While North American lump charcoal has a carbon content of about 75%, binchotan has a carbon content of between 93 and 96%. This means there’s no room for impurities that could negatively taint the flavour of your food. You get a pure source of heat with minimal smoke, aside from the flavourful puffs created by drippings that hit the charcoal. The intense heat produced by binchotan quickly gives the exterior of the meat a delicious crust and leaves the flavourful morsels extremely juicy.

Tosa Binchotan Grade 2 is known for its irregular sizes, typically ranging from 2cm to 5cm by 6 cm to 20 cm. As a natural product, some uneven pieces may occur, sourced from the Tosa region.

That high carbon content also means that binchotan can be a challenge to start. Ideally, you want a charcoal chimney and a big wad of newspaper to get it going.