Test Drive: TIMEMORE Sculptor 078S Grinder
We offer an in-depth review of the premium flat burr coffee grinder, which is designed for both espresso and filter brewing.
BY VASILEIA FANARIOTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT
Featured image courtesy of Vasileia Fanarioti
Over time, TIMEMORE has carved out a notable space in the specialty-coffee world through thoughtfully designed, aesthetically pleasing equipment—most famously, with their hand grinders. With the Sculptor line, they stepped into the electric grinder market with considerable momentum, backed by one of Kickstarter’s most successful coffee-related campaigns. Among these machines, the Sculptor 078S has garnered much attention, and to see what the hype is all about, I spent time putting it through a range of brew scenarios.
Unboxing and First Impressions
The Sculptor 078S arrives well-packaged, complete with a cleaning brush and air blower: a practical, appreciated inclusion. The grinder itself feels substantial. At 6.5 kilograms, it’s not moving around your bench anytime soon. Its matte finish and unibody aluminum frame feel durable and elegant, though in white, the base does get dirty quickly—one of those tradeoffs between form and function.
Notably, many small parts are magnetic: The hopper lid and the grounds-catching cup snap satisfyingly into place. It may seem minor, but these touches smooth out the workflow in a way that adds up over time.
Design and Layout
The 078S sports a vertically mounted burr set and auger, designed to minimize retention and feed beans consistently using gravity. It’s clean and compact on the counter, though a few choices could have benefited from a second pass.
The grind size dial, while nicely weighted, has a limited travel range for espresso—small shifts can create big shot time variations. It’s also placed on the front, whereas the variable RPM dial is located at the back, forcing you to rotate the machine to make changes.
A single side-mounted button on the side controls the grinder, while another distinctive feature is the rotary knocker: TIMEMORE’s alternative to bellows. In practice it works well, but some users may find the twisting motion repetitive and not as ergonomic as it could be.
Specs Overview
- Burrs: 78 mm flat stainless steel
- Motor: 400W brushless with PID control
- RPM: Adjustable (800–1400)
- Grind settings: Stepless, with 36-step indicator
- Capacity: 30 g bean container
- Weight: 6.5 kg
- Dimensions: 118 x 261 x 294 mm
This version uses flat burrs optimized for espresso but is marketed as an all-purpose grinder. In practice, its performance across methods supports that claim—though with caveats.
Setup and Workflow
Getting the Sculptor 078S up and running is a smooth process, with intuitive parts and a straightforward design. However, like many high-performance grinders, it does benefit from a break-in period. Running a kilo of coffee through the burrs helped me mellow the initial sharpness and brought out a more balanced flavor profile, particularly in espresso.
Burr alignment can also vary slightly between units. For those seeking ultra-precise espresso results, especially with light roasts, it may be worthwhile to check alignment—though accessing the burrs does involve removing a few screws and components. While not difficult, it’s a task better suited for users comfortable with a bit of hands-on adjustment.
Grind Testing in Real Scenarios
Espresso
Once seasoned, the 078S delivers espresso with notable syrupy texture and sweetness, offering a middle ground between modern clarity-focused burrs and traditional high-body profiles. However, dialing in can be fiddly due to how sensitive the adjustments are—one notch can translate into a 3–5-second change in shot time. Light roasts at higher RPMs proved especially temperamental, tending toward channeling and inconsistent flow. Lower RPMs (around 1000–1100) worked best for me.
Filter Brewing (Pourover, AeroPress)
Switching to pourover and AeroPress, the grinder fared well. Clarity was moderate—not quite at the level of SSP burrs, but more than sufficient for a nuanced cup. I appreciated the ease of making quick grind size changes, though the absence of click stops means referencing your setting for later can be a bit tricky.
French Press and Ibrik
At coarser settings, retention remained low and grind distribution was relatively even, producing clean French press brews with minimal silt. For ibrik, however, I found the grinder’s finest setting is still a touch coarse out of the box. A quick recalibration by adjusting the zero point solved that, but it’s something to note if ibrik coffee is a priority.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Maintenance is where things can get a little cumbersome. Cleaning the burrs requires removing six hex screws and the inner plate, then twisting the burrs out—not exactly weekend-user-friendly. The catch cup’s narrow base also makes removing stuck grinds a little awkward unless you have a long brush or use the included air blower.
That said, retention is impressively low, especially when using the knocker—typically under 0.1 grams. Just expect to give it several twists to fully clear out the chute.
A Capable Grinder with a Learning Curve
Overall, the Sculptor 078S delivers impressive grind quality, a sturdy build, and thoughtful design touches—all at a price point that’s competitive within its class. It excels in producing sweet, balanced espresso and capable filter brews, with low retention and minimal mess.
That said, it does ask something in return: patience. The burrs benefit from a seasoning period, and fine-tuning espresso requires a bit of care, especially given the narrow adjustment range. The back-mounted RPM dial and rotary knocker may not suit every workflow, and cleaning access could be more user-friendly.
This isn’t the grinder for someone seeking instant plug-and-play results. But for home baristas who enjoy the process, appreciate a well-engineered tool, and are willing to invest a little time to get the most out of their gear, the 078S presents a compelling, well-rounded option.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vasileia Fanarioti (she/her) is a senior online correspondent for Barista Magazine and a freelance copywriter and editor with a primary focus on the coffee niche. She has also been a volunteer copywriter for the I’M NOT A BARISTA NPO, providing content to help educate people about baristas and their work.
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