Binchotan Activated Charcoal Natural Water Purifying Sticks - 1/4 LB

This was my first time trying any kind of Kishu Binchotan Charcoal. I have been using Brita's water filters for years but the amount of plastic waste was getting to me. I've found it difficult for me to recycle the used filters and the cost of filters made me decide to try something new. FYI, the brita filters use charcoal in its filtersAlthough it seemed too good to be true that a piece of charcoal could help purify my water, I thought I would give it a try. After a quick rinse, I placed the charcoal in boiling water for 10 minutes as instructed. Letting it soak for several hours I poured myself a glass and gave it a try. I can definitely tell that it tastes better, but I am still not sure if it really removes the contaminants and chemicals. Maybe someone can do a water test to really see.Regardless, the results were enough that I will not buy Brita filters again. To me, it's more important to reduce plastic waste and also reduce my dependency on Brita to buy its pitchers and filters to drink water. The charcoal makes it versatile in the fact that you can place it any water container. It also sinks to the bottom so don't worry about it floating up and getting in the way.

I love these! I'd been using a brita water filter and wanted to switch from plastic to using glass and someone told me about using charcoal. You can taste the difference. Our water tastes fresher, cleaner and all around better. I highly recommend them. :)

I think that these filters are awesome. They work exactly as they are advertised. I just place mine in a clear blue one gallon jug. I only use one long piece or two small pieces. I boil it first to reactivate it then I place it in the jug with the water. The water turns out nice and sweet with a slight natural mineral taste. I highly recommend. They do need to be changed every 3 months.

I love the concept of using charcoal to purify my tap water. Initially, I didn't see the bubbles appearing on the sticks when using them with my tap water. Supposedly, this is evidence that the filtering is working. After a few times of re-activating them, I see the bubbles now. It improved the water taste and my stomach does not cramp as it would drinking water straight from the tap. I also don't get that throat-reflex sensation to stop drinking the water. I only wished that the water was left with that sweetened taste that leaves you wanting more. I experienced that with water in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I plan to order more to keep in the vegetable bin and my closets.

I use this to purify drinking water instead of a Brita filter. It works well if you leave it overnight, contrary to the package notes which say only a few hours. Otherwise I have no qualms. This is the most hip and chic way to purify water. Pretty soon you'll be writing poems and attending fashion shows.

My fiance was going through almost a gallon of water every day - $30/month! He is really particular about what kind of water he drinks and the taste is very important to him. He regularly drinks Crystal Geiser, Smartwater, and Fiji. I went out a whim and decided to buy these as a gift for him - they're awesome. We've been using them about 2 weeks and it is saving us so much money! He's happy with the way it tastes, describing it as "Fuller but clean". I drink tap and always though it was dumb to spend money on filtered water; now I'm considering buying some for myself. For $15 for a 3 month supply of water or more, these are a steal. We put ours in crystal geiser jugs and keep them on their side for better circulation. We let the charcoal sit a minimum of overnight before drinking. He's so particular! I can't believe how well they work!

To my surprise, this really does significantly improve the taste of my Berkey filtered water, which by itself is a huge improvement over nasty tap water. But this makes the Berkey water taste much smoother. I am not completely sure that this is purifying the water further, but I definitely can taste the improvement of taste. So I am guessing it is doing something to the water. I place one piece of Binchotan in my Berkey reservoir and one in my glass pitcher in my refrigerator. My order came very quickly and included 2 pieces of Binchotan. Highly recommended…but you may not be able to drink regular tap water again after using these.

Ordered this product along with a nice glass jug. Opened the beautiful minimalist package, popped the two good-sized sticks into a pot of boiling water, emptied the boiling water and charcoal into a strainer and rinsed them thoroughly with cool water. I popped them in my jugs, and put the jugs in the fridge for three hours.I can't believe how it transformed my tap water. I normally do not drink tap water at my house, it's pretty bad and lately it's had a very strong chemical odor. In three hours it was completely gone. I've been paying $100-200 a month for water delivery service and dispenser rental for my family and home office — it just hit me that I'm now looking forward to saving $1000+ a year by switching to this solution.