Soda Stream

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FrankZ

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We got one. Costco had the Source Metal with a sampler pack so we picked it up about a week ago.

So far it has been doing well. We both really like their diet "Dr. Pete"

Sodas take up a LOT less room now.

Anyone else using one of these?
 
Don't have one, but am sure thinking about getting one. I'd love to hear opinions too!
 
I understand you can control the amount of carbonation. That would interest me since I like to let mine sit for a bit and get a bit less fizzy. I prefer to pour it over ice to lose some of the fizz too. Is that right that you can make it less fizzy?
 
Plop plop fizz fizz. Please say how this works. I drink a lot of sparkling lemon or lime ade in the summer, using canned carbonated water. It's pretty hard carrying a 12 pak home with my groceries and not as often as I would like to do, Plus they charge as much for H2O as they do for soda pop.
 
I looked into them because I drink the dreaded taboo (soda) pop, but you don't save any money using the machine. That's what I was expecting, to make a glass "for pennies". It sounded like it was more for people who liked variety or making their own. It looked like a fun device to play around with.
 
Frank, I'm not familiar with those. Can you use them to carbonate any beverage? For example, homemade hard cider.


Yes, they come with couple of empty bottles you just screw them up, push the button couple of times and there you have it, carbonated drink of your choice. We picked one up as a present for my daughter’s birthday. I am plenty happy with plain carbonated water.
 
Frank, I'm not familiar with those. Can you use them to carbonate any beverage? For example, homemade hard cider.

No, you can only carbonate water. There is a relief value that can clog if there is anything else in the water and if it does you could get a big, ummm, pooping noise.

I understand you can control the amount of carbonation. That would interest me since I like to let mine sit for a bit and get a bit less fizzy. I prefer to pour it over ice to lose some of the fizz too. Is that right that you can make it less fizzy?

Ours has 3 "settings". You can start and stop at any time. The settings just tell you where you are at. The lightest one is too little fizz for us.

How easy is it to carbonate ones own beverages?

You can only do water, then add flavoring.

Plop plop fizz fizz. Please say how this works. I drink a lot of sparkling lemon or lime ade in the summer, using canned carbonated water. It's pretty hard carrying a 12 pak home with my groceries and not as often as I would like to do, Plus they charge as much for H2O as they do for soda pop.

So far this has worked a treat. The bottles of flavoring are small and light. The machine itself isn't too bad. The tanks of gas aren't really heavy. They say 60 liters on a tank (depending on how fizzy with medium being their bar for this I think).

It seems like the soda goes flat faster than commercial stuff. Not sure if that is just perception or now.

The bottles that came with ours are 1 liter so we only make a liter at a time. We do keep the bottles full in the fridge (colder water accepts more gas).
 
I've seen these in the store and was kind of curious. We caught one on demo at the store but Mrs 40 C didn't care for the taste of the "diet coke".

One thing that gave me pause are the proprietary bottles to mix the soda in. On the other hand cans of soda are very portable and easily disposed of when you are finished with them

.40
 
Thanks for all the info Frank. How expensive are the soft drinks produced, compared to store bought?

Ummm.. I am unclear right now how it will compare. Part of that is the yield on the cylinder and mix aren't known (they give you an estimate but that isn't necessarily reality)

I've seen these in the store and was kind of curious. We caught one on demo at the store but Mrs 40 C didn't care for the taste of the "diet coke".

One thing that gave me pause are the proprietary bottles to mix the soda in. On the other hand cans of soda are very portable and easily disposed of when you are finished with them

.40

The bottles are heavy compared to a regular soda bottle. And they expire. Makes sense as they are "pressure vessels".

The diet cola is ok. You can use any soda mix, you don't have to use theirs. There are lots of web sites that go on and on about it. The bit thing is the SS mixes are a higher concentration than a lot of them. It will skew comparing costs, but that is possible.

We expect that next summer this machine will go to the boat with us when we spend time there. Then we just need to have water (which we do anyways) and not have to worry about mass storage of soda. I think it will be a great idea there.
 
One thing to consider is even the non diet sodas have artificial sweeteners. To have such a small bottle of concentrate be as sweet as it needs to be, they have to use both sugar and artificial sweeteners. If not the non diet bottles would have to be much larger. Kind of like koolade sugar free can be in a small package, but the sugar sweetened has to be in a much larger package.
 
One thing to consider is even the non diet sodas have artificial sweeteners. To have such a small bottle of concentrate be as sweet as it needs to be, they have to use both sugar and artificial sweeteners. If not the non diet bottles would have to be much larger. Kind of like koolade sugar free can be in a small package, but the sugar sweetened has to be in a much larger package.

Thank you for that. I will quit looking for a concentrate with no artificial sweeteners. Won't eat or drink them, no way, no how...:rolleyes:
 
One thing to consider is even the non diet sodas have artificial sweeteners. To have such a small bottle of concentrate be as sweet as it needs to be, they have to use both sugar and artificial sweeteners. If not the non diet bottles would have to be much larger. Kind of like koolade sugar free can be in a small package, but the sugar sweetened has to be in a much larger package.
That's why I want to make and add my own flavourings. We drink ginger ale for upset tummy. I'm tired of having hfcs in my soda, even if they call it glucose/fructose here in Canada. Sneaky buggers. I'll take the regular sucrose and put less. I also really like club soda, but I always feel ripped off paying the same for it as for flavoured soft drinks, and most of it has added sodium. :ermm:
 
We drink very little "soda pop", but I do enjoy club soda and unsweetened seltzers. I have looked at the Soda Stream and others and have asked about making the aforementioned . I have not found anyone who could verify whether or not this is possible. I too resent having to pay pop prices for club soda, and in truth in my "neck of the woods" club soda is about twice the price of cola or citrus flavors drink, especially in the 6 pack bottles :(
 
I love my Soda Stream because I like Seltzer. I haven't tried any of the flavours. A cartridge lasts me about 2 months. I am on the return and empty, get a replacement one program. I like that it doesn't have batteries or use electricity. Yes, the water goes flat faster than "commercial" Seltzer. I add my own flavours to the water once carbonated.
 
Club soda with a squeeze of lemon or lime is my idea of a great soft drink.

I bought Spike the Soda Stream several months ago. He likes the club soda plain and adds his own lemon squirts to it. Sure beats buying ever week or so. He only drinks one cup of coffee a day, no alcohol, so this is his liquid to stay hydrated. Sometimes he will take a drink of cold water from the spray hose in my kitchen sink.

When they first came on the market, a lot of folks were complaining about how difficult it was to get the empty bottle attached. He has never had that problem. Perhaps they had corrected that problem by the time I bought Spike's. He loves his and has said if it ever breaks, he will go out and buy a new one right away. The price has come down since it first came on the market. :angel:
 
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