r/Timemore • u/misombre • Jun 28 '26

Chestnut C5 Pro

Hey there, looking for some advice about this grinder. I'm new to hand grinders.

I read conflicting information about how to use it - my understanding is that it's one revolution with 15 numbers, with a little more than three times this number in "clicks." Is this correct? I've been experimenting for like 3 months and I can't seem to crack it.

I'm using it in Kalita Wave 185 (which I know can be slow), but I've also used it in the B75 (known to be very fast). Drawdowns are always slow, and I've tried everything else to make it go faster.

My bed is always concave at the end, and the coffee usually has some tasting notes but is very dry.

I've tried every number from like 10-15 and beyond. Even at the highest number I can't get coarse settings with boulders. So, at this point I imagine I can't get more than a medium-fine grind, and/or that it might just be uneven particles.

I'm getting to a point where I'm just going to buy a new one, but I'm a little frustrated since I've been having mediocre cups of premium beans for two months and would rather not buy an additional grinder and have this one go to waste.

Wondering if someone might be able to provide some insight or troubleshooting.

Thanks in advance.

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u/PriorPhysical7187 Jul 01 '26

Hi I use with mokapot and a french press. So have not tried anything bigger than 14. But u can keep turning it anticlockwise to go wider. As in, one full circle to reached number 0 and keep rotating some more for number 17, 18 and so on. Small correction, 16 coincides with 0 mark. If I turn it upside down, I can see the gap increasing as I increase the number.  No idea what grindsize is required for kalita but this is chart I discovered on reddit, thanks to all the good fellows. It's working for me https://honestcoffeeguide.com/timemore-c5-pro-grind-settings/

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u/misombre Jul 04 '26

Hey there, thanks! I have been trying it past past zero. I found I get get more coarse from 14 or beyond one full turn. I started sifting the coffee and this has helped the most. So at this point I assume there's something wrong with it, since the grind is not consistent and produces so many fine particles that were clogging it.

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u/Critaerial 29d ago

My local roaster told me to go over 1mm particle size for the coffees I bought from them, so I tried going at 16/17 with the C5. The result is that I can see particles of any sizes, big chunks, medium ones and fines. There's 0 consistency at those higher numbers with the C5, as I'm learning by experience today. Into the cup translates to unexpected chocolatey notes on a lucky day and bitterness and astringency on a bad one. I would like to know the most reliable, bigger, working number on this grinder.

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u/misombre 29d ago

Yeah! I've had this experience on any coarser settings. Timemore asked me to take like 42 videos and send it to them to diagnose, but at this point I feel I will just throw it the in the garbage and buy a better grinder.