Enlarge image
Presentation of water bubblers
Photo: Arne Dedert / dpa
If you compare the answers to »What does Mallorca need most urgently?« in the questionnaire for German part-time islanders of »Mallorca Magazin«, the most common answer is by far: »A deposit system for water and other drinks«.
This is only available in the Balearic Islands for gastronomy, despite the fact that environmental awareness is slowly increasing there.
Private households are encouraged by the public utilities to drink water from the tap.
But that usually comes in such abysmal quality or with an unbearable chlorine content in the glass that the yellow bins are constantly overflowing with discarded single-use plastic water bottles from the supermarket.
Rich finca residents have outrageously expensive reverse osmosis systems built in their basements, while we average commuters try to use activated carbon filters to at least treat the water for cooking pasta.
My first attempt to inflate the water with a carbon dioxide bubbler (see below) to halfway tolerable bubble water failed despite good will because of the nasty basic aroma of the tap water.
The other bubblers in this comparison were therefore tested with the well-established, high-quality, pleasantly soft water that flows from the tap in Hamburg.
In a survey in 2019, a third of respondents in Germany stated that they use such a device.
SodaStream Duo and Terra
Sodastream caused a stir again last year.
The world market leader from Israel, which was taken over by the PepsiCo Group for 3.2 billion dollars in 2018, presented two new water bubblers: Duo and Terra.
Both only work with the new "Quick-Connect" gas cartridges, but not with the millions of cylinders with screw thread.
Just like their predecessors, the new cartridges can be refilled.
But the compatibility break with the old generation means that you have to choose between the two worlds when buying a new Sodastream bubbler.
There are not yet many exchange points for the new cartridges, and there are not yet any cheap carbon dioxide cylinders from third-party suppliers.
No wonder, the new technology is patent pending.
After all, old gas cylinders are replaced with new ones at no extra charge.
We cannot confirm that replacing the cartridge on the device is easier with the new models, it wasn't any more complicated with the screw thread.
Does that save anything?
Anyone who now wants to get into the water bubbles is certainly not badly served with the new devices.
In the test, we got far with both models, Duo and terra, with a cartridge filling of 50 to 60 liters.
With the maximum possible bubbles (up to the triggering of the pressure relief valve), however, it was significantly less.
The blubber effect on the palate is still more "medium" than "sparkling" compared to industrial sparkling water, but that is the case with all these devices due to the system: the Stiftung Warentest also came up with this in their comparison The result is that no home bubbler manages the 4.2 to 6.2 grams of CO₂ per liter that is usual in bottled mineral water.
If you can live with that and get halfway high-quality tap water, you can save a lot of lugging around with a SodaStreamer.
But you don't save money.
Even if you don't pay for the purchase of the device and a first cylinder (approx. 27 euros), a liter of sparkling water with a yield of 60 liters per cartridge costs 15 cents.
There is also about 0.2 cents for the water.
If you bubble a little stronger, you get more than 20 cents per liter.
In the long run, this is significantly more expensive than mineral water from the discounter, where you can get sparkling water in 1.5-liter returnable bottles for 17 cents per liter.
glass or plastic?
Even if the two new SodaStreamers deliver identical sparkling results, they differ immensely in handling.
The simpler, slimmer Terra works with dishwasher-safe BPA-free plastic bottles, while the Duo can also use glass bottles (one liter each with a maximum filling of 840 ml).
With this system, the bottle is not screwed in directly, but placed in a fold-out container, which is closed from above with a lowerable head.
This means that nothing can go wrong when bubbling up.
However, complex devices like this are also more vulnerable in the long run.
In addition, despite all caution, water can collect in the bottle container.
To pour out the entire device must be turned over.
Because it's the simple things that make life richer, a Terra will soon quench my thirst for bubbles.
What is that?
The first sparkling water maker from the market leader, which can be used with either glass or plastic bottles.
who needs this
Wherever old bubblers work well, there are few reasons to change systems.
When buying new, Duo and Terra are a good choice.
What does this cost?
130 euros (in a set with CO2 cylinder and three bottles).
The smaller Terra Black, which also works with the new cylinder, is available from 80 euros.
Brita sodaONE
After we were able to at least use our pitiful Palma tap water to cook pasta and potatoes with the help of the activated carbon filter from the same supplier, we tried the comparatively inexpensive sodaOne system from Brita, which does not take up much space in the mini kitchen.
It works without much explanation and after bubbling up, nothing dribbles out of the head, which can be quite annoying with other devices.
The initial euphoria about reducing our plastic waste quickly evaporated.
Because the glass bottle we bought from the same manufacturer doesn’t fit in the sodaONE, whose plastic bucket we had to fill with bottled mineral water from the supermarket from the second day onwards – the Spanish tap water wasn’t drinkable even when it was bubbled up.
Another shortcoming that this device shares with almost all of the bubbler competition: the promised 60 liters per gas cylinder can hardly be achieved, because even the liveliness otherwise sold as "medium" requires more than 5 to 6 gas blasts.
This causes the cartridge to become limp after just 30 to 40 liters.
A tip: ice-cold water from the refrigerator absorbs slightly more carbonic acid.
We also felt that despite the promised compatibility with cylinders from other manufacturers, the system got more out of the brand's own cartridges than with products from the competition.
Be that as it may, after a few weeks, as friends of high-foam drinking pleasure, we preferred to drink industrially inflated mineral water again.
What is that?
A chic, only 13 cm wide sparkling water maker.
who needs this
A slim alternative for everyone who has very little space in the kitchen.
What does this cost?
About 65 euros.
Mid Home
After the narrative »water bubbler« has long since been technically told, the Berlin startup Mitte Home is not trying to reinvent the wheel, but is trying to stir up the bubbler market with a clever combination of water filter and bubbler.
Apparently, a lot of start-up poetry is needed to get investors like Bitburger, Kärcher and Danone to get a double-digit million amount out of their ribs (a cute 400,000 euros were also raised via crowdfunding).
On the website, for example, the "Manifesto" with the "four pillars that carry the center".
It remains to add a fifth: the business objective.
The admittedly super chic, matt white system, which would also go well with Apple hardware, costs a whopping 350 euros.
In addition, Mitte Home only sells its products directly via its website.
This has the advantage for the company that it binds its customers closely to itself and saves the margin of the middleman.
The disadvantage: The products are now sold out again and again.
Good for large kitchens
In the middle, the water that has to be filled into the device tank, which is somewhat awkward, is first processed in a filter cartridge, which uses activated carbon to reduce the content of pollutants, including microplastics.
An extra portion of calcium and magnesium is then added to the water.
The water remineralized in this way is pumped into stylish glass or PET liter bottles (net capacity 860 ml), in which it is bubbled up in one of three levels that can be set at the push of a button.
In addition to the CO2 cylinder, the middle model also has a filter cartridge and requires a socket to operate.
Because it's far too big to fit under a wall unit, the system fits best in a 30 square meter designer kitchen.
Wherever the water is particularly calcareous or chlorinated, flows through old lead pipes or is pumped up from your own well, you would clean it with a filter before drinking anyway.
Does this taste good?
However, since drinking water is now one of the best controlled foods in Germany, the middle target group is not only thinning out because of the high costs.
They remain solid even when in use: After 300 filter processes, the system blocks further use of the filter cartridge and suggests ordering a new one via the otherwise rather useless smartphone app.
Cost: 45.00 euros.
A pack of four CO2 cylinders costs EUR 39.99 and comes with a free return label.
And how does the water from Mitte Home taste?
Because of the activated charcoal in the filter, it is a little softer than from the tap.
Water sommeliers with many years of experience will definitely be able to taste the subtle differences between the »Active« and »Light« cartridges, which will soon be available (we tested pre-series versions).
We didn't really like the aroma of the "Balance" that came with it.
The correct calcium-magnesium ratio does not seem to have been finally found here - the water tasted slightly stale.
But hey, it doesn't matter as long as you have such a cool tool in the kitchen.
Social distinction while bubbling water - who would have thought that possible?
What is that?
A chic and expensive attempt to combine water filters and bubblers in one device.
who needs this
Owner of spacious kitchen lofts in Berlin Mitte.
What does this cost?
344.99 euros.
Info: Website Mitte-Home
