New whiz-bang coffee toys come along every few months. But a simple new tool with staying power is rare.

When Portland's Coava Coffee Roasters launched its Kone earlier this year, we heard tales of its power to brew a smoother, more flavorful cup. But it wasn't until a recent trip to Star Lounge, one of the few shops in the city using the Kone, that we tasted its startling effect.

Owner Jesse Diaz describes the laser-cut stainless-steel filter as a hybrid of the press pot and the pour-over, yielding a brew that's clean and richly textured. The miniscule holes allow the coffee's flavorful oils to seep through even as the filter catches the vast majority of the grounds.

Ask for a hot or iced Kone-brewed cup of the shop's just-arrived Santa Josefita from El Salvador. Diaz and Mike Pilkinton of Bridgeport Coffee purchased the beans using direct trade with a farmer they first visited there three years ago.

As for the tool's legitimacy, Diaz calls himself "a hater of new methods of making coffee," but is sold on the Kone.

Look for it to be put to use in coffee cocktails once Star Lounge gets its liquor license later this month.

Star Lounge, 2521 W. Chicago Ave.; 773-384-7827 or starloungecoffee.com