Wooden Citrus Squeezer, Eco Wood Composite, 27cm

For a bar working in full view. A tool sitting on the counter in front of the guest says something before it is picked up, and wood says something different from black plastic: it says made here, not made in a factory. In a venue built on its own preparations it fits the rest of the story.

It is a composite: wood fibre held together in a polycarbonate matrix, 70 to 30. The wood side gives colour, grain and feel in the hand; the plastic side gives what wood lacks on a bar tool, which is stability against water and acid. Solid wood in daily contact with citrus juice and detergent swells, then shrinks, and in the end splits along the grain. A wooden citrus squeezer of this kind does not have that problem because the matrix holds, and at the same time it does not have the anonymous look of solid polycarbonate.

• Material: eco wood, 70 per cent wood and 30 polycarbonate
• Mechanism: continuous wheels, with a vertical drop insert
• Dimensions: 9 x 27 x 8cm
• Weight: 0.3kg
• Use: limes and lemons

The fruit goes in cut side down

It is the movement that decides the yield, and it holds on any model. The half fruit sits in the cup with the cut face towards the holes and the peel upwards: under pressure the skin turns inside out like an umbrella and pushes the flesh against the openings instead of crushing it sideways. You squeeze deeper and the bitter oils of the pith stay out of the glass.

Twenty seven centimetres, which is the long lever

It is the format that asks for the least effort, because the longer the handle the more the arm multiplies the push. Over a service with a lot of citrus drinks the difference adds up: squeeze a hundred lemons a night with a short tool and you finish the shift with a sore wrist, do it with the long lever and you do not. In exchange it takes more room, so a place has to be found where it can rest open.

Care for the wooden citrus squeezer, which asks for more here

Hand wash, always, with warm water and a neutral detergent. No dishwasher and no long soaking: heat and standing water are the two things that work against the wood fibre in the composite. Rinse straight after use so the juice does not dry in the holes, dry fully with a cloth and then in the air, leaving the tool open because a closed cup stays damp.

FAQ

What material is the wooden citrus squeezer? A composite of 70 per cent wood and 30 per cent polycarbonate.

Can it go in the dishwasher? No: hand wash and dry fully, so the wood fibre is not put to work.

What are continuous wheels? The mechanism that brings the central insert straight down, so the pressure falls on the middle of the fruit.

Does it suit oranges? It is sized on limes and lemons: oranges ask for a wider cup.

Does the wood take on smells? On the eco wood squeezer the polycarbonate matrix limits absorption, but rinsing straight away remains the rule.

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

Dispatched from Rome, Italy. 15-day returns, free of charge. Questions before you order? Message us on WhatsApp on +39 351 929 6937.

The other models, with the cup sizes, are in the citrus squeezer category.