Brushtech Crystal Stemware Brush Review

Champagne, the holidays and special occasion bubbly, if sweet might be enjoyed from a shallow saucer-shaped stemware or even a white wine tulip glass. Brut, the dry side of Champagne is best enjoyed from narrow-bowled flutes. Long, tall, trumpet-shaped or narrow and straight-sided glasses allow the champagne to remain cool longer.  The shape prevents the quick escape of bubbles.  Some aficionados of champagne prefer the tulip-shaped wine glass. Whatever your choice, when finished with your champagne (unless you're drinking from a single-use plastic glass - ick) the glass needs to be cleaned.  My bet is that after sharing a bottle you won't be jumping up to wash your glass - that seems to ruin the celebratory moment.

Brushtech thinks they have a solution for penetrating the narrow flute-washing dilemma. Brushtech has a Crystal Stemware Brush that is 100% non-scratching and dishwasher safe. They claim this "penetrates deep to the bottom of narrow flutes where your fingers do not reach."  My initial reaction to this is, the brush reminds me of a very personal item used by women.

This is an odd foam brush formed around a wire. It resembles a five-inch tall; narrow (two-inch wide) U or a view of someone from behind who is standing with their legs together. Brushtech claims the foam does not absorb water nor does it become "soggy, limp and dead." Because there is a thick layer of foam around the wire it won't scratch or mar in any way our flutes. They refer to the foam as "reinforced foam bristles." The long white handle extends the reach and it's designed to hang from a hook air drying.

My collection of champagne glasses is relatively large. I have 13 pairs of flutes, some with narrow bowls, some trumpet shaped, but also an inherited set of champagne coupes. The Brushtech Crystal Stemware Brush reaches where my fingers do not on less than half of my 13 flutes. It's far too wide, and too stiff, to reach the base of the narrow flutes. It will clean the bottom of the bowl of the broader flutes but it's no where nearly flexible enough to reach the tight space in a trumpet-shaped flute. (It also reaches where fingers don't in pilsner glasses.)  It's back to soaking the glass, covering it with my hand, and shaking until the residue rises to the surface followed by washing the reachable places with a dishcloth.    

The claim that this doesn't absorb water is not true. Not only did it absorb water and the smell of stale wine, but it held it through the entire next day. This is a proper brush only half the time and for my flutes this conforms to the shapes of less than half. If your flutes have broader bowls, get this, but if they are narrow trumpet-shaped flutes, don't get this.  The Crystal Stemware Brush performs like a champ in the not-so-narrow glasses, but when the base gets teeny, this gets useless.