You know that RV inverter issue I wrote about recently? One thing I didn't mention in that post is that when our power system went down, it took our Baratza Sette 270 grinder with it ? Fried the motor or board, I'm still not sure which yet. Still need to work with Baratza Support on that when we finally reach a point where we're not traveling every day.

In the meantime, I've been reminded why having a manual coffee grinder as a backup solution is so important. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather have my electric countertop one (that I paid a few hundred bucks for) working again, but at least I'm not dead in the water when it comes to my daily coffee consumption.

If you're in the market for a hand grinder yourself, the Timemore Chestnut C2 is the “new” hotness — at least relative to our old recommendation, the oft-mimicked Porlex JP-30. As much as I still love the JP-30, the C2 makes that thing feel almost like a toy. It grinds faster and more efficiently, the crank handle feels smoother and sturdier to use, and the catch container screws into place rather than being held on with friction, so you don't have to spend effort holding the pieces together as you grind.

The one “downgrade” is that the C2 uses stainless steel conical burrs instead of ceramic ones, so although you can grind fine enough for espresso purposes with it, you may find that its burrs heat up a bit too much or wear down sooner. However, if you're mainly going to do press coffee or pour-over brews, you really can't beat the C2 in terms of performance for the price. It's awesome.

Get the Timemore Chestnut C2 for $69 on Amazon.