Anyone using SodaStream? (1 Viewer)

[Edwin-S]

I had one of these things years ago: Sodamistic was the brand. It was good, until pop got so cheap that it didn't make any economic sense to make it yourself. I've been trying to cut down on my consumption of pop, so having one these now would be disastrous.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I bought one as a birthday present to myself a few weeks ago, and I'm loving it. I just got the cheapest of the models (now that they make so many different kinds of the machines), and a bunch of both 1 liter and 1/2 liter bottles. I mostly am using the half-liter bottles so I can make something for myself when I get home from work, and finish it that night. I'm also keeping an extra-fizzy seltzer bottle filled at all times for other people in the house.

I'm the only soda drinker in my house, so everyone else does tend to get a little eye-rolley with me about it, like, "does he really need that much soda?" But from my point of view, it's been great - I don't have to stop at the store on the way home from work anymore, no more bottles to lug on the train through a commute home, and I can always have what I want fresh in the house.

I held off on getting one for a while because initially, all the Sodastream mixes I saw were either diet or weird half-diet hybrids of sugar and splenda. Nothing against diet soda, it just doesn't taste right to me, so that was a dealbreaker -- until I saw their "sparkling naturals" line of mixes made with real cane sugar. (I also picked up bag-in-box Dr Pepper, Orange Soda and Cream Soda flavors from Amazon). Of the caffineated beverages, I'm liking my homemade Dr Pepper slightly more than their Natural Cola flavor, but I also really like their caffeine-free Apple and Black Currant & Pear flavors.

Who knows, maybe after a couple months the appeal will wear off, but right now I'm loving it.

 

[Johnny Angell]

When I buy soda, I buy the 12oz cans, not larger bottles. I have found the soda will go flat before I finish a bottle. Is this an issue for ant soda stream users?

 

[schan1269]

I'd love to get a SodaStream. A family member is addicted to fountain Diet Coke(can't be Zero...or whatever the other one is).

Luckily the Flying J by us has a "$1.35 bring your own for a fill up"(take over a 65oz insulated mug thing).

Can the SodaStream beat that? (price/ounce)

And, by the way drinks two to three of those a day(even though she knows it is ridiculous to drink that much...o'well)

 

[Josh Steinberg]

When I buy soda, I buy the 12oz cans, not larger bottles. I have found the soda will go flat before I finish a bottle. Is this an issue for ant soda stream users?

Surprisingly, it's not... the bottles have some special seal in them, so they stay fizzy for a long period of time. I usually drink the stuff before it even has a chance to flat, but I've been pleasantly surprised to discover bottles still holding their fizz a week or more after making them!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Luckily the Flying J by us has a "$1.35 bring your own for a fill up"(take over a 65oz insulated mug thing).

Can the SodaStream beat that? (price/ounce)

Over the short term, maybe not - long term once you stop factoring in the one-time cost of the machine, etc., you should at least break even.. I find it's more about saving me time and carrying stuff, as opposed to cash savings. The lowest cost version of the machine is $80. It costs about $15 for each refill of the gas, which is supposed to make 60 liters. The diet mixes are less expensive than the full sugar ones - a $5 bottle of diet mix will make 12 liters of soda.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

It's not just the cost savings, it's the health factor. I quit soda for 7-8 years because it is really, really, (no, I mean REALLY!) bad for you. Everyone has heard about the perils of high fructose corn syrup. Diet bottled soda has aspertame, which is basically poison. The sodium level in a single serving of bottled soda can be as much as a bag of chips. But Sodastream is different. They use pure cane sugar, a sugar/Spenda blend or all Splenda for diet flavors. They are also introducing new Stevia sweetened diet flavors. No aspertame, no HFCS. The sodium level on most flavors is very low compared to bottled soda (Eg: Sodastream Cola 8mg, Coca-Cola 27mg). They are also lower in calories and carbs, and for those who want all natural, the natural flavors Josh mentioned are awesome.

I still don't drink as much soda as I did when I was a 3-4 Coke a day guy, and the only caffiene I drink is coffee; but when I do drink soda, it's Sodastream. Plus, I like supporting a company located in the one of the very few free, socially liberal, non-theocratic countries in the Middle-East.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

I tend to use those "water enhancers" to flavor my soda (and regular) water. There are a bunch of different brands, with varying ingredients.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

They are also lower in calories and carbs, and for those who want all natural, the natural flavors Josh mentioned are awesome.

I ran out of the Sparking Naturals Apple last week (the first one I've ran out of), and I was very sad - fortunately the replacement came faster than expected. I've been drinking mostly Apple, Black Currant & Pear, a little Pink Grapefruit now and then, as well as some non-SodaStream mixers (bag in box syrups of generic Orange Soda and Dr Pepper).

Everyone in my house giggles when the machine makes that buzz noise - i.e. the giant fart sound that tells you the water is properly fizzy. Let them laugh all they want, more soda for me!

Healthwise, I notice when I use the SodaStream, I drink a little less than if I were buying in bottles or cans, and that I'm drinking it slower, and enjoying it more. It took me a few tries to get a handle on how much carbination, bigger bubbles or smaller bubbles, etc., but now that I've got it figured out, I like it so much more than regular bottled soda that I've been opting for more water when I'm not at home. And that will definitely help.

 

[Sam Posten]

What not to do:

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Yikes! That's explains the giant "only carbonate water! add flavoring after!" labels that came all over it.

 

[Mike Frezon]

ROTFLMAO!

That's an hour's clean-up for a couple minutes of stupid.

 

[Sam Posten]

"It's for my dad" =)

 

[Mike Frezon]

In the meantime, we have settled in on a few favorites in my house.

I LOVE the Country Time Half & Half although it requires no carbonation. I just use the water from my big Brita container and the mix and the one liter bottle and all is good. It's nice to get away from the carbonated/caffeine beverages.

Other faves are the Diet Orange and the Diet Doctor Pete. My wife likes the caffeine free Diet Cola (which I can't stand).

 

[Aaron Silverman]

ROTFLMAO!

That's an hour's clean-up for a couple minutes of stupid.

An hour? Maybe for a crew of four. That's wine -- the walls and entire ceiling probably need to be repainted! Hopefully they won't have to resurface that hardwood floor too.

Not to mention the likely total loss of that Sodastream unit. Those ain't cheap, either.

The Half & Half is an Arnold Palmer, right? I seem to recall Country Time being heavy on the artifical crap, but it's been a while.


Is the "Half & Half" an Arnold Palmer? How much of the Country Time is artificial crap?

 

[Johnny Angell]

You can bet there were only those two males present for that demo. When the wife came home, I'll be all laughing ceased.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

I think the word you're looking for is "Mom."

 

[Josh Steinberg]

The Half & Half is an Arnold Palmer, right? I seem to recall Country Time being heavy on the artifical crap, but it's been a while.

Is the "Half & Half" an Arnold Palmer? How much of the Country Time is artificial crap?

It is indeed an Arnold Palmer.

I don't buy most of the Country Time Sodastream flavors because their "regular" (non-diet) mixes are a blend of sugar and Splenda, and artificial sweeteners taste really weird to me. Even though they have some sugar in them, all I taste is the Splenda weirdness. So I stick to the "Sparkling Naturals" flavors which are made with cane sugar only and not artificial sweeteners. They do have a Country Time Lemonade with cane sugar, but I only tried it once.

 

[andySu]

ROTFLMAO!

That's an hour's clean-up for a couple minutes of stupid.

Oh, I'm pissing myself I knew that would happen. hissssss BAM! SPLAT! All over the ceiling as well.

And if you like your coke cola bottle ice cold fast do not place in freezer too long then try and open it as it will have same jetting out the bottle and will make a mess. A friend of friend placed one in my friends fridge a few years ago and left it in too long and when opened it, it sprayed the kitchen everywhere. he was scrubbing the kitchen for a days as the cola goes a bit sticky.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Is the "Half & Half" an Arnold Palmer? How much of the Country Time is artificial crap?

Aaron: Sorry, missed this post somehow.

Here's the ingredients as listed on the Sodastream Country Time Half Lemonade & Half Iced Tea syrup:

Sugar, Water, Citric Acid, Natural & Artificial flavors, Burnt Sugar Syrup (Sugar, Glucose Syrup, WAter), Sodium Citrate, Acesulfame Potassium, Black Tea Extract, Sucralose, Ascorbic Acid, Potassium Sorbate (as preservative).

An 8 ounce serving has 40 calories, 0 fat, 20mg sodium.