The BIRD is an alternative coffee brewer from Weber Workshop. BIRD stands for "Brew In Reverse Direction". In short, the BIRD is a French press with clever coffee separation technology. In the case of the BIRD, the plunger is not pressed down to end the brewing process, but instead twisted upward. This creates a vacuum in the lower part of the pot, which pulls the brewing water through the coffee and paper filter. So much for the introduction. But let's take a closer look at the Weber BIRD in the video.
High-quality in terms of materials and price
Weber Workshop manufactures high-quality grinders and brewing tools for coffee preparation. The BIRD also fits into the range of extremely high-quality tools from Weber. And it comes with a price! On Weber's website, the brewer costs CHF 320 and with shipping costs we're at CHF 360 francs. A Swiss retailer offers the BIRD for CHF 399.
That's quite steep for "a French press". That's how Swiss filter expert David Wistorf sums it up. Yes, Weber has introduced a new idea here that has been filed for patent. But that's a lot of money, even though the materials used like borosilicate glass, the stainless steel handle, the stainless steel plunger and the brass wing for twisting up the plunger are flawless.
Despite and because of all these materials, the BIRD is still not perfect. It's probably due to the brass twisting mechanism and the brass point on the handle that the BIRD cannot be put in the dishwasher.
This detail is a hint as to what the BIRD wants to be. After all, a good knife or a high-quality cast iron pan doesn't go in the dishwasher either.
By the way: if you like to work with paper filters, which we would recommend for quality reasons, you can invest further. The filter from Acaba for the Bird costs 4.6 cents. Sibarist also has a filter ready for the BIRD. Cost: around 10 cents per filter.
The brewing mechanism
The BIRD's plunger is also the separating filter medium. You can optionally insert a paper filter or just use the fine metal screen for separation. With the threaded rod, the plunger can be pressed down. This is followed by coffee and brewing water.
- We use 17 grams of rather coarsely ground coffee, 250 milliliters of water and water heated to 92 degrees, and choose a relatively quick brewing method. The ability to brew quickly is one of the BIRD's strengths.
- After the brewing water has been added, we swirl the propeller on the threaded rod until 40 seconds, evenly and not too quickly.
- Then we wait until 1:30 minutes have passed. David Wistorf prefers not to put the lid on. However, if you want to retain more heat in the BIRD, you can close it.
- At 1:30 minutes, we let the propeller on the threaded rod slide all the way down and then turn clockwise.
- The propeller catches on the plunger and begins to pull it upward. Below the plunger sliding tightly along the glass wall, a vacuum is created which pulls the finished brewed coffee through the paper filter and metal screen downward.
- This way the coffee is completely separated from all coffee particles. We turn the plunger upward in about 15 seconds, giving us a total brewing time of only 1:45 minutes.
How does the coffee taste with the BIRD
The Bird is a very honest brewer. It has the potential to show coffee exactly as it is. Taste-wise, many of our brewings remind us of a cupping session, with the paper filters bringing even more clarity and transparency to the brews.
In our case, we brewed a Geisha from Colombia that was shipped exclusively with the filtered coffee subscription. Delicious...
Conclusion and classification
The BIRD is a versatile brewer. The propeller allows targeted swirling, which speeds up or enhances the extraction of the coffee. Vacuum brewing in combination with filter paper makes it possible for us to separate the coffee powder completely and have hardly any floating particles in the coffee. This is classically a weakness of the French press, which is why it often tastes somewhat dusty and less clear.
The materials are very high-quality and the craftsmanship is excellent. Unfortunately, the BIRD cannot be put in the dishwasher and should be washed carefully by hand, which generally works well.
The maximum brewing volume of 350 milliliters also doesn't make the BIRD the perfect tool for brewing larger quantities of coffee, for which the classic French press, for example from Bodum*, is often used.
Who is the BIRD the right brewer for? For you, if it's worth it to you. It's certainly an excellent way to make good coffee. And it's also an eye-catcher in your coffee corner. Whether it's worth this price to you is something only you can answer in the end.
Do you have experience with the BIRD?
Write it to us in the comments. If you want to learn more about filtered coffee, check out this comprehensive filtered coffee preparation article.
- To our article about brewing with the French press.
- Good coffee on the go: our outdoor coffee guide
- Origami Dripper recipe article
- To the article: How much coffee powder per cup?
* This is a commission link. If you order something through this link, it won't cost you any more. However, we receive a small commission, which we reinvest in test materials.
