I can’t remember how I found out about sticks of charcoal but I’m so glad I did!
I’ve been using charcoal to filter our tap water for over 2 years now and it’s awesome!
What I like about filtering tap water with charcoal
- it doesn’t use any plastic
- the only thing that gets thrown away will decompose
- the throwaway part can be used for other things
- the filter lasts 6 months
- the carafe has a nice look about it
- the carafe is light and sturdy
- you can put the carafe in the fridge or leave it out for room temperature water
- I use it in cooking, when I boil food, and for soaking things like lentils
The design
Hand-blown glass & natural cork stopper
The carafe is made of glass and the cork is sustainably sourced in Portugal.
Ergonomic design
The carafe is easy to hold and pour from.
Will it fit?
The carafe has been designed to make sure it fits in all fridge doors.
The reason it’s worth filtering with charcoal
What is it?
The Japanese have been using Binchotan to purify their water for centuries.
Binchotan is an active carbon made from tree branches and is renowned for its ability to soften water, add good minerals and absorb unwanted tastes and odours, such as chlorine.
How it works…
The charcoal is ready to use straight away. There’s no faff involved.
- Remove it from the packaging
- Fill the carafe with tap water
- Put the cork on top and to taste a difference, leave it for a minimum of one hour before you drink it
You can use it in any bottle.
How long does it last?
After three months, I usually recharge the charcoal by boiling it for ten minutes. This washes out the impurities and frees the charcoal up to absorb some more.
You can refresh it as many times as you want. The life of the charcoal is six months, regardless of how many times you boil it.
Can I use it if it breaks?
Oh yes! If the stick breaks, it doesn’t matter. Keep using it in the same way as before.
How to use the charcoal sticks after six months
- use it as fertiliser
- use it to freshen up smelly shoes
- use it to deodorise cat litter
The following update was added in January 2020
Why I switched from using the carafe by black+blum to one sold by Ethical Superstore
I found that we kept filling the carafe a little too much, which meant the cork would get wet and mouldy. It was easily rectified by soaking the cork in lemon juice, washing it, drying it and putting it back on the carafe, but it was a bit too much faff for me.
We went overfilling it in an obvious way, but when one of us moved the carafe, there was enough water for it to move and touch the cork.
So we tried these in the large and the small and haven’t looked back! The design it much better, in that, it seems to prevent us overfilling it in any way whatsoever. Thus the cork doesn’t get wet and there’s no faff.
More information
Small bottle made of recycled glass
Large bottle made from recycled glass
The Eau Carafe by Black + Blum
The Daily Mail: Charcoal ‘makes water healthier’: Adding a stick could improve the taste and can remove impurities such as chlorine
Drink filtered water when you’re on the move
The charcoal
I usually buy a few sticks together. I check out the prices on a few different websites and then decide where to purchase it from. Simply search for “charcoal water filter sticks” and you’ll find it.
