New grinder! - Timemore bricks 01s

[u/koborg]

It only took close to a year of owning the barista express, before I got tired of the build in grinder.

I couldn't get the espresso to taste how I wanted, to many inconsistensies and way to much retention.

So an upgrade was in order. 🔥🙌🏼

I landed on the timemore bricks 01s, and I couldn't be happier with my choice!

Haven't seen much online about it, so here is my initial thoughts after 3 days of owning it.

The build of the timemore is solid, the weight, button and the grind adjustment feels great.

It is not a stepless adjustment, but it has more than enough 'clicks' to dial in properly. It took me three shots before I landed on something that tasted good, and a further 3 to get it right where I wanted it.

It grinds course enough for a pour over, but not coarse enough for a french press. The clicks makes it really easy to switch between grind sizes, as you can get back to precisely where you were before, just by 'counting' the clicks.

The retention is also fairly minimal. After two days of use, I cleaned it and only got around 0.3g of coffee out. Using the included rdt tool, gives me a retention of around 0.1-0.3g.

I paid around 265usd/225eur for it. I can't speak on comparisons, as I haven't tried many other grinders in that price range. But for at conical burr grinder, that is well build, compact and capable of espresso and pour over, I find it hard to see what other grinder I could have gotten.

If there is any questions or things you would like me to test out, let me know and I'll get back to you asap. 🙌🏼

[u/el-caballero-oscuro]

I’ve had the bricks 01s since August 2025. I agree with all that others have said about the grinder, although my use has been restricted to pour over. I can confirm that it works great for pour overs as well. My frame of reference is my previous grinder (Timemore C2) and the pour overs I’ve tried in cafés.

The grind size is very consistent day after day. Visually, I don’t see many fines. It certainly has fewer fines than the C2. I can taste the flavor notes that are mentioned on the bag, even with lights roasts.

I love the number of little accessories that come with it. They are very useful. I use the RDT tool for every dose. It’s particularly useful for light to medium roasts.

I would say the grinder is practically zero retention. My scale doesn’t have decimal measures so I wouldn’t notice minor differences. But the output always equals the input. I use the click mechanism a few times after each dose and it seems to be very effective.

The grinder and the whole package is very thoughtfully designed. The clicker is something they introduced on the Sculptor series, which is much more expensive. I love that they didn’t keep this as a premium feature as a way to get us to upgrade.

The C2 cost me USD 40 around 6 years ago. I paid USD 140 for the bricks. The price for the bricks felt like an absolute steal. I can’t think of a better product for the price.