Every week we share a new way to sparkle everything with your Bonne O! Our customers have been using these tips to create sparkling waters, fruit infusions, sparkling teas, sparkling wines, mimosas, spritzers & bubbly cocktails. This week we're sharing our top 5 tips & tricks to help you make every one of your sparkling creations a success!
Tip #1: Improve Carbonation Quality with Cold Fluids
Water chilled in the refrigerator is around 4C / 40F. Water out of the tap is around 15C / 59F or higher in the summer. Water from the refrigerator will absorb up to 50% more CO2 than water from the tap. If you like strong carbonation, use cold ingredients. If you don't have water in the fridge, add ice to your bottle for the same effect. You can put ice in your Bonne O bottle. Instant & easy chill! Put science to work for you.
Tip #2: Make in Advance & Store in the Refrigerator
There are a few big advantages to this. Your Bonne O creates your beverage sealed in its bottle. There is no need to consume right away. It will be as sparkling as when you made it for days. Aside from convenience, there are a few scientific advantages.
First, any fruit, herbs or tea bag/ball you put in the bottle will have time to fully infuse. Our studies show you get maximum infusion after 4 hours. See the image below of cold pressure steeped tea.
Second, any CO2 left in the top bottle headspace will be fully absorbed by the bottle contents.
Third, the cooler the liquid in the bottle the slower it will release its CO2 when opened. So, if the beverage bottle is refrigerator cold, it will retain its CO2 longer, even once opened.
Nudge, nudge! Hey, how about getting a few extra bottles so you always have a few chilled & ready for you?
Tip #3: Make Bottle Opening Easier with the Top Bottle Cap Vent
There are a couple reasons it may be helpful to press the top bottle cap vent before opening the bottle.
One, carbonating your beverage means that the bottle contents are up to 70 PSI inside. That pressure can make the cap harder to turn. Releasing some pressure from the bottle can help you to open the bottle more easily.
Two, if you have put a lot of solid ingredients in the bottle these ingredients are surface area for bubbles to form when you open the bottle. When the pressure drops, some CO2 is released by the beverage and the bubbles form on rough surface areas. By releasing some pressure by the vent you allow these bubbles to form and settle before you open the cap itself.
Plus, the colder the beverage, the smaller the amount of CO2 that will be released when it is opened. To keep the bubbles to a minimum when opening it, chill your beverage before opening it. Every bubble that is released when you open it is a bubble that you won't feel in your mouth when drinking.
Tip #4: Your Sparkling Winemaker's Toolbelt
Now that we've made you a sparkling wine maker, there are a few tricks of the trade that you need in your toolbelt.
First, whatever your favorite wine is, try it sparkled! You're a sparkling winemaker now so start with what you enjoy.
Second, only use one bottle of wine and fully chill your sparkling wine at the same time. To do this, fill the flavour chamber with wine first then fill the Bonne O bottle with the remainder of the bottle. Since the flavour chamber is 140ml and the Bonne O bottle is 750ml you'll be about 140ml short in the Bonne O bottle. Add a few ice cubes to the Bonne O bottle to raise the wine level to the rim of the bottle. Since all of the flavour chamber contents are inserted into the bottle, there is minimal wine lost in the process. Voilá, you've only opened one bottle of wine and your sparkling wine will be very chilled and quite bubbly.
Third, use a glass champagne flute to enjoy your sparkling wine. This glass shape is ideal. Since the surface area of the top is small it minimizes the CO2 loss after it is poured in the glass. Additionally since the glass is smooth and it does not allow rapid bubble formation, again, minimizing the CO2 loss once poured.
Sparkling winemakers have tried Bonne O for sparkling their wine and have compared the bubble quality using Bonne O very favourably to traditional sparkling methods. One winemaker is using several Bonne O's to sparkle their non-sparkling varietals to test which varietals or blends would be ideal for new traditional sparkling wines. Basically using Bonne O as a very rapid R&D cycle. You officially have a sparkling winemaker's tool in your kitchen. Enjoy!
Tip #5: Keep Your Bonne O Smelling Fresh
After use, the liquid residue remains in the carbonation chamber of the removable cup. This residue is largely water and sodium citrate. It is easy and completely safe to pour this liquid residue down the drain. This liquid waste is environmentally friendly. Especially compared to pod-based systems with landfill filling solid waste or glass/aluminum containers that are not all recycled.
To keep your Bonne O smelling fresh, you must remember to pour out this liquid waste and air dry the system after use.
Our friends with teenaged boys have the problem where their boys love to make their own drinks but never remember to dump the liquid waste. Our friends (their annoyed parents) do two things to correct this. One, if they catch it quickly, they wash and air dry the removable cup and cap. However, if they find it many days later, the cap can be tougher to turn since it partially absorbs the fluid. First, they apply some muscle to the cap to get it open. Then they wash the cap & cup and leave to air dry - this will return the cap to an easier to turn state after a few days of drying. They also put warm water and soap in the main appliance chamber, scrub it and leave it to soak for a while. Then they pour the main appliance chamber soapy water into the sink and leave everything to air dry.
Plus they try try try to train their boys. Still working on that.
