Pure, sparkling water at your fingertips

The Grohe Blue Chilled & Sparkling faucet is for people who love to drink seltzer but don’t want the hassle of constantly buying bottles or fumbling around with a countertop carbonating appliance. This dual-purpose kitchen faucet has a conventional handle for hot and cold unfiltered water on one side and a 3-position knob to choose from still, slightly bubbly, or fully carbonated cooled and filtered water on the other side, all of which is piped through one simple but elegant arched spout.

Product breakdown

• 270 Watt cooling unit and carbonator discretely mounted under sink
• 4-stage filtration system includes two activated carbon filters and an ion exchanger
• Adjustable for 158 gal., 400 gal., or 800 gal. filter cartridges
• Color-changing LED light in handle indicates level of carbonation; light flashes when filter capacity is below 10%
• $2149 in polished StarLight chrome; $2299 in matte SuperSteel finish

Skip the bubbles and chiller to save money

If you’re not a seltzer drinker, or if you just can’t see yourself spending two grand on a plumbing fixture, Grohe’s Blue Pure is a visually identical faucet with the same filter system but without the cooler and carbonizer for about a quarter the price of the Blue Chilled and Sparkling. There’s also a model called the Blue Mono which is designed to go alongside an existing hot and cold tap, and is only slightly more affordable than the top-of-the-line Chilled and Sparkling.

Weighing all of your options

When you consider all of the details–the high-quality filter, chiller, and carbonation system, plus the solid-brass construction, precision ceramic valve cartridge, and timeless design–you’re actually getting a lot for your money. There are alternatives, but most of them won’t give you everything Grohe’s faucet has to offer. A commercial soda tap without a chiller can be assembled for around half the price, but you’ll have to buy the parts separately from a restaurant supplier. If you’re in the market for a fridge but not a faucet, Samsung makes a few refrigerators with filtered sparkling water on tap that sell between $3000 and $5000. And if you’re on a tight budget and don’t mind refilling plastic water bottles, carbonating them, and storing them in the fridge, there are several simple countertop carbonators from companies like SodaStream, Cuisinart, and Soda Sparkle that sell for under $100.

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