Binchotan Charcoal Water Filters at a Glance
If you’re thinking about investing in a Binchotan charcoal water filter, Black + Blum offer the best ‘ready made’ options on the market.
Alternatively, it’s also remarkably simple to make your own Binchotan water filter in just a few easy steps. I show you how below or, alternatively, there’s a more in depth tutorial here.
What is Binchotan Charcoal?
Binchotan active charcoal has been used in Japan as a water purifier since the 17th century.
Made in the Kishu region of Japan, it is raw wood turned into charcoal sticks through a process of burning oak branches at extremely high temperatures and then rapidly cooling and smothering the flame with dirt.
This process carbonises the wood and leaves endless tiny cavities that are are able to trap unwanted pollutants.
How Does Binchotan Charcoal Filter Water?
The porous surface of Binchotan charcoal pulls pollutants such as chlorine out of tap water. It is regarded as as the highest quality of activated charcoal for purifying water.
The key benefits of using Binchotan charcoal to filter drinking water include:
- the charcoal’s alkaline qualities soften and improve the taste of tap water
- it reduces chlorine
- it mineralises the water, adding important minerals such calcium, potassium and magnesium
- it balances the pH of the water.
Binchotan Charcoal Water Filters
Black+Blum are the only company I’m aware of who manufacture a specific Binchotan charcoal water filter.
They offer a stylish glass carafe or more traditional water bottle option.
Black + Blum Eau Carafe
The Black + Blum Eau Carafe
The bottle is filled with a stick of Binchotan active charcoal, which filters the water and lasts up to 6 months. The carafe measures approximately 28 x 11cm / 11 x 4.5″, 1.1L / 37 fl oz.
Key benefits of a Black+Blum carafe are:
- Reduces chlorine
- Mineralises the water and balances the pH
- Made from hand blown soda glass
- Includes a binchotan active charcoal filter baton
- BPA free cork and silicon stopper.
Black + Blum Eau Good Water Filter Bottle
The Black+Blum Eau Good water bottle uses the same Binchotan charcoal filter process as the carafe and offers the same filtering benefits.
Key features of the Black + Blum Water Filter Bottle include:
- Reduces chlorine
- Mineralises the water and balances the pH
- Glass bottle
- Capacity: 650 ml
- Includes 1 Binchotan activated carbon stick
- Comes with a neoprene protective cover
- Dimensions: 8 x 8 x Height. 24 cm
- BPA free cork and silicon stopper.
In terms of how long the Binchotan charcoal stick needs to start working, Black + Blum recommend that 1 hour will offer good results on tap water, 4 hours great better results and 8 hours optimum results.
How To Make Your Own Binchotan Charcoal Water Filter
It’s also really easy to set up your own water filtering process using Binchotan charcoal.
This is actually something I have done myself in my own kitchen using one of these glass Kilner jars with a tap and a stick of Binchotan charcoal.
Simply follow the steps below to make your own homemade Binchotan water filter:
- Purchase some Binchotan Charcoal (it’s both inexpensive & easily available from online stores like Amazon).
- Boil a stick of Binchotan charcoal for 10 minutes in a pan. Allow to cool.
- Place the Binchotan stick in a pitcher, or jug, containing tap water and leave to sit for around 4-8 hours, or overnight, to allow it to absorb contaminants and mineralise the water. I recommend using a glass jug or container of a size that suits your needs. For example, I use a Kilner glass dispenser, which works really well for me as it provides enough water for drinking and cooking throughout the day.
It’s recommended you re-boil the Binchotan stick every month or so and use a completely new charcoal stick approximately every 3 -6 months. The beauty of Binchotan charcoal sticks is that after you have used one to filter water with, you can then re-use it by placing it in the fridge to absorb smells or simply compost it in your garden.
To make an inexpensive Binchotan charcoal water filter pitcher or portable water bottle yourself why not try popping a piece of Binchotan charcoal into your favourite water jug or personal water bottle for a freshly filtered water supply at home and or on the go?
Other Binchotan Charcoal Products You Might Like:
- Binchotan toothbrushes
- Binchotan facial puffs
- Binchotan charcoal facial cleansing mask
- Binchotan charcoal body scrub towel.
Hi. Excellent post on Binchotan charcoal water filtering. I was not familiar with this concept at all prior to reading your blog. I pay a good amount of money every month for bottled water and I have been looking for another alternative that would save me some money. After reading your post, I’m going to give Binchotan charcoal a try and see how I like it. Thanks for the informative post. Keep up the good work.