I'm proud to announce that Gordon from Dragon Tea House has taken bamboo charcoal into his selection on my recommendation.
It's neat to be able to purchase the charcoal from the very same eBay store one buys some quality teas from & save some dough on combined shipping.
http://cgi.ebay.com/6-Bamboo-Charcoal-S ... .m14.l1262
Sep 10th, '09, 12:38
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Re: Bamboo Charcoal
Moderator Post: I moved this to Teaware and Accessories since it has broader appeal than just Black tea.
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Re: Bamboo Charcoal
If I use bottle mountain spring soft water, can I still use bamboo charcoal to add minerals to my water and reduce ph levels, so that my darker oolongs would benefit from it`s effect?
Re: Bamboo Charcoal
FWIW, I use a brita pitcher, and if I used the bamboo with the charcoal, the tea tasted too 'soft'. The brita filters are filled with charcoal, so it's already good water for tea, just my 2¢
Re: Bamboo Charcoal
I disagree. I use the Adagio filter pitcher, but keep a piece of charcoal in my kettle. It seems to help the flavor be a little rounder less flat.
Re: Bamboo Charcoal
There are less expensive sources for Bamboo charcoal on ebay if one does a search.
I use a Brita + a stick of bamboo charcoal in the pitcher. Seems good to me.
I use a Brita + a stick of bamboo charcoal in the pitcher. Seems good to me.
Sep 10th, '09, 13:57
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chicagopotter
Re: Bamboo Charcoal
Last time I was at Mistuwa in the Chicago suburbs, they had a whole end-cap of various charcoals for filtering...
Re: Bamboo Charcoal
Can someone who reads chinese characters affirm that Gordon's product wrapper specifically claims that this is activated charcoal?
Generally speaking, if you don't have forced active flow over small diameter activated charcoal *chips* in a packed bed filter, you have relatively inefficient contaminant absorption due to limited contact surface area and 'deadzone' (bottom of pitcher) mixing dynamics.
But if adding this expensive chunk o' burnt cheap wood makes your water or tea 'tastes better', go for it!
Generally speaking, if you don't have forced active flow over small diameter activated charcoal *chips* in a packed bed filter, you have relatively inefficient contaminant absorption due to limited contact surface area and 'deadzone' (bottom of pitcher) mixing dynamics.
But if adding this expensive chunk o' burnt cheap wood makes your water or tea 'tastes better', go for it!
Re: Bamboo Charcoal
Oni, you would benefit from use of mineral boiling chips to add a small amount of mineral back to your water if the water is 'soft'. It's unlikely that this bamboo charcoal will provide mineral hardness.
If you have relatively soft spring water, you don't need to worry about bringing the pH down. It's got poor mineral content for naturally buffering acid ions and is therefore weakly acidic. Not all spring water is soft, however - it can have significant mineral hardness. Buy pH test strips from an aquarium supply store to test your water pH.
If you have relatively soft spring water, you don't need to worry about bringing the pH down. It's got poor mineral content for naturally buffering acid ions and is therefore weakly acidic. Not all spring water is soft, however - it can have significant mineral hardness. Buy pH test strips from an aquarium supply store to test your water pH.
Re: Bamboo Charcoal
Ditto! The bamboo charcoal isn't equivalent to the activated charcoal in Brita-filters, which are good simply as such. Bamboo is bamboo & Brita is brita. Even with superior water (such as mine from a drilled well from 70 meters depth, with a fair mineral content) my experience is the bouquet gets a rounder rainbow of notes. I've had 'difficult' teas with outstanding brews after gimmicking my best ever water with bamboo charcoal!Victoria wrote:I disagree. I use the Adagio filter pitcher, but keep a piece of charcoal in my kettle. It seems to help the flavor be a little rounder less flat.
Re: Bamboo Charcoal
Aren't you getting a bit too much scientific?If there were more wrappers without txt / stating the activation as such to choose from, we'd be in your boots.Intuit wrote:Can someone who reads chinese characters affirm that Gordon's product wrapper specifically claims that this is activated charcoal?
Generally speaking, if you don't have forced active flow over small diameter activated charcoal *chips* in a packed bed filter, you have relatively inefficient contaminant absorption due to limited contact surface area and 'deadzone' (bottom of pitcher) mixing dynamics.
But if adding this expensive chunk o' burnt cheap wood makes your water or tea 'tastes better', go for it!
All in all, this was merely about bamboo charcoal, nothing too fancy. Besides. if ten bucks & a tad heaps to it seems too 'expensive', don't go for it!!
If a fraction of us meet our needs in believing in the non-existing (or not!), then please don't override everything as granted.
E.g, if someone prefers to 'spoil' his / her Vintage Darjeeling with a slice of lemon, it's their brew - not mine. I just might experiment / follow suit some day.
Whatever, can anybody verify damages on knock-out tea after having used non-activated fake /useless bamboo charcoal?
Re: Bamboo Charcoal
One thing I forgot: I've been on top quality water for 14 years & can't even remember what tap water tasted like. Therefore I just might have a biased angle on this matter.
What I wanted to point out, you can broaden up your experiences with an expensive chunk of a burnt crap of a stalk of bamboo charcoal, cheap wood...
A quote from Gordon's site:
"Bamboo charcoal is made up from pieces of bamboo, which are taken from plants five years or older, and burned inside an oven at temperatures over 800° C. Bamboo charcoal is an environmentally functional material which has excellent absorption properties.
Bamboo material has extraordinary micro-structure: it produces high absorptive capacity after carbonization, and becomes more effective after activation. Bamboo charcoal can be used for purifying water, eliminating organic impurity substances and smells. Drinking water sterilized with chlorine is to be treated with bamboo charcoal to remove the residue chlorine and chlorides.
* Put it in the water when you are making water for tea or cooking rice. The charcoal will absorb any chlorine, chemicals or odors from the water so the water get mellow and rice tastes better. Minerals from the bamboo charcoal will be diluted into the water and absorbed into the rice making the rice more nutritious.
* Put pieces of bamboo charcoal on the top of your television, computer and other home electronic devices. Bamboo charcoal has wonderful electromagnetic shielding benefits.
* Place some in your refrigerator for odor absorption. An extra piece in the vegetable bin will absorb ethylene gas and keep fruits and vegetables fresher, crisper and better tasting for longer.
* Soak some in a pitcher of water for four to five hours to purify your drinking water. Bamboo charcoal works as an antibacterial and an anti fungal removing harmful things from your water and improving the smell and taste.
* Drop a piece or two into your fish tank to keep the water clean for longer periods of time and the fish healthier.
* Keep some in your closets and drawers to keep clothes and shoes dry and smelling fresh.
* Bamboo charcoal can remove dampness, odors and poisonous gas of the bed, keep the air fresh inside the bed to give you a perfect and comfortable sleep.
* Relax in a hot bath with bamboo charcoal in your tub. The minerals will absorb into your bath water and into your skin. Bamboo charcoal keeps skin soft, joints pain free and helps with circulation.
The pack includes 6 slices. This type of charcoal is to be used as water purification purpose only, not as fuel."
What I wanted to point out, you can broaden up your experiences with an expensive chunk of a burnt crap of a stalk of bamboo charcoal, cheap wood...
A quote from Gordon's site:
"Bamboo charcoal is made up from pieces of bamboo, which are taken from plants five years or older, and burned inside an oven at temperatures over 800° C. Bamboo charcoal is an environmentally functional material which has excellent absorption properties.
Bamboo material has extraordinary micro-structure: it produces high absorptive capacity after carbonization, and becomes more effective after activation. Bamboo charcoal can be used for purifying water, eliminating organic impurity substances and smells. Drinking water sterilized with chlorine is to be treated with bamboo charcoal to remove the residue chlorine and chlorides.
* Put it in the water when you are making water for tea or cooking rice. The charcoal will absorb any chlorine, chemicals or odors from the water so the water get mellow and rice tastes better. Minerals from the bamboo charcoal will be diluted into the water and absorbed into the rice making the rice more nutritious.
* Put pieces of bamboo charcoal on the top of your television, computer and other home electronic devices. Bamboo charcoal has wonderful electromagnetic shielding benefits.
* Place some in your refrigerator for odor absorption. An extra piece in the vegetable bin will absorb ethylene gas and keep fruits and vegetables fresher, crisper and better tasting for longer.
* Soak some in a pitcher of water for four to five hours to purify your drinking water. Bamboo charcoal works as an antibacterial and an anti fungal removing harmful things from your water and improving the smell and taste.
* Drop a piece or two into your fish tank to keep the water clean for longer periods of time and the fish healthier.
* Keep some in your closets and drawers to keep clothes and shoes dry and smelling fresh.
* Bamboo charcoal can remove dampness, odors and poisonous gas of the bed, keep the air fresh inside the bed to give you a perfect and comfortable sleep.
* Relax in a hot bath with bamboo charcoal in your tub. The minerals will absorb into your bath water and into your skin. Bamboo charcoal keeps skin soft, joints pain free and helps with circulation.
The pack includes 6 slices. This type of charcoal is to be used as water purification purpose only, not as fuel."
Sep 10th, '09, 17:36
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Herb_Master
Re: Bamboo Charcoal
Thanks for pointing this out!
I shall be ordering some by and by, I have searched a few times and never found a satisfactory supplier. As I already do regular business with DTH this is perfect.
Then I shall have no excuses for not using the Water Canister that ColoraduPu made me!
But first I have to take a holiday, then I have to pay for the holiday, then I will make more tea orders! I was thinking maybe Jing, Maybe more Tea Habitat - but now it will probably be some of Gordon's rarer Wuyis!
I shall be ordering some by and by, I have searched a few times and never found a satisfactory supplier. As I already do regular business with DTH this is perfect.
Then I shall have no excuses for not using the Water Canister that ColoraduPu made me!
But first I have to take a holiday, then I have to pay for the holiday, then I will make more tea orders! I was thinking maybe Jing, Maybe more Tea Habitat - but now it will probably be some of Gordon's rarer Wuyis!
Re: Bamboo Charcoal
Don't shoot the messenger. You asked for bamboo activated carbon for water filtration; this is what Gordon supplied.
In order for absorption (physical or chemical) to take place, the water has to pass *though* the filtering material. Absorption takes place in the slim monolayer (one molecular thick layer) of water overlying the absorptive surface. In a filter pitcher, water at the bottom doesn't mix actively with the water near the top, unless you supply agitation. It's called a 'dead zone'.
In order for this charcoal chunk to effectively contact the bulk of the water in the filtered water basin while its sitting on the bottom, you need to shake or rotate the vessel briskly on a shaker/rotator platform. Lab supply houses sell them, but they tend to be a bit spendy for residential use..
The charred (and hopefully activated) bamboo is micro-porous, but it won't allow water to pass through the small porous easily because there is the issue of water surface tension (water tends to self associate by hydrogen-bonding - it's what makes water rather unique as a liquid).
Bulk water would need to be pushed with some nominal force through the carbonized wood body to contact interior layers. Therefore, once the limited (relative to the entire mass) surface active sites are saturated, you won't get absorptive capacity benefit from the carbonized layers beneath the surface.
The only benefit I can see from using this chunk charred bamboo, is that the very limited surface area won't give off much dust.
If you're thinking...long technical reply...blah, blah, blah...what do I care?
Then use it like swizzle stick, swish it around in your kettle before boiling the water, it will be more effective than just sitting on the bottom of the water filter container.
In order for absorption (physical or chemical) to take place, the water has to pass *though* the filtering material. Absorption takes place in the slim monolayer (one molecular thick layer) of water overlying the absorptive surface. In a filter pitcher, water at the bottom doesn't mix actively with the water near the top, unless you supply agitation. It's called a 'dead zone'.
In order for this charcoal chunk to effectively contact the bulk of the water in the filtered water basin while its sitting on the bottom, you need to shake or rotate the vessel briskly on a shaker/rotator platform. Lab supply houses sell them, but they tend to be a bit spendy for residential use..
The charred (and hopefully activated) bamboo is micro-porous, but it won't allow water to pass through the small porous easily because there is the issue of water surface tension (water tends to self associate by hydrogen-bonding - it's what makes water rather unique as a liquid).
Bulk water would need to be pushed with some nominal force through the carbonized wood body to contact interior layers. Therefore, once the limited (relative to the entire mass) surface active sites are saturated, you won't get absorptive capacity benefit from the carbonized layers beneath the surface.
The only benefit I can see from using this chunk charred bamboo, is that the very limited surface area won't give off much dust.
If you're thinking...long technical reply...blah, blah, blah...what do I care?
Then use it like swizzle stick, swish it around in your kettle before boiling the water, it will be more effective than just sitting on the bottom of the water filter container.