Bincho charcoal has many unique characteristics which require two key conditions required to make the best Bincho charcoal:
- Carbonize the charcoal in a Bincho kiln
- Use Ubamegashi Evergreen Oak for the raw material
Murayoshi's Four Step Process to Make Bincho Charcoal
1. Felling Cut a selection of "Ubamegashi" oaks that are suitable for Bincho charcoal materials.
Bind these branches into sheaves and carefully put them into the Bincho kiln in order.
2. Heating & Early Carbonization Burn firewood over the hole of the kiln. Narrow the hole to almost closed. Kiln heats up. This dehydration process removes the water from the raw lumber.
Then, onto the carbonization stage. Add more heat to the carbonized charcoal until its color turns to crimson.
3. Refining This time open the hole slightly. Heat rises to 2,400°F. The speed control of the carbonization decides the charcoal quality.
The smoke turns to violet color which is the decompletion color from the tar of wood. This is a sign that the carbonization is almost complete. When this smoke has faded, close the hole completely and the burning process is finished.
4. Cool down Two or three days later, take out the charcoal bit by bit from the kiln. If you open the hole before it's cool enough, the charcoal will catch and burn again. If that happens, it cannot be put out even by pouring water over it. The hole must be shut tight again to smother the fire. But, even so, if you wait too long, the quality of charcoal goes down.
Cover the charcoal with extinguishing powder, composed of ash mixed with water, until completely cooled down. Note: Bincho charcoal is called "White Charcoal" because of the ash used during this cooling process. After cooled, the Bincho charcoal is ready to go.The entire processes takes about one week, and generally speaking, it's considered very hard work!
