the spiked coffee then passes through a more standard burr design to break the coffee down into its final grind size.
