In the last few years, seltzer has become more than just a beverage — it’s become a way of life. From fan-favorite La Croix to Sanzo, which was founded by a Filipino-American entrepreneur and focuses on Asian flavors like calamansi, to the well-hyped Travis Scott-endorsed hard seltzer, we just love the fizzy stuff. But keeping a fridge stocked with seltzer can both add up in cost and take up a lot of space, so investing in a soda maker might be the solution.

Soda makers work by injecting CO2 into a liquid. Some machines want you to stick to plain water and add flavorings after the fact, while others allow you to carbonate beverages like juice, tea, and wine.

How does carbonation work?

I spoke with beverage scientist Adam Johnson of Imbibe, and he explained that carbonation is simply the suspension of carbon dioxide gas in a liquid. A soda maker forces a concentrated stream of gas into water to create soda.

Johnson explained that we find carbonated beverages so appealing because it actually causes us a very low-level pain. Think of it like enjoying a hot sauce or spicy food. “You get a little bit of a body response to the spicy food, but people like it,” he said. “It might just be kind of that, um, you know, people like pushing their body to certain limits. This is just a very, very low-end pain that people enjoy.”

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