Baratza Encore vs Timemore Chestnut C3 ESP
The Baratza Encore at $149 is the default electric grinder for filter coffee — 40 settings, cool-running motor, and Baratza's unmatched parts-and-repair program — but it tops out at French press and can't grind espresso. The Timemore Chestnut C3 ESP at $72 is a manual grinder that's half the price and genuinely espresso-capable, at the cost of hand-cranking every dose. Choose the Encore for hands-off filter convenience; choose the C3 ESP to spend less and reach espresso.
Spec face-off
Bars scaled to the higher value. Coloured = wins that spec.
Full specifications
Strengths & weaknesses
Full comparison
These barely overlap in use case despite both being entry grinders. The Encore is an electric, hopper-fed grinder built around drip, pour-over, Chemex, AeroPress, and French press, with 40 stepped settings and a 450 RPM motor that runs cool to protect aromatics. Its real moat is support: every part is user-replaceable for under $30 and Baratza offers certified rebuilds, so it lasts. But its grind range stops at French press — there is no espresso.
The C3 ESP is a manual, all-metal hand grinder with a 38mm S2C burr and roughly 23 microns per click, fine enough to reach genuine espresso territory — the cheapest credible entry into hand-ground espresso at about $72. The trade is effort and capacity: a double espresso dose takes 40-50 seconds of cranking, the 25g chamber means multiple grinds for larger batches, and adjustment requires unscrewing the catch cup rather than reading a dial.
Convenience versus capability is the whole story. If you brew filter coffee and want to press a button, the Encore is effortless and built to last. If you want espresso (or espresso plus filter) on a tight budget and don't mind grinding by hand, the C3 ESP does something the Encore simply cannot, for half the money.
Buy the Encore ($149) for hands-off filter grinding with the best repairability in its class. Buy the Timemore C3 ESP ($72) if you want espresso capability cheaply, you're a one-or-two-cup household, or you want a travel-friendly grinder — accepting the manual effort and the coarse, catch-cup-based dial-in.