Organic Charcoal Briquettes by Olivette, Reusable Charcoal for Grilling, USDA Certified, Recycled Olive Tree Byproduct, Ready to Light, 6.6 lb. Bag Equal to 20 lb. of a Regular Charcoal, 2-Bag PackUSDA Organic

The item works well

As advertised. Works great.

Some of the claims are a bit extravagant and it is eye-wateringly expensive, but it does give off very little smoke and smell. I found that using normal charcoal in my cheap barbecue filled the neighborhood with smoke (I am amazed nobody complained) but these briquettes are much better. I am not embarrassed to grill anymore.It does also seem to burn hotter than conventional charcoal, which is better for cooking. I still use propane to light it - it can take a while to get up to temperature after the propane has burnt off, but does get there.

I decided to try this eco-friendly charcoal after a few months of using traditional charcoal briquettes and wood lump from my local stores. The smoke from my old bags of briq/lump charcoal was pretty intense -- basically made all of my clothing smell like they had been burned in a house fire and made my lungs feel like I had smoked a pack of cigarettes after each BBQ session. The smoke would also drift into my neighbors residence since our BBQ is on the patio and we are living in a small / close community... so I wanted to find something that could provide equivalent heat and experience, but cut down on the nuisance created by all the toxic smoke.After using Olivette as an alternative to my traditional charcoals, I can say that I'm 100% satisfied with this product. I placed the charcoal in a $15 chimney starter (must have for any BBQ aficionado imo!) and used some non-toxic Weber lighter cubes instead of newspaper, and this combination cut down on the smoke issue by about 99%. By the time the coals got red hot (approx. 10 -15 mins in the starter), the heat was clean and clear, and the smell was mild compared to anything I've ever used before. I was slow cooking my meat and the charcoal was still hot 2 hrs later. No complaints from neighbors and no extremely funky clothing either.So happy to grill now without feeling like I'm going to choke to death!5 Stars-AJ

Packaging • Very securely packaged in tightly wound tape and bubble wrap. It's a challenge to remove.There is a carrying handle built into the paper bag, which is a nice touch.The intricately knotted/ threaded bag closure (string) is the type that gives us ordinary mortals yet another reason to celebrate the invention of scissors.Briquettes • Very uniform in shape, and there is almost no dust in the bag as far as I can tell.Time to light • I put the briquettes into a barbecue chimney, with fire starters made of straw underneath (they burn very hot). The briquettes became lit faster than I expected.Smoke • The manufacturer's claim that there's little to no smoke as the coals are lit is accurate.Heat • For all that they caught pretty quickly, these briquettes didn't get as hot as the Kingsford ones I normally use. I had trouble getting the marinated chicken I was cooking properly blackened on the outside. The coals just didn't get hot enough for that.So—maybe not good for searing + fast cooking in the kind of grill I use (Weber)—but might be fine for slower cooking, or fast grilling in a cooker that lets you put the grate very close to the coals.I definitely appreciated the minimal smoke during "startup."

Clean and well packed

I don't know what people use these for. I myself was looking for something to help keep me warm... I'm 48 and never, been warm one fall winter or spring in my life. I like candles in the winter because they add heat .. but I'm still always cold... These little things, on a 4 inch clay pot saucer with the pot turned over it... Are the first time, my toes haven't been cold... In years... Can I say thank you. I do believe it will make it possible for me to move in the winter. The heat is correct as well, soothes all my injured bones that cause arthritis pain... Thank you... A good three hours of healthy heat and two hours of reducing .. but magic to my bones. Thank you.

I bought Organic Charcoal Briquettes by Olivette, Reusable Charcoal for Grilling, USDA Certified, Recycled Olive Tree Byproduct, Ready to Light BBQ Charcoal, 6.6 lb. Bag Equal to 20 lb. Regular Charcoal because of the hype of longer burn time, "ready to light" and as an equivilent to 20 lbs of "regular" charcoal and reusable. Regretfully, it has none of those attributes.Pros:• Leaves less ash than "regular" charcoal briquettes• Burn as hot and long as "regular" charcoal briquettes, about 30-40 minutesCons:• Leaves less ash only because they are smaller than "regular" charcoal briquettes• Are NOT reusable. They burn up just as fast as "regular" charcoal briquettes• They are no easier to light than "regular" charcoal briquettes• There is no way this bag can be the equivelent of a 20 pound bag of "regular" charcoal briquettesI did not get around to testing/using these briquettes until the return window was close, so that's on me, but Organic Charcoal Briquettes by Olivette are a complete waste of money.