Binchotan Charcoal Water Purifying Sticks
“By far the easiest and best looking way to improve the taste of tap water”
水 · water
Binchotan Charcoal Water Purifying Sticks
One stick of Binchotan white charcoal improves the taste of a litre of tap water for three months. All you have to do is rinse it, boil it, drop it in a jug, and enjoy the taste of better tap water.
The sticks ship in one envelope, so buying three or six costs less to send. We pass that saving straight on.
In stock
Free UK delivery over £40
How to use it
- Rinse it under cold water, then boil it for ten minutes and let it dry
- Drop one stick into 1 litre of tap water
- Leave it for at least two hours; overnight works better
- Refill the jug as you go, and re-boil the stick every three or four weeks
Reawakening the charcoal
Every three or four weeks, boil it again for ten minutes and let it dry in the air. That reopens the pores. After around three months, it's done its job: crush it into a plant pot, pop it in the fridge, or leave it in a shoe.
Where it comes from
Binchotan takes its name from Wakayama prefecture, where ubame oak has been charred at over 1,000°C and finished under a blanket of ash and sand since the 1690s. It's one of the slowest, most demanding ways to make charcoal there is, and it's the traditional method our sticks are styled on.
Delivery & returns
Dispatched from the UK within 2-3 working days. Free over £40. If it's unopened, you can return it within 30 days.
What changes
Three things you notice in the first week.
The taste settles
Chlorine's the first thing to go. Tea and coffee made with treated water taste rounder within a week or two, usually the first thing people mention to us.
A small thing to tend to
Boil it, dry it, put it back. Ten minutes a month makes enough of a difference to notice, but not enough to become a bother.
Nothing is thrown away
After three months it retires into a plant pot, a fridge shelf, or a shoe. It can do a lot more than filter water, from removing moisture, odours and more.
“I bought it because I wanted my tap water to taste better, but it looks great too and I’ve stopped buying bottled water entirely.”
The ritual · 養生
Ten minutes to start. Ten minutes a month after that.
The whole practice, start to finish.
Rinse and boil
Ten minutes in boiling water opens the pores and clears the dust of the kiln.
Fill the jug
One stick to a litre. Leave it a couple of hours if you can, overnight if you're patient.
Boil it again
Ten minutes every three or four weeks reopens the pores. Nothing else to do.
Let it go
At three months it retires to a plant pot, the fridge or a pair of shoes.
Three hundred years of it
Binchotan's been used to keep water sweeter since the Edo period.
Binchotan takes its name from Bitchū-ya Chōzaemon, a charcoal merchant in Tanabe who refined the firing method in the 1690s. It was originally made for cooking (the heat's steady enough that grill cooks still swear by it) and it found its way into water jars, rice pots and shoe cupboards because it kept everything nearby a little fresher.
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1690s · Genroku
Bitchū-ya Chōzaemon refines the firing of ubame oak in Tanabe. The charcoal takes his name.
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Edo kitchens
Kept in water jars and rice barrels as much as in the grill, a household habit long before it was a wellness one.
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Today · Wakayama
A handful of kilns still fire binchotan the traditional way, grading each batch by ring and colour before it's ready.
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Your kitchen
The same idea, three hundred years on: a jug of water on a counter, a charcoal stick improving the flavour.
Compared with
One stick against a cupboard of plastic.
| Measure | hoyojo | Filter jug | Bottled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic used per year | None | 4–12 cartridges | ~200 bottles |
| Cost per year | From £56 | £45–90 | £150+ |
| Replacement rhythm | Every 3 months | Every 4 weeks | Every few days |
| Needs power or fitting | No | No | No |
| What it leaves behind | Compost | Landfill | Landfill |
| Worth looking at | Yes | Not really | No |
What people say
4.9
From 212 people
Our tap water's hard where I am and you can taste the pipes in it. I didn't notice it anymore after a couple of weeks which is great!
I got one for myself and ended up buying three more as gifts, won't have tap water without these ever again
honestly went in pretty sceptical but my tea does taste a lot better than before
I always keep a jug of water on my windowsill and it's the nicest-looking thing in my kitchen lol
We've stopped getting through filter cartridges, which was why I tried it to begin with. One boil a month is all it needs
Didn’t expect it to make much difference, but the water tastes noticeably cleaner
just need to drop one in the jug and leave it to do its thing
Origin
Fired slowly, then smothered in ash and sand.
That finishing step is what gives binchotan its pale coat and its hardness. The same thing that makes it beautiful is what makes it work: a surface riddled with pores helps absorb different impurities from the water.
Before you buy
Does it actually filter the water?
Not in the cartridge sense, nothing gets strained out. Activated carbon (which is what binchotan is) is well documented for reducing chlorine and improving taste and odour, and it releases a few trace minerals back into the water as it works. If you're concerned about lead or bacteria, you'd want a certified filter for that, not charcoal.
What water can I use it in?
Any tap water that your local water supplier or authority says is safe to drink. It's designed to improve taste and odour, not to make unsafe water safe, so don't use it with water of unknown or questionable quality.
Can I add flavourings or anything else to the water?
Not directly into the jug the stick's sitting in; keep that water plain. If you want something flavoured, pour some off into a separate glass or jug first and add whatever you like there.
How long does one stick last?
Each stick lasts around three months in daily use when used in 1 litre of water, provided you re-boil it every three or four weeks to reopen the pores. After that it stops taking anything on, but it's still useful in a fridge, a shoe or a plant pot.
Will it make the water black?
No. Rinse it under the tap before the first boil and it won't shed. Binchotan is fired hard enough to ring like metal; it's not the soft charcoal you get in a barbecue bag.
Can I use it in a kettle or a bottle?
A bottle, jug or carafe is fine. We wouldn't put it in a kettle you boil dry. One stick per litre is the ratio to stick to.
What if I don't get on with it?
Almost no-one complains about our Binchotan Charcoal Water Purifying Sticks, but if you're unhappy with yours, get in touch with our friendly team who will be happy to help.
Start with one stick.
Enjoy better tasting tap water in a way that looks great and costs just pence per day.