# Sodastream



## TJVitt (Feb 24, 2012)

Hey, all.

My fiancee read about the Sodastream system a few months ago, and just recently she went out and picked one up. For those of you who don't know what it is, a Sodastream is a device that injects a bunch of CO2 into water you bottle from the tap, resulting in carbonated (aka fizzy) water. You buy the injector (prices range from about $100-200) and then CO2 canisters, which are good for about 60 litres. You can certainly drink the water without flavouring, but Sodastream also offers a bunch of syrups to make your own sodas at home (Rootbeer, cola, lemon-lime, orange, etc etc).

(My goodness, I sound like an advertisement.)

Anyways, I bring it up because the device is fantastic! My fiancee drinks a litre or more a day of fizzy water, usually plain. Flavourless isn't my cup of tea, but I do enjoy the syrups. It's nice because instead of paying about $0.75 cents a litre for carbonated water from the store, we're paying about $0.25. Initially the cost of the CO2 injector and the first canisters, bottles etc., adds up, but eventually it will have paid for itself -- especially the way my fiancee goes through fizzy water.

Anyone tried Sodastream? Or something like it? I don't know of any similar devices, but I'm sure they exist.


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## Steven Stickler (Feb 1, 2012)

Tyler, I am right there with you in the sodastream fan club. We've had one for about a year and use it every day. We don't use the flavoring syrup but just for the water like you do. Great device.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I LOVE IT! I've had SodaStream for about 5, 6, 7 years. I like lots o' bubbles and a little fruit juice in my water. I'm having a glass of it now.


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## gadgetgirl003 (Mar 22, 2009)

I have one and love it. My favorite thing is that I can have a variety of soft drinks on hand and cold using little space in my refrigerator I can make a variety of drinks from the chilled water.


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## erikhanberg (Jul 15, 2011)

Have any other soda stream users noticed that heavier syrups (like Diet Pete's Choice) don't seem to hold the carbonation as well?

Maybe I'm just not good at it.  But I feel like it's never as carbonated as I'd like.


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## TJVitt (Feb 24, 2012)

Yeah, actually I've noticed that, too. We just bought some of the Dr. Pete (oh, "Doctor" drinks) syrup yesterday and I noticed that it wasn't particularly fizzy, either. I assumed I just hadn't injected enough CO2. It was nonetheless very good, although not quite comparable to Dr. Pepper.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I've never tried any of the syrups -- just a little fruit juice in a glass of mucho bubbly water.


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## gadgetgirl003 (Mar 22, 2009)

I use more carbonation with the Petes Choice syrup than with some of the others. I probably use Petes Choice the most. One of my daughters likes the energy drink the best. Another prefers the Gingerale, and another prefers the Pink Grapefruit. Of course all of the flavors are yummy.


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## Hadou (Jun 1, 2011)

A friend of mine got one of these recently.  I am pretty impressed with it.  It has the wheels turning, though, as to whether or not I'd want to sit down and make a bunch of my own flavored syrups to use with it.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

I've had one for awhile and I use mine with Crystal Lite On-the-Go  packets..  Love fizzy pink lemonade and orange.


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## TJVitt (Feb 24, 2012)

bordercollielady said:


> I've had one for awhile and I use mine with Crystal Lite On-the-Go packets.. Love fizzy pink lemonade and orange.


It's pretty funny/eerie you mention that: my fiancee just said earlier today that she wants to try some Crystal Lite with the fizzy Sodastream water.  We haven't tried it yet so it's good to hear that it's worth a go.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

Have any of you with these tried making fizzy tea? I realllllly need to stop drinking diet soda but I love the fizz...if it works well with tea and tastes good, Id be willing to spend the bucks on one...


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I've always added just a little fruit juice into a glass of fizzy SodaStream water.  Lately have been using it with V-8 Fusion mango + peach juice.  The other day bought a bottle of V-8 Fusion pomegranate + green tea.  Haven't opened that as yet.  Will in the next few days when I finish current bottle.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

I like it as a way to avoid high fructose corn syrup


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I opened the bottle of V-8 Fusion pomegranate + green tea today.  A little of that in a glass of fizzy SodaStream water.  V-8 bottle says "50% juice".  It does seem lighter than V-8 Fusion mango + peach 100% juice.  Both are GOOD!


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

They were featured in the Bed, Bath & Beyond circular I got yesterday. Question - What is the different between the two models? Reading the descriptions on the circular, it sounds like you're paying more for less product. The only difference I saw was that you either got 1 or 2 refillable bottles. And you paid more for the model with 1.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

SodaStream The difference may ultimately be only in the size of the carbonator. Therefore the design / look of the "machine". I have the Fountain Jet which uses the larger carbonator. The larger carbonators aren't available in stores, so I have to have them shipped to me. That's no problem. If you like fizzy water, I very highly recommend SodaStream.


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

This thread brought me back to my summer vacations in Sicily, where you can buy fizzy drinks from streetcart vendors. The more common flavors for the drinks are (were... I haven't been there in a while) almond (freshly ground), orange and lemon (freshly squeezed), and mint (leaves crushed at the moment) I miss those flavors and scents. I'm going to check this soda machine


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

OK, we did the math last night and decided it might work well for us. Just got home with it and have the water chilling in the fridge. It came with the sampler pack, and DH bought the "cola free" syrup. I really like fizzy water. So, aside from their syrups and fruit juice, what else have folks used? Would any brand flavored syrups work?

DH is on a grocery run for our bi-weekly game night and I just texted him about the Crystal Light.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I would think any syrups would work.  I've never used any.  I have a cup of brewed cold tea in the fridge.  Just poured a little of that into a glass, then filled glass with fizzy water.  GOOD!  

Liz, you won't regret your SodaStream purchase.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

I must be honest - I didn't like any of their syrups - even the sugar free ones - tasted very artificial to me.  But I LOVE it with Crystal light.. drinking fizzy pink lemonade right now in fact...


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## Sean Patrick Fox (Dec 3, 2011)

Do these things make seltzer, sparkling water, or soda? From the word "syrup" it sounds like soda, but you call it "fizzy water" which sounds more like seltzer or sparkling water.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

The Sodastream puts carbonation into a bottle of water.. so I would call that seltzer or sparkling water..  Then you can either add syrup to the water to make a whole bottle of soda- or what I do - is refrigerate the water - and then glass by glass - add Crystal Lite - On The Go.


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## Sean Patrick Fox (Dec 3, 2011)

bordercollielady said:


> The Sodastream puts carbonation into a bottle of water.. so I would call that seltzer or sparkling water.. Then you can either add syrup to the water to make a whole bottle of soda- or what I do - is refrigerate the water - and then glass by glass - add Crystal Lite - On The Go.


Hmm. Maybe I'll get one and use lemon or lime juice as flavoring.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

That's right. You make the bottle of plain fizzy / carbonated water first. Then add whatever you might want to the whole bottle or pour a glass of fizzy water and add juice, syrup, brewed tea, etc. to that. _Always_ make whole bottle of fizzy water first.

I like iced / cold coffee. I wonder what cold fizzy coffee would taste like.  Have to try it.


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## TJVitt (Feb 24, 2012)

Their syrups aren't the best. Probably because even for the non-diet versions they still put artificial-sweeteners into them. That said, it's nice that you can drink even the non-diet flavours and not feel guilty about it! I'm more willing to sacrifice a bit of taste if it means I'm not getting a drink loaded with sugar.

We bought a sampler pack not too long ago and we've picked up a few bottles of syrups wherever we can find them. Dr. Pete, the Dr. Pepper wannabe, is pretty close to the "real" thing. So are the cola flavours. Diet rootbeer doesn't have much "bite" to it, but it's still very tasty. It's a smooth rootbeer, and I really like it. Their ginger ales, both diet and non-diet, are really good, too. Taste like store-bought to me.

It seems, at least in our home, that SodaSteam's fruity flavours are best. Pink grapefruit is delicious. I personally like both the orange and diet orange (although my fiancee isn't fond of either). There was another, I think it was labelled as a "sports drink", that was pretty good.

And then there are some other flavours we've seen but haven't tried yet. Cranberry-raspberry, tonic water, iced tea... You can check out their website for all of them! I just noticed cream soda and grape.... I wish I could find those in stores here.  Guess I'll need to make an order...

As for the difference in dispensers: there isn't much difference. My fiancee researched it (a lot...) before buying ours. The features that differ are pretty small. One machine uses glass bottles instead of plastic. One machine, as Sandpiper mentioned, has the bigger carbonator. One machine has a little readout that shows you how much CO2 is left in the canister. We bought the cheapest model because we weren't sure about how well it'd work and because we didn't want the heavier glass bottles or some dinky little digital readout. A larger carbonator would have been nice, but as it is we love our dispenser. I don't remember the name of it EDIT: It's a Genesis model. The most basic one available. And it's a nice deep red colour.


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

I'm going to show my age here by revealing I remember the ad tag line from the 1970's (I think!)

"Get Busy With The Fizzy."

Great isnt it? - well I remembered it so it cant be that bad!! 
PS My hubs is a soda-stream addict. We're in the UK and it's quite difficult to find a shop that replaces the carbon dioxide cylinders. He now has about 10, which he uses and then takes away with us when we go on holiday to the Isle of Wight - because there is a hardware shop there that will exchange them.


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## Rainha (Sep 20, 2010)

I've been thinking hard about getting one.  I saw a couple people have had theirs for a long time - has anybody had any problems with longevity?  They seem like they're pretty simple and straightforward, but I'd hate to spend all the money and have to replace it every two years.

I think I read that the glass bottles are dishwasher safe and the plastic bottles are not.  I think I may start saving my pennies and get the glass bottle one.


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## Sean Patrick Fox (Dec 3, 2011)

Seems like it's not as cost effective as advertised because the co2 containers can't be filled up at sport stores because of a special attachment. How do you fill up your co2 canisters?


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## TJVitt (Feb 24, 2012)

> Seems like it's not as cost effective as advertised because the co2 containers can't be filled up at sport stores because of a special attachment. How do you fill up your co2 canisters?


If you do a Google search you'll find some info. Yes, SodaStream really wants you to buy from them, but if you're determined there are ways to do it yourself. You just have to know what you're doing with high-pressure gasses...

Quite a few stores (at least where I live) have an exchange program: you take them your empty canister and get a discount on a new one. So instead of paying $35 for a new canister we only have to pay about $15 if we give them the empty.



> PS My hubs is a soda-stream addict. We're in the UK and it's quite difficult to find a shop that replaces the carbon dioxide cylinders. He now has about 10, which he uses and then takes away with us when we go on holiday to the Isle of Wight - because there is a hardware shop there that will exchange them.


That's too bad.  That was a big factor for us when deciding to buy one: whether we could exchange canisters locally or have to buy new ones each time. Buying new each time was out of the question -- that'd be far too expensive. But with the exchange program it's reasonable. Especially considering we have two stores that do exchanges within walking distance. If it wasn't that convenient we probably wouldn't have gotten a SodaStream.



> I think I read that the glass bottles are dishwasher safe and the plastic bottles are not. I think I may start saving my pennies and get the glass bottle one.


I believe that's true, yes. But you don't really need to wash the bottles all that much. Even when we make soda in our plastic bottles (ie. with syrups) it only takes a quick rinse with warm tap-water to get them clean. I usually do the "sniff test" after I clean one just to make sure, and they always smell clean and fresh -- no hint of flavours. Of course that's just my experience. If you want to play it safe and make sure no residual flavours linger, then maybe best to get the glass bottles. We almost got glass just because, but we couldn't find any of the dispensers for sale locally and didn't want to order one (not to mention the price difference was like $50...).


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## gadgetgirl003 (Mar 22, 2009)

I've had my Sodamaker for at least 4 years(maybe many years longer than that. I don't remember what year I bought it) and it still works just as well as it did the first day I got it. At the time that I bought it, I think the model that I bought was the only one being sold by Sodastream. It is the Fountain Jet. I use the big CO2 cartridges because that is what originally came with my Sodamaker. A boat store in my town used to do the exchanges, but it closed so now I buy the exchanges through Sodastream's website. Last month when I did the exchange, Sodastream had a special where there were no shipping charges for CO2 cartridges. Ordinarily they charge for the CO2 shipping since it id considered a hazardous material and has to have special handling. Several stores in my area offer CO2 exchanges for the 60L cartridges, but I only know of one store that will exchange the larger cartridges and it is 45 minutes from my house so I usually prefer just to pay the shipping charge. THe Sodastream website lists merchants in your area that carry their products and exchanges. http://www.sodastreamusa.com/default.aspx
I have some of the glass bottles because I think they are pretty and like that they are dishwasher safe. When I use them, I over-carbonate water in one of the 1/2 liter plastic bottles and then pour it into the glass bottle with extra water in it. That works well.
If you like carbonated drinks and like experimenting with new things, I think you will really enjoy it.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

A lot of stores now sell / exchange the small carbonators, but not the large one.  I have the Fountain Jet model so I can (which I do) use the large.  

You don't simply buy new large carbonators from SodaStream every time you're ready for more fizz.  You exchange carbonators with them also.  To exchange, you need the same number of carbonators to return as you are getting.  It's done via UPS.  The send you new carbonators with carton to return same number of empty carbonators.  Shipping for return is prepaid by SodaStream.

I got mine in December '06, so I've had it a little over five years.  'Bout a year ago, I had a problem with water squirting out when I pumped carbonation into the plastic bottle.  Bottle was screwed tight onto Fountain Jet.  I contacted SodaStream.  They sent me a new Fountain Jet machine (no charge) and I shipped back the old one.  After the fact, I don't really know if the problem was the machine or the bottles.  I started using new bottles not long after.  No problems since.  

I could not live without my SodaStream fizzy water (or at least I would not want to).  If you like fizzy water -- get it!


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

I purchased one about a year ago but stopped using it cause I didn't care for the flavors.  But I never thought to use fruit juice or Crystal Lite, so I may pull it out and give it a try.  Thanks for the suggestions.


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## Rainha (Sep 20, 2010)

TJVitt said:


> I believe that's true, yes. But you don't really need to wash the bottles all that much. Even when we make soda in our plastic bottles (ie. with syrups) it only takes a quick rinse with warm tap-water to get them clean. I usually do the "sniff test" after I clean one just to make sure, and they always smell clean and fresh -- no hint of flavours. Of course that's just my experience. If you want to play it safe and make sure no residual flavours linger, then maybe best to get the glass bottles. We almost got glass just because, but we couldn't find any of the dispensers for sale locally and didn't want to order one (not to mention the price difference was like $50...).


Thanks for the feedback. I hate washing dishes more than just about anything else in the world, so I'm mostly getting the glass bottles to spare my poor husband having to wash them all the time  I'm not terribly concerned about residual flavors, but I prefer to just drink out of bottles if they're the right size, because I can close them and keep the fizz in, so I expect they'll need to be washed properly.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I have no experience exchanging carbonators in a store, so correct me if I'm wrong.  When you "exchange" carbonators -- you still pay.  It's not a simple exchange with no money involved.  You're exchanging empty carbonator for full (of gas) carbonator.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

I think the exchange is like $15 dollars at Bed Bath and Beyond. I usually use one of their $5 coupons when I go so its usually around $10


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Sandpiper said:


> I have no experience exchanging carbonators in a store, so correct me if I'm wrong. When you "exchange" carbonators -- you still pay. It's not a simple exchange with no money involved. You're exchanging empty carbonator for full (of gas) carbonator.


When explaining the SodaStream to a friend over the weekend he said regarding exchanges "Oh, Like propane tanks". We thought, yeah, exactly like that.


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## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

This thread is responsible for a new purchase made this morning.  I just returned with my new Sodastream from BBB.  I am supposed to drink lots of water (kidney issues) and I think the fizzy water may help me drink more.  Anyway, I got the sample flavors with it, so can decide if I like it or not.  We always have V8 drink so may just add a bit of that.  I hope I love it!  It was sure easy to unbox and put together.  Really nothing to it, just screw in the cartridge.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

mom133d (aka Liz) said:


> When explaining the SodaStream to a friend over the weekend he said regarding exchanges "Oh, Like propane tanks". We thought, yeah, exactly like that.


Except they're not flammable.... 

and by the way....shouldn't "inflammable" mean "not flammable" ?


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

prairiesky said:


> This thread is responsible for a new purchase made this morning. I just returned with my new Sodastream from BBB. I am supposed to drink lots of water (kidney issues) and I think the fizzy water may help me drink more. Anyway, I got the sample flavors with it, so can decide if I like it or not. We always have V8 drink so may just add a bit of that. I hope I love it! It was sure easy to unbox and put together. Really nothing to it, just screw in the cartridge.


That is it. There's next to nothing to the SodaStream "machine". As I keep saying, I absolutely love it. I have NEVER liked plain / unfizzed water. (My Mom said I would gag on it when I was a baby.) As long as it has fizz I will drink it. Better with a little juice in it. I've never tried it with regular (veggie) V-8. Very good with V-8 Fusion juices.


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## TJVitt (Feb 24, 2012)

Sandpiper said:


> I have no experience exchanging carbonators in a store, so correct me if I'm wrong. When you "exchange" carbonators -- you still pay. It's not a simple exchange with no money involved. You're exchanging empty carbonator for full (of gas) carbonator.


Yeah, as mom133d mentioned it's just like swapping propane tanks. Here in Manitoba, you can pay $35 for a brand new tank, OR if you bring in an empty tank they'll only charge you $15 for the new one.

I guess once a store receives enough empty tanks they send them back to SodaStream, who then gives them a good discount on a shipment of new, full tanks.



> This thread is responsible for a new purchase made this morning.


Good to hear! If you love fizzy water as much as my fiancee, yes, yes you will end up drinking lots.  She drinks at least two litres of SodaStream a day... which begins to add up money-wise over time.  At least she's drinking a lot of water...


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

I don't mean to crap on the Sodastream or this thread, but what are the advantages to this vs. just buying club soda and filling it with your own beverage or syrup of choice? I'm genuinely curious.


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## TJVitt (Feb 24, 2012)

> I don't mean to crap on the Sodastream or this thread, but what are the advantages to this vs. just buying club soda and filling it with your own beverage or syrup of choice? I'm genuinely curious.


I don't remember the exact math, but if I recall correctly we figured out it's something like 30 cents per litre we save by using SodaStream versus buying carbonated water at the store. And we were buying the cheapest, store-brand water we could get. The savings aren't all that great at a glance, but if you drink a lot of fizzy water in the long run it's worth it.

Another thing to consider is the environmental aspect. That was a big thing for my fiancee (not so much for me ). Instead of recycling all of those 2-litre bottles (in a city whose recycling operation is fairly questionable) we're using the same bottles over and over. And since we exchange the CO2 canisters we know those are going back to SodaStream to be re-used.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Before I got my SodaStream, I had been buying liter bottles of seltzer water in the store.  Just as SodaStream site says, big pain schlepping those heavy bottles from the store.  It is definitely "green" to keep filling the same two (or few) bottles at home as opposed to keep buying seltzer water and more and more (and more) plastic bottles from the store.  And I hadn't realized until I had to buy a few bottles from the store when I was between SodaStream "machines" that I like a lot more fizz in my water than is in store bought seltzer water.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

prairiesky said:


> This thread is responsible for a new purchase made this morning. I just returned with my new Sodastream from BBB.


Excellent! Don't get discouraged if you dislike the flavors they give you. There are so many other options...


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## nathanieltimothy (Mar 9, 2012)

really a nice information shared by you thanks for sharing such a nice information


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

I tried Crystal Light To Go in my fizzy water last night. AWESOME!!!! Thanks for the tip!


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

mom133d (aka Liz) said:


> I tried Crystal Light To Go in my fizzy water last night. AWESOME!!!! Thanks for the tip!


You are very welcome.. I love it too.. and I prefer making one glass at a time. And I do agree that SodaStream puts more fizz in the water than the Bottled seltzer at the stores..


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## Rainha (Sep 20, 2010)

I like the idea of not having to worry about my water going flat, too.  It seems less wasteful to just make one small bottle at a time.

I was at Bed, Bath & Beyond yesterday and they had a dishwasher safe plastic bottle.  I'll have to price a couple of those versus just buying the glass bottle machine.


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## Rainha (Sep 20, 2010)

I caved and bought one the other day.  Target had a good deal.  So far, I LOVE it.  I've tried the diet cola and the cola zero, and I'm not terribly impressed by either one, but the zero is a little better.  I'm thinking a little less syrup than recommended might help.  The diet pink grapefruit is surprisingly tasty, considering that I usually only like grapefruit flavor in actual grapefruit   The energy drink was fun, too.  I figure I'll probably drink decaffeinated flavors and plain fizzy water at home anyway, so I'm not too heartbroken about the colas.  I'll just continue to buy those in cans for work.

I plan to do some experimenting with things like Torani syrups, but what SodaStream flavors do you guys like?  Which ones have people found are closest to the real thing?


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Thought I would revive this one! My wife and I recently got one and are addicted! While the syrups and flavors that came with the machine are nice, we are having a blast just finding flavors on our own. Sometimes we just make a bottle of soda water and add a little lime juice. Or my wife has made our own ginger ale syrup using fresh ginger. 

Anyone else make their own flavors?


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I use freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice in mine. I'm trying to cut back on artificial sweeteners, and have really cut down on the Diet Coke that I drink. I always keep a bottle of diet tonic water on hand because it really helps with leg cramps. (The quinine in it helps.) I like to use carbonated water when I make pancakes, and it works well when making cake mixes that are low in Weight Watchers points. 

I always exchange my empty canister at Bed, Bath and Beyond, and I keep a spare canister on hand because I live 45 miles from a BB&B.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Some great tips there, Cindy. Thanks for that. My wife and I continue to experiment. We got the free samples package with the machine, so we are working our way through some of those. I used to drink Pellegrino naturally carbonated water all the time, so just the soda water is quite tasty for me.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Cindy416 said:


> I always exchange my empty canister at Bed, Bath and Beyond, and I keep a spare canister on hand because I live 45 miles from a BB&B.


45 miles!!! Do you keep two or three? I'm just a few miles from a BB&B. And I was disappointed that empty carbonators can no longer be returned via UPS. I use the large size carbonators. Until the government banned shipping the empty carbonators, the large size were not available in stores.


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## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

I LOVE my Soda Stream!!!  Just wanted to mention that Costco and Amazon both sell the brand syrups (Dr. Pepper and such) if you find the Soda Stream flavors lacking.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Sandpiper said:


> 45 miles!!! Do you keep two or three? I'm just a few miles from a BB&B. And I was disappointed that empty carbonators can no longer be returned via UPS. I use the large size carbonators. Until the government banned shipping the empty carbonators, the large size were not available in stores.


I just keep one in my SodaStream and an extra on hand. I go to the city/town where the BB&B is at least once a week, so it's not a big deal. (I made a quick trip there this evening just to exchange my suddenly-not-working (but not new) Keurig. I upgraded for the difference in price. I LOVE BB&B!)


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

We are so addicted to Diet Coke in our house and it is getting way too expensive.  Also, I want to work on healthier beverage choices.  I am going to bust out our soda stream and see if I can find a mixture of natural flavors that will satisfy me.  I am also trying to drink more green tea.  It is just that the Diet Coke habit is so hard for me to break.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

I just bought a sodastream last weekend. I love it! I got a great deal at Kohl's for about $55 before the $10 mail in rebate. I've been adding a little Mio or Crystal Light to it. I also like it extra carbonated.


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## Carrie Rubin (Nov 19, 2012)

I, too, love my Sodastream! My favorite flavor is the Crystal Light Fruit Punch. Never thought to create my own flavoring. Great idea.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

My wife and I finally tried the Diet Cola flavor in the sample pack

We are now addicted.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Sandpiper said:


> 45 miles!!! Do you keep two or three? I'm just a few miles from a BB&B. And I was disappointed that empty carbonators can no longer be returned via UPS. I use the large size carbonators. Until the government banned shipping the empty carbonators, the large size were not available in stores.


I been peeved about this too. Not because I used the large carbonators, but because the nearest place for exchange is a pain in the butt to get too. For me mail was perfect. Now I am almost out and I am not making soda anymore until I can figure out what to do. 

I love putting in the true lemon products. I especially like their orange. I can't use most of the syrups from soda stream as I cannot stand the taste of any kind of artificial sweetener. I can't take the after taste of them. So none of the diet is drinkable to me anyway.

Most times I just drink the plain sparkle water. I was raised drinking mineral water and it was getting expensive buying those at the store. Now I buy ozark spring water and fizz it up myself.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

You can blame the government for no longer being able to exchange carbonators by mail / UPS.


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## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

I picked one of these up today with my Kohls 30% off coupon. Now I just have to decide if I hold it and give it to my son for Christmas, or open before that. Either way it stays at my house. I had thought about one several times but could never decide if I should take the leap or not. It sounds like everyone loves theirs though so maybe its time to do it. My son keeps saying we should get one or get him one for Christmas.  I love reading what everyone is adding to theirs. I would like to keep it as healthy as possible but still have flavor.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

KindleGirl said:


> I love reading what everyone is adding to theirs. I would like to keep it as healthy as possible but still have flavor.


If you like fizzzzzzy water, you will love SodaStream. I would not want to be without mine. I've had it for about 7 - 8 years. Years before current popularity. Keep it healthy -- mix with fruit juice. I put just a little fruit juice in a glass and add fizzzzy water. I never add anything to the whole bottle of water.


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## geniebeanie (Apr 23, 2009)

I love mine but you have to try the green tea kiwi.  It is the best flavor they make.  Just yummy.


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## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

geniebeanie said:


> I love mine but you have to try the green tea kiwi. It is the best flavor they make. Just yummy.


Is this made by SodaStream or some other brand? Sounds yummy.



Sandpiper said:


> If you like fizzzzzzy water, you will love SodaStream. I would not want to be without mine. I've had it for about 7 - 8 years. Years before current popularity. Keep it healthy -- mix with fruit juice. I put just a little fruit juice in a glass and add fizzzzy water. I never add anything to the whole bottle of water.


Good idea. I like the idea of healthier. I don't like fizzy water all of the time, but kids and hubby do. I'm hoping to make them drink healthier.



◄ Jess ► said:


> I just bought a sodastream last weekend. I love it! I got a great deal at Kohl's for about $55 before the $10 mail in rebate. I've been adding a little Mio or Crystal Light to it. I also like it extra carbonated.


I like the idea of the Mio or Crystal Light. Great idea!


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

KindleGirl said:


> Good idea. I like the idea of healthier. I don't like fizzy water all of the time, but kids and hubby do. I'm hoping to make them drink healthier.


I am drinking much more water since getting SodaStream. I have NEVER liked water. NEVER. Mom said I would gag on it when I was a baby. But I do like it with fizzzzzzz. Preferably with a little (just a little) juice too. But it is OK just plain. Gotta have those bubbles though.

As a kid I drank milk. A lot of milk.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

We are still trying to come up with our own. Sometimes it's just nice to have the soda water. You can add a little lemon or lime - or just drink it as-is.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

So which model of SodaStream do you have? We have a black Revolution with chrome trim. We are still learning, but my wife almost broke it by running it on 3 and then leaving it in and pushing the button again. Water sprayed everywhere! I guess gas built up and broke the seal. Luckily, it works OK now and the bottle wasn't broken. When my wife posted about it on FB, our friend posted a video in which she pushed a button on the TOP of her machine 25 times without water spraying everywhere!  It was funny, but she probably burned through a carbonator making the video!

Also, we bought a spare glass bottle because we are avoiding using plastic and the glass bottle is small and doesn't mount in the machine!  We have to make it in the bottle that came with the machine and then pour it into the glass bottle.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I think there were only 2 or 3 models when I got mine.  I got the FountainJet.  Simple.  All plastic.  White.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

balaspa said:


> We have to make it in the bottle that came with the machine and then pour it into the glass bottle.


You lose some fizzzz doing that. Fizzzz -- it's a good thing.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Sandpiper said:


> You lose some fizzzz doing that. Fizzzz -- it's a good thing.


Yeah, if we wanted to lose fizz, we could have poured it into a mason jar instead of spending $15 on the sodastream brand carafe. It should fit in the machine. But it does seal well.

I'm curious about the fizzy water and cake mix mentioned above. Do you use fizzy water in place of oil?


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

How much fizz do you guys like? Do you have one of the machines that you have to hit a button each time? Ours is automatic. You hit one of four buttons on the front and it gives from one to four "fizz" blasts.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

balaspa said:


> I'm curious about the fizzy water and cake mix mentioned above. Do you use fizzy water in place of oil?


Those of us who are Weight Watchers have been mixing a cake mix and a can of diet pop, pouring the batter in cake pans (round or a 9x13), and baking as directed on the box. I've made some of these cakes using carbonated water instead of pop, and they have turned out like the ones made with pop. (I sometimes add an egg or two if the cake mix calls for eggs, as it doesn't make a difference on the overall points value of the cake, and the addition gives the cake a bit more body.) These cakes are lighter, of course, than cakes made following the traditional cake mix method, but they still hit the spot when we want something sweet that doesn't "cost" a lot of points.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

balaspa said:


> How much fizz do you guys like? Do you have one of the machines that you have to hit a button each time? Ours is automatic. You hit one of four buttons on the front and it gives from one to four "fizz" blasts.


My SodaStream is an early FountainJet model. It's manual. I like mucho fizzzz. A good six hits / presses on the button.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

My wife and I bought some new syrups. I love the Half & Half ice tea one. Sparkling ice tea...yummm


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

We also had our first experience changing CO2 cartridges. We now think that the cartridge that came with the device was not full cuz this thing is FIZZIN'!


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

How many blasts of the fizz do you normally put in? Ours has buttons and it does it automatically. However, I have seen someone with the device where you push down on the top put up to 20 in a bottle.


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## Susan Lohrer (Jun 11, 2013)

We have one. Well, it was DH's birthday present, but the whole family uses it. I'm sure we spend more on pop than we ever did, because it's right there on the counter. Whoops.

My fave is the diet cranberry raspberry. And two buzzes of fizz for me.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

My wife and I are so addicted it's insane. We just got a brand new CO2 and we're already halfway through it. Definitely doing some exchanging soon.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

We have a basic FountainJet. We ran out of CO2 a few months ago and had a little argu _discussion_ about whether we already had a spare. Given that I was the one who ordered two 130L carbonators (back when you could do exchanges through shipping), I was not going to concede that we only had one. _Anyway_... we never found the second one, nor did we get out to a store to exchange the one we just emptied, and now the maker has been shuffled off into the pantry for storage. This message thread has inspired me to go get that empty carbonator exchanged!


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

*Just do it!*


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

How fast do you go through the CO2 cartridges?


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I use the 130 liter carbonator.  One person here.  Six buzzes to a bottle of water.  (I like fizzzzz.) App. one bottle per day.  Carbonator lasts app. 3 months.  The last one exactly 3 months.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Interesting. My wife and I just finish one bottle and then re-fizz and we seem to be going through the CO2 cartridges pretty fast.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

balaspa said:


> Interesting. My wife and I just finish one bottle and then re-fizz and we seem to be going through the CO2 cartridges pretty fast.


Are you aware there are two size carbonators -- 60 and 130? I think 60 is more common and more easily available.


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## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

balaspa said:


> Interesting. My wife and I just finish one bottle and then re-fizz and we seem to be going through the CO2 cartridges pretty fast.


We are too. We have the 60L ones as our machine only takes those. I have 3 teens that use it every day usually just once. I don't remember how long ago we got the machine, but we have been thru 2 cartridges already. I don't think we've had it more than a month. I don't think it's going to save me any money in the long run, but I hope it's at least a little healthier.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

Cindy416 said:


> Those of us who are Weight Watchers have been mixing a cake mix and a can of diet pop, pouring the batter in cake pans (round or a 9x13), and baking as directed on the box. I've made some of these cakes using carbonated water instead of pop, and they have turned out like the ones made with pop. (I sometimes add an egg or two if the cake mix calls for eggs, as it doesn't make a difference on the overall points value of the cake, and the addition gives the cake a bit more body.) These cakes are lighter, of course, than cakes made following the traditional cake mix method, but they still hit the spot when we want something sweet that doesn't "cost" a lot of points.


I have never heard of this before! (And I'm on Pinterest, too!) I'm going to have to try it sometime soon...


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Vaguely remember the cake mix and pop thing from many years ago.


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## Rainha (Sep 20, 2010)

My husband told me that he was at the store the other day and saw a refrigerator with a BUILT IN SodaStream in the door.  We're now discussing ways to sabotage our relatively new and perfectly fine fridge so we have an excuse to replace it.  Maybe a screwdriver in the icemaker?


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

My wife accidentally just hit the "reset" button without changing the CO2 cartridge (thinking I had already done it) and it seemed to FIZZ with renewed vigor for a while. I don't know what that all means.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

marianneg said:


> I have never heard of this before! (And I'm on Pinterest, too!) I'm going to have to try it sometime soon...


If you're looking for healthier alternatives to regular cake, you might try the cake mix plus diet pop or club soda, and then try a softened wedge of Laughing Cow cream cheese (or the strawberry flavor of LC cream cheese) as an icing for an individual serving or cupcake. There's a cinnamon LC variety, too, I think. I haven't tried the LC cheeses on cake, but I think they would work just great. At 35 calories per wedge, it seems like a good way to top off a "diet" cake.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I am fascinated how this has turned into cake-talk.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

balaspa said:


> I am fascinated how this has turned into cake-talk.


It appears as if I may have hijacked this thread. Guess I need take the cake talk to another food related thread.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I could not live (or at least not drink) without my SodaStream.  Fizzzzzzzzzzed up another bottle.  Currently I add just a little Trader Joe's 100% cranberry juice to a glass of water.  It's tart / sour.  I love it.    I've had my SodaStream Fountain Jet for eleven years.  Delivered on December 5, 2006.  Been drinkin' water ever since -- not before.


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