SodaStream Review

I first heard of SodaStream through the blogosphere, and I thought they sounded like so much fun.  I've wanted to try one for a while, and I was lucky enough to be able to try one out for this review!

The unit I received was the Fountain Jet Soda Starter Kit, which retails for $99.95 on the SodaStream website.  They kindly sent me more than the three flavor syrups that come with the kit; I got eight in total plus three "mywater" flavors.

I am a total dunce when it comes to things that require assembly, so I was a bit afraid that I wasn't going to be able to put the unit together at first.  But it's pretty simple--I just had to take the backing off and insert the CO₂ cartridge, then pop everything back into place.

I was so eager to make my first soda!  The bottle holds one liter, which is a pretty good size for me.  I don't think it would be enough to share with my entire family (there are five of us in the house), so I will probably invest in getting a spare bottle.  Or, as my boyfriend pointed out to me, I could just make some up and transfer it to another container so I could use the bottle again (that's why he's the masters student and I stopped with a bachelor's degree, haha).

Carbonating the water is the part that's the most fun, and instead of writing it out I figured it would be easier to make a quick video to show you.




Sorry for the poor video quality, but now you get the idea!  The main thing that is stressed in the instruction manual is to only carbonate water, then add in your flavor syrup.  I'm not sure what would happen if I tried to do carbonate something besides water, but I'm guessing it would end up damaging the unit in some way over time.

The flavor I've been using the most is the Cola Free.  It tastes just like store-bought soda, and I like that I can make it as fizzy as I want (I like really fizzy sodas).  What I appreciate most about the SodaStream, besides that it's a ton of fun to make the sodas, is that the unit is eco-friendly.  By reusing the unit and not buying soda in the store, I'm cutting down on waste.  Granted, I always recycle my soda cans, but in the end it still helps.  Click here to see a cool infographic about the SodaStream carbon footprint.

Someone was checking out my unit when it arrived...

The unit will also save me money, I think, because the syrups last for 50 8-oz. servings and the CO₂ lasts for the equivalent of 150 cans.  I saw replacement Carbonators at Bed Bath & Beyond for $30, and the syrups retail for around $5.  I actually just picked up two more flavors, Dr. Pete and Caffeine Free Diet, on sale for $2.50 at Target.

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Bottom Line: I love my SodaStream!  I think this unit is a great investment for soda drinkers.  Even if you don't like typical sodas, you can flavor the carbonated water with the special "mywater" syrups, which leave a very light taste.  I also think that using the SodaStream would be really fun for kids.

I have two more photos of what the carbonated water looks like before and after syrup after the "read more."


Please ignore all of the clutter on my desk!

Plain water, post-carbonation

After adding Cola Free syrup

*Disclaimer: I received a SodaStream unit for free to facilitate my review.  I was not monetarily compensated for this review and the honest opinions here are entirely my own.