How to Use Charcoal

 

Before using the charcoal pieces it is important to wash and boil the charcoal for 10 minutes to clean and sterilize the pieces. This process can be repeated weekly to help prevent bacteria contamination.

Charcoal Water Purification

 

3 kinds of Charcoal i) Bamboo ii) Wood from Laos PDR iii) Eucalyptus wood

Experimenting with Water – Discussion

For those interested in reading more on others experiences with different sources of water I recommend going to Teachat’s forum on this topic – Experimenting with Water. The exchange gets heated at times and covers broad and wide ranging opinions and practices by passionate tea enthusiasts. It is a fun and informative read for tea lovers with an interest to experiment and with the goal towards getting the utmost from their tea session.

Testing Water LOT 1 – Brewing the 2005 Gan En Ban Zhang Part 2

 

The 2005 Gan En Ban Zhang is a semi aged puerh tea. The tea has shred most of its youthful green characteristics and is in the initial stages of developing dark characters with low and heavy notes. The tea leaves are giving and provide a substantial brew with strong Cha Qi.

Testing Water LOT 1 – Natural Springs from Australia, Fuji, Iceland, Scotland Part 1

 

The clarity and purity of the natural spring water and underlying sweetness in the above bottles highlights the quality that is missing in my local tap water. From left to right i) Scotland, ii) Fuji, iii) Iceland, iv) Australia

Looking for Improvements - Water for Brewing Tea

For much of the last 5 years I have relied on my Amway eSpring to purify the local tap water and provide me with the water I need to brew my tea.  It is a practice of convenience and one that has yielded satisfactory results but fails to put a shine on some of the teas I know can really excel with the right water.