Ok, now I have some bamboo charcoal...

[Jayaratna]

Dear all,

I've read attentively all the recent posts about Bamboo charcoal, and finally dared buying a pack, which smuggled itself smoothly through our everything-blocking-italian customs.

Now, I've read some people just keep it in water storage tanks, while others put a piece in their kettle for boiling water. What's the difference between the two methods?

Then, second question, should I put a piece in my kettle too, how big or heavy should it be for a 1 L kettle of water?

Finally, third question, how should it be stored before use?

Thanks for all your suggestions,

A

[Victoria]

I doubt there is much difference between the two methods. I keep one piece in my kettle all the time and replace it about once a month. I store the unused in the box they come in, and put that box in a ziplock bag.

Before use, I rinse the charcoal piece under running water with my fingers to get the dust off.

[teaguy]

I don't use it in my kettle - just in my large water jug. Like Victoria, I rinse it well before use. Every 2 months or so, I take it out of the water jug and leave it in a sunny spot for several days, then it's ready to put back in the water (I rotate 3 large pieces of charcoal for this).

The question of how much to use seems related more to surface area than weight, as the contact with the charcoal is what improves the water. You can see the pieces I have and how I use them here:

http://www.taiwanteaguy.com/2009/02/19/bamboo-charcoal/

For storage, the original packaging should work well. Keep it in a dry place and it should be fine. In Taiwan we generally can use a good sized piece for a year or more, as long as it gets a 'break' every couple of months.

[Jayaratna]

Thank you, Victoria and Teaguy, your answers are really exhaustive.
One last question: would you recommend to use BC on filtered (brita) water or tap water would be better?

Thanks again,
A

[teaguy]

You're more than welcome! Hope (some anyway) of what I said was useful.

I would go ahead and run it through the filter first, but certainly try it with and without and see if it tastes different to you. Intuit would be your best source for more detail on filtering systems and effects of charcoal; I think there has been some discussion of this somewhere in here, but it's 1am and I'm falling asleep on my keyboard! (Should have had a pot of TKY this evening!).

Enjoy your tea!

[Jayaratna]

Thank you a lot! BC in sitting in water now.

A