Kishu Charcoal Regular size for Pitchers. The finest form of activated charcoal. Fits in any pitcher. Made by Japanese artisans. The simple, green way to filter water.

I grew up with the best drinking water (NYC), so living in LA it really stands out how awful and undrinkable the water is. I grew tired of contributing to plastic bottle waste so I got the idea to try using two of these broken kishu packs (so that's 4 charcoal pieces total) in a 2 quart glass jar and let them soak for 36-48 hours (yes that's a lot of water to Kishu ratio), then I pour the kishu water into a Brita to filter out the charcoal and dust sediment (the brita is useless without Kishu, FYI). I did a taste test between tap, just brita, and then the kishu/brita, and compared it with crystal geiser. Tap and brita tasted the same (gross), The 36+ hour soaked Kishu water poured into Brita was the cleanest tasting water I've ever had out of a faucett here in LA - when I drank it next to the crystal geiser it was honestly super close in terms of smoothness and made me realise crystal geiser is probably just bottled filtered tap water. I was utterly shocked. I don't know how often I'll have to replace this system since the water is so dirty here, but I am really so happy to finally have found something that works!! Edit: I recently graduated to a 1.5 gallon glass jar for soaking because I needed to drink more water and it's working just as well, maybe can taste a tiny bit more chlorine but still good. Also, I don't think I mentioned that this method does not work if you put your kishu directly in your brita pitcher. Something about the kishu absorbs the plastic and it gets into the water (I could taste it at least), so that's why I soak first with a glass jar.

I bought both the washed and the unwashed versions. They are equally effective but I think I prefer the unwashed simply because they're a better value as far as cost. They make some of the cleanest tasting water I've ever had! Every now and then I throw them in a pot and boil them for about 10 minutes and refresh them. I do that more than they say you need to. I'm not sure if it makes any difference or not but it certainly hasn't hurt the effectiveness of them.

I love the plastic-free natural simplicity of the charcoal stick filter, and eco-friendly compostable packaging a big plus. From the photo, I expected 2 sticks in one package (and somewhat larger sized), but it is just ONE stick (as description states). My stick broke in half after 1 day in my glass water pitcher, just from being lightly knocked around from pouring water out. There is some charcoal dust in the water, which is harmless.. perhaps a result of the stick broken in half. The downside is that this size stick only filters 3.75 cups of water, with an 8 hour waiting period for optimum results. So one pot of tea and then you need to wait 8 hours to enjoy more filtered water. Kishu: $13+$5 ship=$18 each, needs replacing after 4 months according to package, (not 6 mos as description says on amazon). vs. Brita filter $5 each (when bought in 3 pack) every 3 months. I have tossed my Brita, as I'm trying to eliminate plastic in our home. The Kishu stick would make a great travel buddy when you need filtered water at a hotel or overnight stay. However for home use, I use a lot of water for cooking/drinking/sprouting, so I purchased a Berkey stainless steel water filter, which actually *purifies* water (not just filters) and love it.

I got this oak filter about 6 months ago and followed the directions for boiling it. I love the taste of the water. Its always in a full pitcher on my counter and is usually refilled every day. I boiled it again at 6 months. The taste is clean and pleasant. It's inexpensive, organic, easy to use and maintain with the promise of a long life. You really cannot beat the price, durability, safety and convenience.

I have to say that this is one of the best investments I have ever made! The Kishu Charcoal is amazing; it really is as good as they say it is. The water tastes better than the expensive bottled water I use to buy. The Kishu not only saves you money by no longer needing to buy bottled water, it also save on the environment by not having to thow away all of those plastic bottles. Not sure why some people gave this product a bad review? The trick is you need a GLASS pitcher, and you need several hours for the Kishu to do its job. I fill my glass pitcher up at night before I go to bed, and then in the morning I have great tasting, filtered water at a fraction of the cost I was paying before. If you are hesitant of buying this product...don't be!

So happy I found these! My Britta pitcher had broken and I was pricing filters. I came across these and will never go back. I use 4 of the broken sticks (equals 2 Regular sized ones) for a 1 gallon jar. It works great overnight. I then fill smaller glass bottles to make it easier to pour. We always have filtered water. I have very hard well water which tastes good, but creates buildup. I think this water is easier on our teeth and tastes as good or better than bottled water. I love that I can reuse these to help with odor when they are done filtering water. And then after that there is no plastic waste. It's a win-win! Buy them! You won't regret it.

Although I like the natural quality of this product and the concept of a plastic-free water filter, unfortunately, it is not very effective. It does filter the water but not as well as the standard Brita filter. Even after 24 hours, the water was better tasting but not as clean tasting as a Brita filter pitcher (the Brita filter was almost at the end of its life by the way...

I LOVE this item. It is incredibly easy to use and I kid you not, the water quality is insanely better. It tastes so smooth, pure and clean. Truly will never be without it now. Also, my coffee machine water filter was discontinued but now I can don’t need it with this gorgeous way to filter my water!! Anddd it’s eco friendly?? Come on. Perfect.

As expected , love it