Surprisingly, home carbonation, for the purpose of making drinks, has been dominated by just one well known name, SodaStream. Finally the time has come where serious competition is building, and Aarke are the most strident in this space with their £199 Carbonator 3. Buy on Amazon

Design

Aarke has crafted a highly refined piece of hardware with their Carbonator 3, that makes a positive impression in a kitchen, living room, bar area, or even an office space. Its striking polished stainless steel, with copper finish, exterior glistens and taps into a certain imperishable timelessness that is reminiscent of the character given by the iconic KitchenAid stand mixer. The closest SodaStream have come to this level of highly considered and well made design is with their Power and Source models, which we have continued to use over the years. But the Aarke takes the whole ‘at home’ carbonation concept to a new level of grandeur, with the avoidance of visible plastics, and a minimal sculptured body available in a variety of colours and finishes.

There’s a removable stainless steel drip tray which comes supplied alongside a cloth to mop up any spillages, which we’ve so far managed to avoid. Resting the Aarke Carbonator 3 on its side reveals the base entryway to screw or unscrew the Aarke CO2 gas cylinders. One bottle provides approximately 60 litres of carbonated water.

Is it easy to use and how does it taste?

Just like a 50’s espresso machine, the Aarke Carbonator 3 has a joyfully satisfying lever to press that begins the carbonation process. You’ll hear a buzz when it’s finished both carbonating your water and releasing pressure from the bottle, so at this point you can let go of the lever. This can be repeated if you desire a stronger level of fizziness. It’s not just incredibly simple to use but something you want to use, as it’s such a pleasing object to interact with and saves dozens of plastic bottles per O2 gas cylinder. When all is finished, you have carbonated water that is versatile in terms of carbonation level control, so you can have anything from an aggressive fizz to milder background bubbles; perfect for a squeeze of lemon over ice for instance. We use the stronger fizz levels for cordials and syrups. Aarke have also developed their own range of flavours, with mixers and drop sets.

The only area for improvement is with the water bottle (comes with screw cap), required to be filled to the line and then screwed onto the Aarke. Every so often we have to double take and redo because it’s screwing on at an angle. After consecutive uses it becomes more habitual to line up the bottle squarely with the thread on the Carbonator 3, but not every time though. This is the only area where SodaStream have the edge with their speedy snap lock bottle mechanism. Perhaps this is something Aarke will add to a future model. Incidentally and importantly, the Aarke 800ml water bottle is BPA-free and non-toxic.

Verdict

Wrapped in a gorgeous stainless steel enclosure and available in a variety of tones and textures, the carefully considered and engineered Aarke Carbonator 3 begins as it means to go on, by embarking on a mission to eliminate plastic. With its tactile lever arm to carbonate water, It’s a product that is an absolute pleasure to use. Buy on Amazon