Bar Spoon Teardrop 40cm Lumian, Matt 18/10 Stainless Steel

There is one rule for choosing: the spoon must clear the rim of the tallest vessel you use. Below that length the grip drops close to the liquid, the turn loses control and the fingers get wet. 30cm is enough for glasses and nothing else; 45cm is only needed in the deepest vessels.

40cm reaches the bottom of a 28oz tin, a tall mixing glass and a carafe, and stays usable in a serving glass. It is the length that saves buying two, and why the Teardrop ends up as the spoon you reach for without thinking.

The Teardrop also comes in five plated finishes, which look better and cost about a third more. But an outer coating put through industrial dishwasher cycles clouds in patches, and there is no going back: plated spoons have to be washed by hand with a mild detergent and dried straight away.

Here there is nothing to protect. Matt steel is bare, goes in the machine at the end of the shift with everything else, and a scratch does not show because there is no layer to scratch. There is one more advantage you find in use: a matt finish does not hold fingerprints, while a mirror finish under the bar lights shows every one.

Specifications

• Material: 18/10 stainless steel
• Finish: matt, unplated
• Length: 40cm
• Weight: 100g
• Shaft: twisted
• Opposite end: teardrop
• Dishwasher safe: yes

It is for layering: rest the back against the inside wall of the glass and let the liquid run down it, so it settles on the layer below instead of mixing in. That is how layered drinks are built, and how cream or a red wine float goes on top. It also counterweights the shaft, which is why a 100g spoon sits balanced in the hand rather than feeling flimsy.

For crushing a sugar cube or muddling on the fly there are models with a disc or a muddler end, better suited to that job. The teardrop is the choice for stirring and layering.

The shaft turns between thumb and forefinger while the bowl rests against the wall of the vessel. The spoon moves, the arm does not, and the ice turns as a block without knocking or chipping. The twisted shaft is there for exactly this, to give the fingers grip as it turns. Twenty to thirty turns are enough, and the reference is not the clock but the frost on the outside: when the glass or metal turns opaque, the drink is ready.

At least two. The spoon gets dirty with every garnish picked up and every taste, and with only one you end up washing it constantly or using it dirty. The combination that works on an open bar is a plated spoon for drinks made in front of the guest and a matt Teardrop for the working rhythm, which goes in the dishwasher at the end of the shift and asks nothing of anyone.

The more you buy, the less you pay: 4 pieces -5%, 6 -7%, 8 -10%, on the same item.

FAQ

How long is the Teardrop bar spoon? 40cm, the length that covers every vessel on a station.

How does it differ from the plated versions? Only the finish: matt is bare steel, costs less and goes in the dishwasher; the plated ones are washed by hand.

How much does the Teardrop weigh? 100g, balanced by the teardrop end.

What is the teardrop end for? Layering, by running the liquid down the wall of the glass.

Is it dishwasher safe? Yes, with no special care: there is no coating to spoil.

Dispatched from Rome, Italy. To compare lengths and ends, see the bar spoon guide.