SodaStream Review

My husband and I gave up buying cans of soda several months ago due to the cost. And because we found we drank a lot more water when we didn’t have soda on hand (shocking). But when Soda Stream offered to send me a machine to test out, I couldn’t pass up a great opportunity. Sometimes I just crave something fizzy to drink and the Soda Stream is the perfect solution.

The Soda Stream turns tap water into carbonated water that can then be flavored with tons of different options. Soda Stream sent me a bunch a different flavors to test out, including diet cola, root beer, black currant and pear, and some flavorings for sparkling water.

The Soda Stream is really easy to use. Just fill the bottle to the line with tap water (don’t overfill it or it will make a bit of a mess…not that I did that). Screw the bottle into the machine and then push the button down until you hear a loud buzzing. Repeat 3-4 times. Initially, I wasn’t pushing the button down hard enough and nothing was happening, but once I figured out that you have to push down pretty hard it was simple. Then just unscrew the bottle, add your flavoring and enjoy.

The machine comes with one 1 liter bottle, but I would suggest getting a least one more. The awesome Soda Stream rep I met at BlogHer ’12 was nice enough to give me a 2nd bottle which is perfect. I keep them in the fridge filled with water, so they are cold and ready to go when I want to make soda.

My favorite flavor is probably the Cola Free. I’m a dedicated Diet Coke drinker and to be honest, the Diet Cola didn’t taste enough like Diet Coke for me. It tastes more like a store brand diet cola. But the Cola Free (similar to Coke Zero) is great (probably because I don’t know that the “real” thing tastes like). Also at BlogHer ’12, I got the chance to try out some of the newest Soda Stream flavors from Country Time and Crystal Light. Including my all time favorite Crystal Light flavor…Peach Iced Tea. Oh my! Carbonated Peach Iced Tea is amazing. I’ll be picking up some of that flavor for sure.

The Soda Stream bottle cap has a special seal that keeps your soda fizzy for much longer than a regular bottle. I was really surprised at how fizzy the soda was in a bottle I had left in the fridge for several days.

The Frugal Factor: So how does the cost of the Soda Stream bear out? The basic machine costs around $80 and the bottles of flavor are about $5. The Soda Stream website states that the price of a can of soda works out to $0.25 per can. That is about $0.10 less than we were previously paying for soda at Costco. Plus, I can have a bunch of different flavors on hand without taking up a ton of space.

I definitely think the Soda Stream is worth the investment. It is so easy to use and gives you so many delicious options. Plus, no hauling and storing cans and bottles. And you aren’t creating any waste because the Soda Stream bottle can be used over and over again. I highly recommend the Soda Stream.

Do you have a Soda Stream? Or are you considering getting one? What is your favorite flavor?