America's Choice Lump Charcoal nakedwhiz.com       Home       Lump Review Index       Quick Stats Date Of Review: April, 2008 Purchased From: Superfresh (A&P) Date Purchased: February, 2008 Price: $5.99 Weight: 8.8 pounds Burn Time: Ash Production: Type of Wood: Unknown Strange Material?: None Scrap Lumber Pieces?: None Smell: American hardwood smokiness Country of Origin: USA Quick Links Other Information: Click Here Unusual Or Unique Statements: Click Here Statements From The Bag: Click Here Lighting Instructions: Click Here Photos of Contents: Click Here Other Photos: Click Here Photo of UPC Code: Click Here Contact Information: Click Here Rate And Comment On This Charcoal: Click Here Commentary This charcoal was sent to us by a reader and is being sold in supermarkets in the A&P chain. Although it doesn't say much on the bag or the A&P website, it appears to be an American hardwood charcoal. While sorting the bag, we found no scrap or strange materials which don't belong in a bag of charcoal. We did find a few very small pieces of uncarbonized wood, nothing to complain about. The distribution of sizes was a bit disappointing with very little medium or large pieces and the vast majority of the bag being small pieces. The 18.8% chips and dust was at the upper end of what we would rate as average: Large 0.5 pounds 5.7% Medium 1.1 pounds 11.3% Small 6.1 pounds 64.3% Chips/Dust 1.8 pounds 18.8% Total 9.5 pounds In our ease of lighting test, it took 2.5 sheets of newspaper in a chimney starter to light the charcoal. This is very low compared to other charcoals. It was easy to start and the fire spread relatively quickly when lighting in a cooker. The smell of the burning charcoal is the typical American hardwood charcoal smell, very pleasant. While the charcoal burned in the chimney starter, there was very little crackling, virtually no sparking and no popping at all. The charcoal burned quite hot, reaching 930 degrees, which is high compared to other charcoals. There was very little sparking and no popping while burning at maximum temperature. When being lit with a MAPP torch, there was also very little sparking and popping, but as always, exercise care when using a MAPP torch to light charcoal. Finally, the burn time was high compared to other charcoals and the ash production was low. So, there are lots of good things to say about this charcoal except for the large amount of chips/dust and small pieces. The the burn time is high, the ash is low, the max temp is high. However, the price which is quite good for 8.8 pounds is actually quite high if you look at the price per pound of usable charcoal. If only they could screen their charcoal better! We give it our Above Average rating. To the left is the rating that our readers have given this charcoal. If you have used this charcoal and would like to rate it and leave your comments, Click Here To view reader ratings of all brands, Click Here. Other Information None. Unusual or Unique Statements None. Statements From The Bag "Natural Lump Charcoal", "100% All-Natural Wood Charcoal", "Lights Easy", "Burns Cleaner", "Makes Food Taste Great" "CHARCOAL TIPS: Charcoal is sensitive to air and will light and burn quite readily. Make adjustments in your air vents and grill lid to control the rate of burning." "STARTER TIPS: We suggest using starters such as fire starter cubes, a charcoal chimney or an electric starter. They are economical, ecological, and easy to use!" "Quality Assured", "Satisfaction Guaranteed Or Your Money Back" Lighting Instructions "LIGHTING INSTRUCTIONS For best results, start your fire 15 minutes before cooking 1. Arrange America's Choice Natural Lump Charcoal in a pile. Sprinkle with America's Choice Charcoal Lighter Fluid. 2. Wait one minute for the fluid to soak in. Light the pile in several places. 3. Wait 10-15 minutes or until natural wood is ashed over. Spread charcoal before barbecuing." Photos Of Contents This is the contents of the bag. Those are 1 inch squares on the measuring bar. Here is a closer view. Here are the larger pieces we found in the bag. Here are the uncarbonized pieces we found in the bag. Here are the contents of the bag sorted into medium, small, and too small/chips/dust. Other Photos This is how the bag arrived. Photo of UPC Code Here is a photo of the UPC code on the bag: Contact Information The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. www.aptea.com apcustomerrel@aptea.com