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Sparkling water sounds like something bright and shiny and much too hard to make. Sparkling water, sometimes referred to as carbonated water, is also called seltzer water. But it is just plain old normal water to which carbon dioxide gas has been added. This is the principal component of soft drinks. This process of adding carbon dioxide gas forms carbonic acid and gives these drinks, including soft drinks, that fizzy taste.

Sparkling water is not always mineral water, although it is considered by most people to be just that; specifically, mineral water is classified as water containing more than 250 parts per million of dissolved minerals. So, some mineral water can be classified sparkling water when carbonated, but not all sparkling water can be called mineral water.

It is thought that the practice of carbonating water began in the 1800’s. A brewer noted that a very interesting taste was made when passing water over fermenting beer.

Today, pressurized CO2 is put into bottles, or can be made with a soda maker at home or in bars and restaurants. When the bottle is opened, pressure is released, and then bubbles form. As anyone knows, if you shake and then open a bottle of sparkling water, it will make a considerable mess as it sprays out of the bottle. Of course, this happens with soda pop, as well.

Soda gets its fizz from exactly the same process. A recent discovery was made by (I would assume) some kids with nothing else to do. Some inventive person mixed Mentos breath mints with the aspartame from a diet soda. This caused the CO2 to react violently and shot straight up rapidly out of the bottle until all the fluid is gone. This little experiment may impress the kids, but it ’s a bit messy, so I would advise against it. Instead, if you go to YouTube you can find hundreds of videos of others doing it – often in some very creative ways.

Sparkling water was once used as a drink to cure stomach maladies. But now most doctors recommend that people with acid reflux or chronic stomach problems avoid sparkling water. But, it is helpful in calming nausea.

Sparkling water can also be home made in a reusable seltzer bottle; it is filled with water and then infused with carbon dioxide. A large assortment of calorie free flavors to flavor sparkling water to great taste is sold at allfreightfree.com.

Some sparkling waters originate from sources that produce natural carbonation. There is a brand of sparkling mineral water with 100% carbonic acid from the source; this means that no CO2 is added to the water. This certain brand comes from an area noted for volcanic activity. The water there is rich in minerals, as the magma gives off carbon dioxide. This combines with the water and increases the solubility of the minerals. A naturally carbonated sparkling water is the result, and is considered quite delicious, and is also very famous.

So now you know everything you wanted to know about sparkling water and how to make this refreshing and calorie free drink.

Sparkling water is just one of all bottled water types  sometimes referred to as “spring water” but that’s not really accurate. The origin and processing of different types of bottled water actually make them quite different in content and taste. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-the federal agency that regulates all types of bottled water-has established guidelines called standards of identity that classify bottled water into several different water types:

Spring Water: Ah, the ever-popular “spring water” is defined as bottled water derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth. To qualify as spring water, it must be collected only at the spring or through a borehole tapping the underground formation feeding the spring. If the collection process uses some type of an external force, the water must be from the same stratum as the spring and must retain the quality and all of the same physical properties of water that flows naturally from a spring to the surface.

Purified Water: This is a type of drinking water that has been treated with processes such as distillation, deionization or reverse osmosis (we’ll get to those terms later). Basically, this just means that the bacteria and dissolved solids have been removed from the water by some process, making it “purified.” This type of bottled water is usually labeled as purified drinking water but can also be labeled for the specific process used to produce it, for example, reverse osmosis drinking water or distilled drinking water. Many bottled water brands are actually purified drinking water.

Mineral Water: Okay, ready for some science? Mineral water contains 250 ppm total dissolved solids which is defined by its constant level and relative proportions of trace and mineral elements to the point of emergence from the source. No minerals can be added to the water.
Sparkling Bottled Water: Yes, the fizzy kind. But what makes it fizzy? This type of water contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had when it emerged from its source. Sparkling bottled waters may be labeled as sparkling drinking water, sparkling mineral water, sparkling spring water etc.
Artesian Water/Artesian Well Water: Ready for some more science? Artesian water comes from a well that taps a confined aquifer-a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand-in which the water level is above the top of the aquifer.

Well Water: This one is pretty easy. Well water is exactly what it sounds like- water from a hole made in the ground that taps the water source.

Municipal/Tap Water: Of course, you know it’s the type of water piped right into your home. While tap water isn’t regulated by the FDA (but we thought it should be included here), it must meet the strict standards of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Municipal tap water is generally of excellent quality, however, many people prefer the taste and enjoy the convenience of bottled water, which, in most cases, undergoes additional processing and often retains the pleasant characteristics of its natural source.

Bottled Water Regulation: The FDA is responsible for the food and pharmaceutical industries, two industries where safety and quality are of paramount importance. Yes, the FDA is full of serious customers. Therefore, bottled water is one of the most extensively regulated packaged-food products. The bottled water industry receives government oversight from federal and state agencies across the country, providing consumers with multiple layers of safety assurance – from the finished water product back to the source. Bottled water is required to be tested for the same parameters as tap water, but the standards are, in some cases, stricter than for tap water. State governments inspect and certify the “sources” of spring water, meaning that samples have been analyzed and found to be of a safe and sanitary quality according to regulation.