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I spend a lot of money to make fizzy water.
Even a modestly priced sparkling water machine requires a constant resupply of CO2 canisters. And if you want something that looks nice on your counter (I currently use the SodaStream Art), the appliance itself is going to be at least $100.
Breville’s InFizz Fusion is over twice that cost, but it promises something few other soda water machines can offer: The ability to carbonate liquids beyond water. Sure, people use SodaStreams to fizz up other beverages, but (with exceptions) they’re not supposed to do that — it’s potentially harmful or messy and, in some cases, it’ll void a warranty.
Review: The SodaStream Art Is the Best Sparkling Water Machine
It’s the most advanced carbonation device we’ve ever used — and it’s on sale this week for Mother’s DayNot with InFizz Fusion. The force carbonation here can be used to add bubbles to coffee, juice, wine, spirits, flat soda and more, with a good amount of control over how carbonated you want your drink. It sounds ideal for home bartenders — but is it worth the inflated cost? We tried the machine for a few weeks to see if it merits a place in your kitchen or home bar.
What works
- It’s a handsome product. Featuring a stainless steel body and available in five colors (loving the Olive Tapenade), you’ll happily place this front and center in your kitchen.
- The learning curve is short. It takes 1-2 times to learn the right way to twist and lock the FusionCap (the bottle topper that controls the carbonation levels) into place. From there, you won’t need to look at the directions again.
- Want to carbonate water? Fill the bottle to the MAX line. Want to carbonate non-water drinks? Fill to the MIN line. Pretty easy. The red switch on the FusionCap allows you to release gas slowly so you won’t have an accident (which we never experienced).
- The bubbles here are exquisite, both for water and other liquids.
What needs work
- We tried this with booze — mainly Paloma variations but also a vodka recipe recommended in a downloadable manual. The drinks all had a nice fizz — but the question remains, is this better than, say, buying grapefruit soda and mixing with tequila? As someone who doesn’t have a lot of non-carbonated liquids in my fridge, I found that I was struggling to create drinks.
- A problem/reality with all carbonators: You’re going to get better bubbles if the liquids are chilled. And that includes the booze — so you’ll need to remember to throw your rum/vodka/tequila in the fridge for a bit before using (we’re assuming your water and other non-carbonated liquids are already being cooled).
- The machine is a bit tall; it didn’t fit underneath my kitchen counter, unlike my SodaStream.
Other notes
- The machine arrives with a one-liter bottle, sieve, funnel, bottle brush and FusionCap brush; if you buy the bundle (recommended) you’ll also get a CO2 canister, which is necessary to fizz up your drinks. You’ll probably also want to buy a second bottle.
- In partnership with Soda Sense, Breville offers a CO2 canister exchange program. Used canisters can be sent via USPS and as soon as the package is scanned, Breville will send new canisters for free to consumers who join the club.
Final thoughts
If you want a slim and attractive carbonator for your kitchen, it’s hard to top the InFizz Fusion. If you want the ability to make carbonated drinks outside of soda water, the machine is a fine option…but you may not use it very often for this specific purpose. The price might be a breaking point for some budgets — you can get a Drinkmate for cheaper and it promises the same versatility in making carbonated drinks (admittedly, the stainless steel Drinkmate is about the same price, but if you skimp on aesthetics with the OmniFizz you’ll save about 50%). I have an older Drinkmate that I use for boozy beverages and it works fine; I also don’t keep it on my kitchen counter as it looks a little cheap.
If I was a more adventurous home bartender — and I had a bit more room on my counter — I’d certainly recommend this upgrade. If you simply want sparkling water, you’ll probably be fine with a cheaper option.
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