Vitev Mineral #3 – Tourmaline and Infrared Ceramics

Within all of our filters you’ll find a blend of ceramic balls of different colors, Tourmaline and Far-Infrared Ceramics. When we were developing our mineral blend, they were the 2 ingredients we were most unsure of. We’ll explain why and also why we decided to use them, but first some info on what they are.

Composition

They ceramics we use are first a gemstones with a crystalline structure. Which is why you often see them as jewelry. They come in different colors and mineral make-ups, usually relying on silica, potassium, sodium and lithium for the majority of their composition. To make them functional in water, the gems are ground up into very fine powder and then mixed with binding agents, mostly clay. They are then compressed into small diameter balls and fired in a kiln for about 10 hours at 800 degrees, like pottery.

We get a uniform shape with lots of surface area, perfect when working with set volumes of space.

Taste

We went through countless iterations and lots of tests to come up with a mineral mix that worked like we wanted. One of the things we noticed when the ceramics were removed, thinking we could free up space for additional magnesium and a more powerful filter, the taste of the water changed. It’s hard to describe, but it was flatter, staler and not as soft. It just wasn’t as good.

Many of us love more power, but we also know it doesn’t matter how beneficial something is for us, if it tastes bad we won’t use it. So we prioritized taste (and feel) and amazingly enough, it’s the first “like” we hear from those who drink the water. The other benefits come later, but taste is immediate.

The improved taste also translates to the things made with the water. Coffee, tea, soups, smoothies, etc.

Good Vibes

For those interested in or a part of what’s known as “alternative” health, energy and frequencies are an exciting and up-and-coming niche. This is mostly what Tourmaline and other ceramics are known for because they emit a negatively charged ion. WebMD has a good introduction on why that’s important. These ions can impart balancing vibrational frequencies into water, through jewelry or via other projective devices meant to limit the harmful radiation of cell-phones, computers and other wireless electronics.

It’s used as a way to balance and detox the body. Improving circulation, metabolism and one’s emotional mood. There are detoxing mats, infrared saunas and if you’ve seen baseball players wearing the thick rope necklace, they are correcting frequencies as well.

Most of the “proof” for these benefits are anecdotal or testimonial based, but as with most things “alternative”, there is a growing body of evidence coming from Asia. Like this study showing how the far-infrared spectrum improves the immune system (leukocytes are white blood cells).

Our decision

When we looked at those 2 major areas we decided it was worth losing some of the Magnesium’s power in favor of the more subtle improvements we could obtain from Tourmaline and Far IR ceramics. Can we prove it? Nope. But you can definitely taste and feel it.