Bamboo Charcoal
The importance of using good water to brew good tea cannot be overstated. “Tea is 99% water” is a commonly used quote, and while it seems quite obvious, water quality is often overlooked or taken for granted. While there are dozens of water filtration systems and methods on the market today, there are some simple, traditional, low-tech ways to improve water quality. One method commonly used by tea afficionados here in Taiwan is bamboo charcoal.
Using charcoal to filter your water is very simple. The 
easiest way is to simply add 1 or 2 pieces of charcoal to a container of water, and allow it to soak (I usually let it stand covered overnight in my large water pot, but several hours will generally do the trick).
The charcoal will absorb chlorine and odors in the water, giving it a sweeter, 
‘cleaner’ taste, and you should notice a difference in your tea right away. You can use 1-2 pieces continuously for up to 6 months, although I usually will rotate pieces about every 8 weeks because I drink a lot of tea. I remove the bamboo, rinse it, and set it out to dry in direct sunlight for 1-2 days, which ‘recharges’ it. I can then continue to filter water with it for several more months, repeating this procedure for up to a year or so. When I’m done with it, I then crush it up and sprinkle it in the soil around house or garden plants, so it’s completely recycled.
Keep in mind this isn’t the charcoal you barbecue with in the backyard. It’s cleaner, not as sooty, and easier to handle. The charcoal I’m using here is ‘raw’ bamboo charcoal, which is produced by baking the bamboo culms at extremely high temperatures. It retains the shape and look of the original bamboo, making it useful as a decoration as well. You can set out a few pieces to help clean the air in a room, break up a few pieces on a saucer to deodorize your refrigerator (wet tea leaves are also good in the fridge, by the way), or a myriad of other purposes. Click HERE for a link to a site with more uses, or for some Wikipedia information.
I’m currently negotiating with a local dealer to supply me with bamboo charcoal on a regular basis, and will post prices and quantities when the details are worked out.
February 21st, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Tom Says:
Very interesting article, I have lived in Taiwan for a long time and never heard of this before. I can’t wait to get my hands on some bamboo charcoal to give it a try. I was even thinking of putting some in our water tank above the house, have you ever tried this?
February 21st, 2009 at 11:33 pm
teaguy Says:
Hi Tom,
Thanks for visiting my site! I hadn’t thought about using it like that before, but we have a community water tank, so there’s no individual tank for our place. You’d probably need a fair amount of charcoal for a large tank like that though, and as some of that water is used for showering, washing, etc. I’m not sure how beneficial it would be.
I’m also a bit curious where you are in Taiwan - if you’re in the Taipei area (or visiting), let me know. I’d be happy to buy you a cup of tea!
May 11th, 2009 at 4:55 am
Justin Says:
I hope you can work something out with a dealer, and supply us with some charcoal:) It’s kinda hard to find on the internet. How much does bamboo charcoal run in Taiwan?
July 15th, 2009 at 5:15 am
Jason Witt Says:
You’ve come through yet again with information I haven’t found in other places. Your writing is simple and to the point and I’m happy to say I’ve learned exactly what I wanted to know from this article. I was wondering how I could stretch the bamboo charcoal I buy here in the states and you’ve told me exactly how to do it. Thank you again.