An Englishman called Joseph Priestly in 1771 originally invented the whole process of carbonating water in 1771. He found that the co2 emanating from the beer vats in his local brewery made the water left in it taste good.
The process of carbonation was refined over the centuries with notable advances made in different countries around the world. In World War II carbonated water was known as soda water. In the Great Depression carbonated water was called two cense plain due to it being the cheapest drink at the fountains.
Technology has moved on quite a bit since then but the core principals are the same. Instead of co2 from beer vats, the co2 is concealed in pressurized canisters and pumped into water using a seltzer maker.
These canisters are easily replaced as SodaStream, the makers of the seltzer maker recycle any used canisters, refilling them with co2.
Carbonate water is a healthy alternative to soda and is great for parents who worry about their childrens sugar intake. The flavours you can buy are for healthier and the horrible ingredients that are contained within both normal soda and its diet equivalents are nowhere to be seen.
Making sparkling water really is very easy. All you need is a SodaStream Seltzer maker and pressurised co2 capsules. Fill the special bottle with still water then plug it into the seltzer maker. Next, screw in one of the co2 canisters. The final step is to press the button, which pumps the co2 into the water. The act of pumping the water full of carbon dioxide is what is known as the carbonation process. It really is that simple and the quality of sparkling water that can be obtained through the use of the homemade kit has increased in quality substantially since their 80´s hey day.
As well as selling the equipment with which to make carbonated water, SodaStream also sell their own flavours as well. They have re branded themselves as a healthy alternative to sodas. These flavours, whilst far healthier than soda still do contain some calories.
A large assortment calorie free flavours to flavour sparkling water for a great taste is sold at http://allfreightfree.com.
Carbonate water is a great way to enjoy drinking water. The carbonation process involves nothing more than adding co2 to the mix. This means that the water is just as it was before it went through carbonation. This means it still has the minerals and benefits it had previously. SodaStream seltzer water makers are becoming increasingly cheap and are a very real alternative to buying countless bottles of fizzy water both in an economic sense and an environmental one.