Timemore Grinder Go: For Coffee Lovers On The Go

Name: Timemore Grinder Go
Brand: Timemore

The Timemore Grinder Go is the best battery-operated coffee grinder for your traveling needs. Whether you’re on vacation or are an adventurous remote worker, there’s no reason to settle for stale pre-ground coffee. This battery-powered grinder is easy to use, clean, and carry. Plus it’s compact enough to fit in your car’s cup holder!

Read about this electric grinder for coffee lovers on the go.

Summary: Timemore Grinder Go Advanced

One-touch button for easy use.
Cordless compact package design for easier portability.
Automated technology to avoid jamming and conserve energy.

I have one for home use, and I’m pretty happy with it . . . It’s nice to have when I have friends over, and I just run it while I prep the other things.
– Timemore Go Owner

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The Timemore Grinder Go Review

The Timemore Coffee brand has been making beautiful, convenient, and unique coffee brewing gear from its home base in China for over a decade. They pride themselves on developing products for coffee lovers by coffee lovers.

Home Brews Coffee has already favorably reviewed many Timemore hand grinders, including the Timemore Chestnut C2, the Timemore Chestnut C3, and the Timemore Slim Plus.

The Timemore Go is a small departure from some manual grinders, relying on an electric rechargeable battery instead. First launched in June 2021, we’ve had plenty of time to see how it fares in terms of design, durability, ease of use, grinding quality capability, and value for your money.

How We Rated It

Design
Durability
Ease of Use
Grinding Capability
Value for Money

3.7

Design – 4/5

Timemore’s Grinder Go is a small, battery-powered grinder with a modern, sleek black exterior. It’ll save counter space at home, but as the name suggests, it was designed to be taken on the go. It measures 11.1 x 5.1 x 4.9 inches and weighs just 2.2 lbs.

This Timemore grinder’s hopper capacity is a relatively low 15 grams, but the grounds catch cup holds up to 60 grams. So it’s quick and easy to refill the bean hopper on top and keep grinding.

One thing we noticed was that the wide mouth and deep lid of the glass catch cup make it challenging to pour grinds out of it. If not done carefully, it is easy to make a mess, which is quite frustrating.

The Timemore Grinder Go comes with a cleaning brush, a USB charging cable, and a velvet carrying case for easier portability.

Durability – 3.5/5

The upper part of the Timemore Grinder Go’s body is made from ABS plastic while the rest of it is composed of other durable food-safe plastics with a stainless steel burr grinding core (1). It may squeak or rattle a bit when in use, but rest assured it has a sound, sturdy construction.

The glass catch cup is the most breakable part of this grinder. Though we appreciate that it serves as a window to show you where the grinding magic happens, adding to its overall premium aesthetic.

The limiting factor of this Timemore grinder’s lifespan is likely to be its batteries, which are rated to last about two years.

Ease of Use – 4/5

The Grinder Go is straightforward to use. To turn it on/off, press the power button on the side, next to the charging port. The light will repeatedly flash to show you when it is actively charging and then stabilize once it has finished.

There are 40 grind settings in total with 80 microns between each grind setting, though settings 1 through 8 are arguably too coarse to be useful even for cold brew. With relatively large adjustment steps and no markings to indicate settings, dialing in the grind size with clicks can be challenging.

This Timemore grinder is best when you have a go-to brewing method and tend to keep your brews consistent at the same setting.

To clean, remove the burrs by unscrewing the adjustment knob and then removing the plate, the center burr, and the spring. You will then need a screwdriver to first remove four screws before removing the outer burr. Wipe the inside clean with the included brush. Do not wash with water.

Grinding Capability – 3/5

Timemore Grinder Go has a set of stainless steel 38mm burrs, with the option to upgrade to an advanced model with titanium-coated burrs. This burr set is powered by two built-in 800 mah lithium-ion batteries.

It takes around 2 hours for a full charge via USB. A full charge will grind up to 400 g of coffee, or about 25 uses of 15 g each.

It’s set up to simplify charging on the go, especially if you have a car charger with a type-C USB port to keep it plugged in. Just slot it into your cup holder for your commute or any road trip.

Low-Speed Motor

The motor spins the burrs at a mere 80 rpm, a fairly low rate that has both pros and cons. Low-speed grinders reduce heat build-up to keep your coffee flavor optimal, and they are generally smaller and more energy efficient. On the other hand, you run the risk of jamming when grinding denser coffee beans, such as the currently trendy light roasts (2).

Timemore developed the smart auto-swing technology for the exact situations when the burrs slow or get jammed. The burrs start rotating back and forth three times, loosening any material obstructions before returning to normal forward rotation. If no coffee beans are detected, the grinder will automatically shut off after about 10 seconds.

It would be nice to have a manual override hand crank option for more torque as needed. Plus, this would extend the grinder’s longevity, turning it into a very capable hand grinder when the batteries eventually fail.

Spike-To-Cut Conical Burrs

Timemore’s exclusive high-precision spike-to-cut (S2C) burrs were first introduced on the popular Chestnut C3 hand grinder, and we were thrilled to see them here, too. They are uniquely designed to cut the coffee beans into large pieces before grinding, resulting in a more uniform grind distribution. This clever design alleviates one of the main challenges associated with conical burr grinders: getting a consistent grind (3).

In conical burrs, it is necessary to achieve perfect parallelism and perfect concentricity, while with flat burrs, only parallelism is important. Therefore, it is easier to obtain better homogeneity of the particle size.

The impressively low grind retention rate of 0.1 to 0.2 g is a significant advantage of conical burrs versus flat.

This Timemore grinder is able to grind for a wide variety of brewing methods, including cold brew, French press, drip, Aeropress, Moka pot, and more. The E&B burrs (Espresso & Brew) are technically capable of drip coffee and espresso, but with only 40 grind settings, you’ll struggle to dial in an espresso grind. This is only an espresso grinder if you use an espresso machine with pressurized filter baskets.

Value for Money – 4/5

You can find an electric coffee grinder for less than $25, but you definitely get what you pay for when you go that cheap. At about $150, the Timemore Go nicely balances affordability and quality – something that has become a hallmark of the Timemore brand. Rival grinders go for more than twice the cost without producing substantially better coffee.

With the Timemore Grinder Go, you’re paying for a high-precision steel burr set, automated grinding, easy cleaning, and an incredibly intuitive user interface. It’s an excellent value for a portable electric grinder, provided you aren’t hoping to make espresso. But don’t expect it to be your lifelong travel companion until battery technology improves.

Things we liked:

High-quality 38 mm stainless steel burr set
Easy to use with one button
Simple to carry with a compact cordless construction
Advanced technologies to save energy and fix jamming

Things we didn’t like:

Short lifespan due to rechargeable batteries
Not suitable for espresso
Low-speed motor can lead to jamming with dense beans

Do Not Buy If…

You want the option of electric OR manual – The Arco 2-in-1 coffee grinder by the always-innovative Goat Story can be operated manually or using a motor. Some days, starting your day by manually grinding your beans can feel pleasantly therapeutic. On other days, you just want to relax. The Arco allows both, and its aesthetic design makes for a conversation starter whenever you have guests over.

You don’t mind a little elbow grease – There’s no need to spend money on a battery-powered coffee grinder if you’re happy to crank your way through your own beans. The Timemore Chestnut C3 is a fantastic manual grinder with the same burr set that’s about half the price of the Go.

You want everything on the go – The Timemore 123 Go is an all-in-one coffee-making kit, including a high-quality grinder and pour over brewing cone. If you have hot water and 3 minutes, you can enjoy a fresh cup of coffee anywhere.

The Verdict

Grinding on the go has never been easier. The battery-operated Timemore Grinder Go offers a seamless hands-free grinding experience – just what you expect from Timemore’s growing expertise. Its lightweight and soft carrying bag make it perfect for traveling. And it delivers consistent and uniform grounds at the press of a button.

Take into account that it takes around two hours for a full recharge. The grinder likely won’t last you more than three years, and you won’t get espresso.