Anyone have a Sodastream?

[mattl]

picked up a Sodastream yesterday at the Goodwill half off sale, got it for $20

Paid almost that for the CO2 cartridge, but it's fun to play with a new toy. Anyway picked up a few mixes that I found on clearance for $2.50, Margerita mix and another non- acholic drink copy. So, any suggestions on something to try? How about putting IceTea in the unit? I do like sparkling water so that may be the main use for me.

 

[whirlcool]

How do the mixes taste? Are they palatable? I always wondered about that.

 

[iheartmaytag]

My brother got me one for Christmas a few years ago

I love mine. The CO2 cartridges are $15 w/exchange at Wal-Mart, and the Kitchen Store. You can also order from Amazon.

The flavors are OK. I like the more generic type flavors like the Orange, Ginger Ale, RootBeer. My daughter likes the Dr. Pete, somewhat like Dr. Pepper but a little sweeter to my taste. I didn't care for the Cola flavors.

The Ocean Spray flavors are really good. My favorite there is the Cranberry/Raspberry. I also like to do just a bottle of carbonated water with no flavoring.

 

[zipdang]

We love our SodaStream and use it every day. As noted above, replacement CO2 cylinders are usually half-price (around $15) if purchased when returning an empty cylinder. Williams-Sonoma, Sur la Table, and just about any kitchenware store will exchange them.

Instead of using SodaStream's flavors we usually just add a couple of squirts of Mio water enhancers or similar water flavorings. They can usually be found on sale at grocery stores for $2 or $3.

 

[jmm63]

I got one for Christmas and don't like it as much as I thought I would.  The flavors that came with it were gross....the regular ones were to sweet and the diet ones were nasty.  I use it for bubbly water and put a slice of lemon or lime in it.  

 

Just make sure any flavoring you add is done AFTER you carbonate the water....

 

[whirlcool]

It seems that unless you shop for best price those SodaStream Flavor packets can get expensive. I'm one of those who expects Coke to taste like Coke and Pepsi to taste like Pepsi. I don't think a SodaStream would work for us.

Has anyone tried Carbonated Ice Tea?

 

[spiraclean]

Big SodaStream user here. Main reason I switched was so I would no longer have to lug or store crates of soda water and pop. We get through a lot of soda water, and finding somewhere to keep it all was a PITA.

Cost wise it's working out to be quite reasonable, as a gas cylinder usually lasts me 2 months (being used 2-3 times a day), and the concentrate bottles are good for 12 litres each. Not sure about elsewhere, but over here at least, SodaStream regularly offer sales and bundle deals on concentrates if you order directly from their website. This knocks the cost down even further, and you still get to pick and mix the ones you like.

I do agree that many of the diet/sugar free flavours are a little odd, and I tend not to bother with these for that reason. The Coke Zero knockoff is particularly bad, absolutely vile. Some of the regular flavours are indeed a little too sweet, however you can adjust the quantity downwards somewhat to suit your own particular tastes. I'm just happy they offer a root beer concentrate; root beer is difficult to find over here, and the SodaStream version is good enough to scratch that itch without resorting to paying over the odds for imported stuff.

 

[jkbff]

I have one... bought it over a year ago and haven't un boxed it yet.

 

[foraloysius]

With carbonated spring water only costing 50 eurocents for 1,5 liter, and me not drinking a lot of soda, I can't justify the costs of a Sodastream. They look quite interesting, and I have thought about it, but the decision is no.

 

[scoots]

I have an older unit that isn't digital and doesn't require batteries... which is fine with me, although the tilt-to-access bottle coupling is a total alignment nuisance.

I mostly drink it just as seltzer, but occasionally I'll toss some powdered flavorings in for a change up.

Best drunk neat, over ice, and listening to Allan Sherman...

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAhfvPqWYUk

 

[arbilab]

Allan Sherman

Seltzer BOY, where are you hiding?
If you don't bring that seltzer, I'm gung tell Mr. Meltzer, on YOU.

That's bettah. Could you put in a little chocolate sauce?

 

[mattl]

Saw a video on how to refill the CO2 cartridge with dry ice, pretty easy. Just don't have a local source for pelletized dry ice locally, other option is to smash up a block of dry ice, but that is too difficult.

Came across several videos that indicate things work better if you just put a little syrup in the glass then fill it rather than dumping it in the bottle. Tried it and agree. Lots of syrup respites out there too, the Lemmon line one is easy.

 

[whirlcool]

Gastric Disaster

-Be Careful!

Today we were visiting a couple we know and they asked us if we wanted to try some of the Root Beer that their son made using a SodaStream machine. So we said we'd try it. The lady of the house went into the kitchen and brought out two glasses of iced root beer in glasses with ice in them.

It tasted kind of weird, but was drinkable. It wasn't as bubbly as Root Beer normally is, but there was some fizz to it. When we finished those glasses the hostess came out with two more bottles of the stuff. We definitely noticed that the beverage was in old twist cap Coke plastic bottles. And they were warm too. Karen immediately wondered if the bottles had been cleaned before they were reused. I wondered about what ingredients their son put in the water to make this Root Beer concoction and why wasn't it refrigerated?

We got home a few hours later and then it started. Rumbling stomach, hershey squirts, cramping. We took some Immodium and that seems to help.

So we thought, shouldn't this home made soda been handled a little differently?
Like maybe kept refrigerated and not stored in reused soda bottles?

 

[mattl]

Wow, yuk.

 

I've been using mine daily.  90% of the time it's just simple carbonated water.  I've found it's the carbonation that attracted me to pepsi or coke, less the sugar or flavour. Sometimes I'll add a couple of squeezed wedges of lemon but that is about it.  I do like the margarita  flavoured mix, but only add a bit to the glass then fill with carbonated water.  Much prefer this method to mixing the whole container with syrup.

 

[whirlcool]

We do realize that this problem we had was with the people who used the SodaStream and not the SodaStream itself. We finally recovered overnight.

Does the SodaStream carbonate the water to say the level of a good carbonated Mineral Water such as Gerolsteiner? Since water is better for you than soda's are this could be a very good thing.

 

[maytagbear]

I have had water and flavors

from a SodaStream, but have not bought one yet...maybe soon, though. Allen, yes, a person can get VERY bubbly water from a SodaStream. Part of the equation is to start with very cold water...at least 40F (Refrigerator temperature,) or cooler. The colder the starting water temperature, the more CO2. (This is according to Cooks Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen.) Plus, there is a setting for "more," "average," and "less" carbonation.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[mattl]

No setting on mine.  I simply press the button - usually 3 times until I hear the pressure relief valve open.  I've seen you tube videos where the person say she presses it 5 or 6 times to get more carbonation, but I believe once the valve opens you get very little more, waste of co2.

 

Yes, the water does get very carbonated,  I use water out of the filtered dispenser in my fridge and it's very good.  I'd say it's considerably more carbonated than any bottled soft drink by a large margin.  AS I said I find the water perhaps more satisfying than the Pepsi I had been drinking.