SodaStream’s latest desktop carbonator is the enso, designed by none other than product design supremo Naoto Fukasawa. A far, far cry from the plastic-sheathed SodaStreams of old, Fukasawa has given the new machine a streamlined appearance, using stainless steel for the body and nozzle, as well as the accompanying bottles, so the enso will sit pretty on any countertop.
Back in the brand’s early days, SodaStream really was all about making pricey soda drinks at home, a genuine novelty in the Eighties. Even though there’s still a raft of flavoured syrups available (the company is a subsidiary of drinks giant PepsiCo), today’s most common use case is creating sparkling water. Buoyed by the low-waste, zero plastic approach of carbonating your own O2 straight from the tap or filter, the company has also upped its game and now has packaging certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
The enso is the company's new flagship and comes with a matching 1-litre BPA-free bottle with stainless detailing to match the unit. As before, there’s nothing especially sophisticated about the way the enso works – a refillable or exchangeable canister of CO2 is used to inject gas into the bottle at the push of a button, after the bottle itself is locked into place by closing the unit, and is released with a tantalising hiss once the drink is ready. Base and tray are removable for cleaning and the bottle can be put through a dishwasher.
Naoto Fukasawa's work for Plus Minus Zero, Muji, HAY and B&B Italia has earned the Japanese designer many awards and accolades. His Tokyo design consultancy works across tech and furniture, blending craft, tradition and contemporary processes and materials. Thanks to his studio's work on the enso, SodaStream has taken a clear step upmarket.
SodaStream enso, £176.92, available from Amazon.co.uk
