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I have an ISI whipper, and want to carbonate water using this device and CO2 chargers. This should in principle be possible. I have filled the whipper flask up to the maximum and charged it with one charger. My experience with this technique is that there is rather little fizz in the water when I dispense it from the flask.

Am I doing something wrong here?

I use the gourmet whipper plus, ISI Soda charger and cold, ordinary tap water.

torkildl
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  • Could you add more details on your technique? How much do you shake? How long do you leave it charged? Do you know the pH of your tap water? – Peter Taylor Aug 29 '13 at 10:25
  • How cold is "cold"? The colder it is (but not frozen), the better it will carbonate. – derobert Aug 29 '13 at 15:07
  • I did only shake the canister a few times after charging. I left it perhaps for a few minutes. The water came from our fridge dispenser, which should be about typicaly fridge temperature. The pH I do not know, unfortunately. – torkildl Aug 30 '13 at 21:52

2 Answers2

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When carbonating in the ISI whipper, it is important to start with a cold liquid (or fruit, i.e. carbonated grapes). Charge with one CO2, agitate, then slowly release the pressure so that you remove all air from the charger. Then, charge with one or two (depending on size of ISI) CO2 charges to fully carbonate. If you leave out the first step you are simply compressing trapped air, rather than dissolving CO2 into your product.

moscafj
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  • I tried this now a few times, but still I do not get very fizzy water. Should the water be stored in the ISI for a long period before use? – torkildl Aug 30 '13 at 21:53
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    No, it should be carbonated once you charge it. Use cold water. You could even add ice. You could try a second charge. Also, be sure to vent the pressure very slowly before you open the isi to use the water. – moscafj Aug 30 '13 at 23:21
  • What are your thoughts on using a vacuum pump to evacuate the air instead of the first CO2 canister? – mrisher Jan 17 '15 at 20:16
  • @mrisher Interesting. How would you fit the vacuum pump to the ISI? – moscafj Jan 18 '15 at 14:33
  • @moscafj I was thinking about a rubber tube from my Seal-a-meal to the output nozzle on the Isi; I'd hold down the trigger and turn on the vacuum. Not sure how much the extra air matters, but I found your article after a single CO2 charger left me disappointed. – mrisher Jan 20 '15 at 05:26
  • @mrisher the extra air matters a great deal. I would think that if your method works (keeping an eye not to suck liquid into your Seal-a-meal), it would produce the same result as evacuating the air using CO2. Removing this air before carbonation is critical. – moscafj Jan 20 '15 at 18:50
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Coming from a beer brewer's perspective, I would imagine that letting it sit longer, even overnight, would help. It gives the CO2 time to dissolve into the liquid, rather than just adding pressure.

seth
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    I have a soda siphon that works on basically the same principle, and they recommend letting it sit in the fridge overnight to dissolve the CO2. – SourDoh Jan 15 '15 at 14:58