Soda Water: How Much Do You Know?

Soda water, also referred to as sparkling water, and is plain water with carbon dioxide gas added -- it has been "carbonated.". In most "soft drinks" and "pop" It is the chief ingredient. The carbonation process forms carbonic acid, which is soda pop.

Soda water, or club soda, can be produced at home by using a seltzer bottle filled with water and then “charged” with carbon dioxide. Club soda may be the same as plain old carbonated water; but it can have a small amount of table salts and sodium trace minerals. These additives could possibly make the taste of home made soda water a bit salty. The process also occurs naturally in some areas and produce carbonate mineral water.

Sparkling mineral water can sometimes cause a little dental decay. The potential problem with sparkling water is greater than "still" water, but the problem is only slight. A much higher rate of tooth decay is caused by regular soft drinks than by sparkling water. The rate is so low that one wonders if carbonated drinks may be little or no factor in causing dental decay.

Water coming from the ground - usually from artesian wells - can be filtered among layers of minerals containing forms of carbonates and absorb the carbon dioxide gas released by those carbonates. This produces natural sparkling water. Shoud the water also pick up enough different minerals to add a flavor to the water it becomes sparkling mineral water.

Basically, soda water is just water and carbon dioxide. A naturally-occuring product of carbonation is sparkling mineral water. In 1794, a jeweler made a device to produce an artificial carbonated mineral water.

When several carbonated drinks were compared in a taste test, it was found that Perrier, a sparkling natural mineral water, kept its fizz the longest.

For consumers who believe seltzer to be a bit harsh, club soda provides a more gentle fizz. In one part of the taste test, club soda seemed to be milder and a little sweeter tasting than standard carbonated water.

Club soda, sparkling mineral water, seltzer and carbonate water have no calories, which make them a dieter’s choice over soda pop and tonic water.

Mixing water, sugar, carbon dioxide and quinine produces a carbonated drink called tonic water. Quinine's first use in tonic water was as an additive to help cure or prevent malaria. Today it is commonly mixed with gin and lemon or lime for a popular alcoholic drink.

This is just a few facts and names used for soda water.