SodaStream....

[pezaddict231]

I got DH one for x-mas and he loves it and uses it almost daily. He only makes plain seltzer. We did try the fruit flavors and liked the lemon/lime. I don't normally like seltzer but I can drink it from the soda stream. It is much fresher tasting and doesn't have a weird aftertaste.

 

[thebeesknees]

My friend got one and her advice is taken from her experience with her DH: do NOT fizz your coffee!

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

We've had ours for 5 years & love it.

 

[SookieStackhouse]

I have seen these at Bed Bath and Beyond, I would totally want it for the purpose of making carbonated water.

I just worried the refill things for carbonation would be a pain.

 

[merbobear]

are the flavors for the sparkling water sugar free - as in no sugar or substitutes? If not, I could just add fresh squeezed lemon, lime, etc.

I have just about given up soda (only have it at the movie theater). I am drinking bottles of sparkling water - gotta have the fizz!!!! I have been limiting myself only because I was going through so many plastic bottles and I hate that for so many reasons!!!!

Would love to do this and have all the guilt free beverage I want! This sounds like the perfect answer.

I just checked on the bottle of Berry flavoring in my fridge. On the front it says "all natural unsweetened" and the ingredients are "natural gooseberry flavor and other natural flavors." No sweeteners of any kind!

 

[Leader of the Club]

Thanks for all the feedback.

I really like that it does not have high fructose corn syrup--we avoid it has much as possible.

I also like the idea of sending fewer bottles and cans to recycling. And avoid BPA.

 

[Jedana]

We have one, but we dislike the syrups that you can get from them. They have a funky aftertaste, due to the sucralose.

So, I buy my syrups from the Pittsburgh Soda Pop company. A bit pricier, and the cola is more like RC than Coke, but they're made with real sugar, and that is the big selling point.
We like: cola, vanilla root beer, golden cream, grape, butterbeer (used to be vanilla cream soda) and lime.
www. pittsburghsodapop. com

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I just checked on the bottle of Berry flavoring in my fridge. On the front it says "all natural unsweetened" and the ingredients are "natural gooseberry flavor and other natural flavors." No sweeteners of any kind!

thank you!!!!

 

[buzz5985]

We received one from Santa at Christmas. We have a bunch of teenage boys constantly at our house, so it has saved a ton of money - plus it is only 35 calories for 8 oz. So it is lower in calories than a regular soda for the boys. It does not contain HFCS. I found that there was an aftertaste.

I bought my unit at BJ's - it is a Fountain Jet and I paid 79.99 for it and had a $10 off coupon. It came with 2 -1 L bottles and a smaller 1/2 L travel bottle and 24 trial packets of soda flavors. and came with the 33 oz carbonator (the Co2 canister). We bought a back up carbonator at Bed bath and beyond the 14.5 oz for I think 29.99. We are still on the 33 oz, and I wish we had kept track of how many bottles we have made. The soda does not seem to go as flat that quickly. Plus you can regulate how much syrup you use. My DS uses 3/4 of the recommended amount.

I do not care for the soda, or the seltzered water. But I don't drink soda that often, and I never cared for sparkling flavored water. DH loves the flavored water. Just a teaspoon flavors a whole 1 L bottle.

The bottles you use do expire in 2 years. I'm sure the integrity of the bottle diminishes from the high pressure they have to endure. But I bought additional bottles and they were 2 for $19.99 at BB&B, I think i had a $5 off coupon.

I would recommend the purchase of one. Not only do you save money, the environmental impact is nothing to be sneezed at.

Janis

 

[kacaju]

how long does the canisters last?

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I have a question, and I'm honestly not trying to be snarky here--has anyone figured out the payback time/usage of one of these? It just seems to me that you have the initial $80 or so, then the cost of CO2 and syrups, plus additional bottles down the road. You would have to make an awful lot of soda to be saving money, no?

I can understand if the money is secondary, but this is the budget board. Personally, I find it a lot cheaper to just give up soda. I'm not criticizing the choices other people make, I'm just wondering what I'm missing.

FTR, my gang typically drinks lemonade, made from real lemon juice. It's one fo the few things we all can agree on.

 

[Trinity524]

wrong post

 

[ellone]

how long does the canisters last?

It makes about 60 liters. For us, it lasts about a month.

 

[mjkacmom]

I have a question, and I'm honestly not trying to be snarky here--has anyone figured out the payback time/usage of one of these? It just seems to me that you have the initial $80 or so, then the cost of CO2 and syrups, plus additional bottles down the road. You would have to make an awful lot of soda to be saving money, no?

I can understand if the money is secondary, but this is the budget board. Personally, I find it a lot cheaper to just give up soda. I'm not criticizing the choices other people make, I'm just wondering what I'm missing.

FTR, my gang typically drinks lemonade, made from real lemon juice. It's one fo the few things we all can agree on.

We go through about 20 liters of selter a week. I don't think using this product is costing us any more than buying seltzer, it saves me a lot of room in the cart, and it's better for the environment. I see no reason to give up our seltzer addiction - my kids drink soda about twice a month, average one glass of juice per day (oj or cranberry), and otherwise drink seltzer or water.

 

[hipchickie]

can someone tell me - does sodastream use the same cartridges as an iSi? Our iSi just broke, and I have a ton of cartridges. If it uses the same maybe I will switch to sodastream, but if not I will just get another iSi

If it does use another kind, do you get them refilled? Or where do you buy them?

 

[Parkers_girl]

Love my soda stream! I've had mine for over two years now..I wandered into a boat store in FL that was closing down and I purchased the soda stream and two cartridges for around 20 bucks. Best money I ever spent! I only drink seltzer water, so this machine is a life saver as far as saving money on buying bottled seltzer at the store. I love that I can control how "fizzy" it is ( I like it reallll fizzy lol). I exchange my cartridges at BB&B or at a local kitchen store.

 

[dfchelbay]

We love ours. We only use it for seltzer here. We've pretty much given up soda. Canister refills are $15 at Bed Bath Beyond and you can use a 20% coupon on it bringing it down to $12.

My husband was drinking a lot of seltzer cans before and I hated all the cans I had to bring back to the store, plus the fact that cans have BPA in their lining. The sodastream bottles are BPA free.

So, how much soda water do you get with this system? The only thing I drink is sparkling water, 1-2 (2 liter) bottles a day. I pay 79 cents for each two liter bottle. Would this system save me money over buying the 2 liter bottle of sparkling water?

Anyone can answer me, I only quoted you because you use your system the way I would use one if I had one. TIA

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

Are any of the flavors caffeine free besides the one listed? I'm caffeine-free but I don't like diet. Caff-free Coke is so hard to find, LOL.

 

[jgdsoarin]

I just bought one of these today at Bed Bath & Beyond with a 20% coupon. We have been experimenting and my question is about how many pulses it takes to get the water really fizzy. The directions say 3, but after 3 I can't even see any fizz at all. It also says to listen for a "loud buzz"... I'm not sure what that is, since all I hear is the hiss of the air going into the water. I'm just wondering if we are doing it right... it seemed so easy, but it's taking 6-10 pulses to get my water to fizz the amount I like. At this rate, I might go through my canister really fast! I really like the lemon-lime flavored water and my kids/DH say the Pete's Choice is good.

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

I just bought one of these today at Bed Bath & Beyond with a 20% coupon. We have been experimenting and my question is about how many pulses it takes to get the water really fizzy. The directions say 3, but after 3 I can't even see any fizz at all. It also says to listen for a "loud buzz"... I'm not sure what that is, since all I hear is the hiss of the air going into the water. I'm just wondering if we are doing it right... it seemed so easy, but it's taking 6-10 pulses to get my water to fizz the amount I like. At this rate, I might go through my canister really fast! I really like the lemon-lime flavored water and my kids/DH say the Pete's Choice is good.

Press and hold the button down until it starts to make loud "farting" sounds (sorry - but that's what the boys says it sounds like! ). If you're just pushing and releasing 3 times you won't get enough fizz. Press, hold and wait for the "blat blat blat" which is just the sound of the pressure relief valve. After 3 "blats", I give it another quick press to give the water that extra fizz cause I like lots o' bubbles.

Also, be sure to tilt the bottle and SLOWLY pour in the syrup, esp. the non-diet ones, or you will have an eruption all over your countertop! I'd highly recommend adding the syrup over the sink until you get the hang of it.