Sodastream Product Review

First, just let me say, WOW!

When I contacted Sodastream about doing a product review, never in my thought process would I believe that they would send me what they did.  We are definitely hooked up for some yummy drinks for a long time coming.

The package arrived almost 2 weeks ago but I haven't been able to get to doing the review because of an illness.  I wanted to make sure that my taste buds were working at almost 100% so that I could give the flavors that we tried a fair shake.

This is what arrived:


(1) Sodastream machine with CO2 canister and two bottles.

Then all the flavors of soda/drinks.

(1) Cola Free
(1) Green Tea Pomegranate Peach
(1) Gingerale
(1) Energy
(1) Diet Lemon Lime
(1) Diet Pink Grapefruit
(1) Cranberry Raspberry
(1) Rootbeer
(1) My water.

Each bottle of flavoring is equivalent to (33) 12 ounce cans of soda.

Here is the breakdown for the nutritional value/calories, etc in comparison to other well-known soda makers:

http://www.sodastreamusa.com/TasteNutritionInfo.aspx

There are many different types of flavors, please click the links to see which flavors are offered by Sodastream:

Regular Flavors
Diet Flavors
Energy Drinks
My Water
Sparkling Naturals
Sparkling Water
Sparkling Teas

My Review:

We drink a lot of soda.  We know we shouldn't, but there are times when water just doesn't do the trick and you must have a soda.

In comparing the prices of a bottle of soda and a bottle of Sodastream drinks, Sodastream comes out way ahead as it works out to .25 cents per 12 oz drink.  Where can you get a can of soda for .25 cents nowadays?  Plus, no .05 cent bottle deposit.

Also, this is so good for the environment.  There are no bottles to rinse and take back.  No plastics to recycle.  No six pack holders clogging up the landfills. 

With Sodastream, you make it as you want it which means it doesn't go flat.  How many times have you bought a 2 liter bottle of soda, had a glass out of it, only to go back the next day to get another glass and the soda is flat.  With the Sodastream, you are able to make as much as you want.

We tried two flavors last night.  One of our favorites (Rootbeer) and one that we weren't so sure on (Cranberry Raspberry).

Very simple to make.  We poured spring water into the bottle that is included, inserted it into the machine and hit the button for 3 quick spurts to add the carbonation.  Then you carefully remove the bottle and add a capfull of the syrup that you want, put on bottle cap and gently shake.  Open and enjoy. 

The first time, I didn't add enough of the syrup and it wasn't a pleasant taste.  Then I re-read the directions and realized that you had to add a capfull for a full bottle. 

The Cranberry Raspberry, though not a bad flavor, really isn't for us.  Not that it had a horrible taste, it just was sweet.  A plus for it was that there was no aftertaste.  If someone likes fruity type mixtures they would probably really enjoy this.  I do believe that on a hot summer day, this flavor would be refreshing.

Then we tried the Rootbeer syrup.  Again, a little sweet, but it was good.  No aftertaste. But both had just the right amount of carbonation.  I do believe that both would have been much tastier if we used ice-cold water.  Though it was cold, it wasn't ice-cold.

When I had some today, both products were still well carbonated (yay, no flat soda) and were a lot better after being in the refrigerator all night long.

As for clean-up.  Easy peasy.  Put the caps back on the syrup bottles, take out the CO2 container, wipe off the machine, and put away.  When your two containers are empty, just clean and reuse.

I am sure that almost anyone would be able to use this.  The directions to follow were very easy, and within minutes we had drinks in our hands. 

As for finding refills for your CO2 container or flavors they are easy to find with the use of the website.  I found that I can get the CO2 container refilled a short distance from here and another store sells the syrups.  How easy is that?

You can find stores (like Sears, etc) that carry the Sodastream products by using this link:

Where to find

I can't wait to finish up the two mixtures that we made last night so that we can try the numerous other flavors.  I think the Cola and the Gingerale are calling my name for the next ones.  Or, maybe after chasing after a 3 year old all day long making the Energy one would give me that much needed boost.

I would like to thank Sodastream for giving me the opportunity to do this wonderful product review.  They are truly a wonderful company to work with.

*All opinions in this product review are my own.  I received no compensation for my opinions though I did receive was is listed so that I could do a proper product review.