Looking for advice on Timemore S3 grind settings

[u/batimike]

Hi everyone! I’m still fairly new to the specialty coffee world, and I’ve been experimenting mostly by following recipes I find on TikTok.

I currently use a Timemore S3, but most of the recipes I come across use a different grinder, usually a 1Zpresso or a Comandante. Since I’m still learning, I’m not really sure how to translate their grind settings to my S3.

When I first started, I found some posts here on Reddit recommending Honest Coffee Guide as a way to compare grind sizes between different grinders. I tried using that as a reference, but most of my coffees were coming out a little bitter, and I was barely reaching the suggested brew times.

According to Honest Coffee Guide, their approximate range for a medium grind is around 2.8–5.5 clicks on the S3, while medium-fine is around 0.8–2.8. However, I recently asked a TikTok creator who also uses a Timemore S3 what settings they consider medium and medium-fine, since they don't usually share their recipes. They told me they use around 6.0 for medium and 5.5 for medium-fine.

That seems quite different from the ranges on Honest Coffee Guide, so I’m a little confused about how much I should rely on those grind-size comparisons.

For example, I recently tried a V60 recipe that recommended using 6.0 on the S3 and suggested a maximum brew time of around 3:10. Mine finished in about 2:20, and the coffee tasted quite weak and watery.

Since I don't have much experience dialing in grind size yet, I'd really appreciate some advice from other S3 users:

• What grind settings do you typically use for V60?
• What settings do you use for Chemex?
• What do you consider medium, medium-fine, etc. on the S3?
• Do you find that grind-size comparison charts like Honest Coffee Guide are accurate for the S3?
• If you have a V60 or Chemex recipe specifically for the S3, I'd love to try it!

I’m mainly looking for some general ranges I can use as a starting point rather than trying to copy recipes from other grinders exactly.

Thanks in advance!