How to Make Delicious Sparkling Water by Yourself?

In this article, we mainly discuss practical advice and tips for people to make sparkling water at home. The article covers (1) the theory of water carbonation (2) the difference between self-made sparkling water and the purchased sparkling water (3) the tools needed for self-made (4) the steps of self-made (5) methods to improve the flavor, etc.

The Theory of Sparkling Water

What is Sparkling Water?

Sparkling water usually refers to carbonated drinks containing carbon dioxide gas, which has tiny bubbles and a refreshing taste.

Common sparkling water in life includes mineral water, carbonated drinks, soda water, etc. Because the water contains natural or artificial carbon dioxide gas, it is compressed into the water to form bubbles, which also changes the original taste.

How is Water Carbonated?

Water carbonization is mainly formed by dissolving carbon dioxide gas into the water. The principle is based on physical and chemical processes.

First, put the water into a sealed container and introduce carbon dioxide through high pressure to dissolve the carbon dioxide into the water. When carbon dioxide dissolves in water, it reacts chemically with water molecules to form carbonic acid, which becomes carbonated water, which is also commonly known as sparkling water.

Common Carbonation Acid Methods

Common carbonation methods are mainly divided into artificial and natural methods. Natural carbonization is because some mineral water naturally contains carbon dioxide, so it contains bubbles. This carbonic acid method is formed naturally and does not require manual intervention. Therefore, it is rare, and the degree of carbonation is not high, which does not stimulate us in taste. Next, I will introduce the common artificial carbonation methods.

Household water carbonator: This is a very convenient way to inject carbon gas into water through household water carbonaters (such as Asfolia's water carbonator) to make homemade carbonated drinks. These equipment usually include a gas cylinder, a pressurized carbon gas device and a water bottle. Users only need to put water into the bottle and connect it to the device. The carbon dioxide gas can be injected into the water through a button or lever to achieve water carbonization.

 

Commercial water carbonator: It is more commonly used by beverage manufacturers, can be mass-produced, and is usually connected to beverage production lines. In addition, some restaurants and stores also use commercial  equipments.

Manual carbonation: This water carbonation method requires some professionalism and is usually used in laboratories and small-scale production. It is not recommended to experiment at home. Because it requires a dedicated carbon dioxide cylinder and connector.

 

Self-Made VS Purchase

To make sparkling water at home, you first need to buy a water carbonator, a fit bottle and a CO2 cylinders. Generally, such equipment can be purchased in all kinds of soda maker brands. For example, Asfolia's Oakleaf water carbonator adopts an innovative carbonation method, which can put different seasonings into bottles to make its own unique flavor.

The cost of a complete set of this sparkling water maker is about $70-300, which is determined by the quality, function, design and other factors. Currently, the common household water carbonator on the market uses 60L CO2 cylinders, all of which are compatible. About 60 liters of carbonated water can be produced per 60-liter CO2 cylinders. However, one disadvantage is that after using a 60-liter CO2 cylinder, it needs to be replaced. At present, many brands provide CO2 cylinders purchase and changes services, and the service system is very perfect and relatively convenient. For example, the SodaSense brand solves the changes problem to a certain extent.

Making sparkling drinks at home will be more economical than buying sparkling drinks at the aspect of longitudinal investment, although the cost of a single purchase will be higher than buying sparkling drinks directly. From the perspective of life, you can enjoy the fun of DIY carbonation drinks. You can share the sparkling drinks you make with everyone around you. Moreover, you can reduce the waste of plastic bottles and contribute to the protection of our shared environment.

 

Factors Affecting the Taste of Sparkling Drinks 

Generally, the factors affecting the taste of sparkling drinks are mainly temperature, pressure, container sealing, CO2 concentration, liquid composition, size of bubbles, stirring and vibration, beverage packaging and storage, etc.

• Temperature has a significant impact on the solubility of CO2. Cold water can dissolve more carbon dioxide, so the carbonization effect at low temperature is better, but be careful not to use frozen water, best water temperature is 37.4 °F.
• Higher pressure can make more CO2 dissolve in water, and if the pressure is low, it will cause carbon dioxide loss. The pressure is related to the design of sparkling water maker. For example, Asfolia's LED water carbonator can control the number of bubbles, that is, the amount of pressure according to the LED indicator light.
  
• The sealing of the container has a direct impact on the retention of carbon dioxide in sparkling drinks. If the seal is not tight enough, it will lead to the rapid loss of carbon dioxide, thus the taste of sparkling water will be diminished.
• Solvents in sparkling drinks, such as sugar, acidity and other substances, will affect the solubility of CO2 and the stability of bubbles. In general, high sugar and appropriate acidity can increase the durability of bubbles.
• Stirring and vibration will also accelerate the release of gas, causing bubbles to disappear quickly. Therefore, try to avoid violent stirring and shaking of carbonated drinks after opening the bottle. If you are using Asfolia's Oakleaf sparkling water maker, you can add the seasoning of the sparkling drink to the bottle to avoid pouring sparkling water into the cup to add the seasoning, which will lead to the loss of some gas.

Homemade Delicious Sparkling Drinks

Step 1: Purchase Sparkling Water Maker

First of all, we need to buy equipment to make sparkling drinks. At present, machines for making sparkling water can be divided into two categories. The first is portable, and the second is for home use. If you make sparkling water mainly for outdoor drinking, then I suggest you buy a portable sparkling water maker because it is compact and easy to carry. For example, Asfolia's Bush portable sparkling water maker is great. For only $30, you can enjoy the fun of making sparkling water outdoors.

 

Next, we will mainly discuss the household sparkling water maker, because the household sparkling water maker is more suitable in common public. And it can create more flavors.

At present, the mainstream sparkling water maker brands in the market are SodaStream, Asfolia, Drinkmate, Aarke and Ninja.

SodaStream is currently the brand with the highest market share in this field. It is popular for its early development and perfect service system. It's rich types of soda maker also cover the needs of most of the people with high quality service. However, there has not been too many changes in innovation, and the design type of sparkling water maker is relatively traditional. If you are just a beginner and want to buy SodaStream's sparkling water maker to make sparkling drinks, then I will recommend Terra, which you can find on Amazon at price of $70. This product contains a 60L CO2 cylinders and a bottle of condiment.

Asfolia is an emerging brand of sparkling water maker. It is popular for its brand vision of encouraging people to create and protect the environment by themselves. In terms of product design, unlike other brands, Asfolia's sparkling water maker design is from the perspective of DIY. For example, the Oakleaf sparkling water maker innovatively uses the bottom inflatable design and bottle cap design. You can put the seasonings or lemons of the carbonation drink together when making it. In addition, the LED water carbonator can control the degree of carbonation according to the LED indicator light, which is also an innovation in the field of sparkling water maker.

 

Drinkmate, like Sodastream, is a relatively early brand in the field of sparkling water machine. It also has a perfect service system, but there are relatively few machine categories.

Aarke, like Asfolia, is an emerging brand in the field of sparkling water maker. Because of its stainless steel body and simple design, it is very popular with young people who pursue fashion. Aarke's Carbonator 3 is designed with stainless steel and is more durable than other materials. Of course, the price is twice as high as other brands. You can choose according to your own wishes.

At present, Ninja mainly has only one sparkling water maker called Thirsti, which is also a relatively big innovation in the field of household sparkling drinks maker. People can match their favorite seasonings, and the machine can directly produce sparkling drinks. And the price is only $149, which is a very good sparkling water maker.

Step 2: Preparation

After we buy a soda maker, it usually include a carbonizer, a 60L CO2 cylinder, and a water bottle compatible with a soda maker. Generally, when we buy it, the merchant will sell it as a combo. After these equipments are ready, we need to prepare ice water or ice cubes. It must be frozen water here. Suitable ice water is crucial to carbonation, in the previous "How is Water Carbonated?" we already mentioned it. We can also add seasonings to make your own flavor. If you want to make the same flavor as the sparkling drink you buy, you can find this condiment on Amazon or in many places. If you want to DIY sparkling drinks, here are some recommendation to consider: lemon, mint and other spices. in the following article, I will provide some of my experience sharing for DIY sparkling drinks.

Step 3: Start making

The most exciting moment has arrived, and now we will start making sparkling drinks. First of all, we need to put the carbon dioxide cylinder into the carbonizer, and then put the prepared water into a compatible bottle. When you reach this step, you need to note that if the water carbonator you use is not Oakleaf water carbonator, you can only put water in the bottle, and you can't add other seasonings to the bottle. In addition, it should be noted that the amount of water cannot exceed the maximum water level.

Now we will install the bottle of water on the water carbonizer for carbonization. The triggering method of each machine is different, and the carbonization can be completed according to the trigger mode of the machine. If you want a high degree of carbonation, you can operate it a few more times. If you want to regulate the degree of carbonation accurately, you can buy an LED water carbonator, and you can refer to the indicator light to adjust the degree of carbonation.

After the water is carbonized, if you need to drink it now, you can pour it into a cup with ice cubes, because ice cubes can better maintain carbonation, reducing bubble loss, resulting in a good taste. In addition, you can add your favorite seasonings to the cup to make the taste you want. If you want to save it for later use, you need to put carbonated water in a sealed container to avoid gas loss.

Ways to Improve the Flavor

In the previous content, we know some factors that affect the taste of sparkling drinks, the most important of which is to use ice water, which cannot only improve the degree of carbonation, but also effectively retain carbonation. In addition, I will share more DIY sparkling water experience here for your reference.

The Seasoning for Making Sparkling Drinks

Lemons, mint, fruit slices, syrup and various juices are common in daily life. It is enough to make simple sparkling drinks using these seasonings.

If you like fresh sparkling drinks, then I would recommend a combination of lemon and mint. The acidity of lemon can maintain good carbonation, and mint can bring a fresh feeling to the senses at the beginning. If you like fruits and high sweetness, you can use syrup matches with juice.

Last but not the least. There are also some rare sparkling beverage seasonings, such as basil and rosemary. Although they are common at the dining table, they are rare in sparkling drinks.

The taste of basil is sweet and slightly spicy, which can add a fresh and slightly sweet layer to the sparkling drink. From a health perspective, basil are rich in antioxidants and antibacterial ingredients, which help to improve the nutritional value and health efficacy of drinks.

Rosemary has a strong pine aroma and a light lemon aroma, which can bring a unique herbal aroma to the sparkling drink. From a health perspective, rosemary is rich in antioxidants, which helps to improve the health properties of drinks, promote digestion and refresh the mind.

In this blog post sharing, I briefly shared some of my own experience. After that, I will write more about making DIY sparkling drinks. Of course, I hope more people will join and share more experience in this area. Let's do it together!