A bunch of our friends have and like Sodastreams. Wahine wants one.
The cynic in me wonders how this pencils out compared to buying cans of fizzy waters, e.g., La Croix. We buy La Croix for about $3.50 per box of 8, 12-oz cans.
It seems to me that the little CO2 ampouls aren’t economical at all, and we’ve been told the larger tanks are often scarce or unavailable. The flavor additives aren’t exactly cheap, and how many extra of the proprietary bottles does one household need (We go though hosted meals that empty 3-6, liter bottles of Pellegrino)?
This past weekend’s guests told us they “know a guy” who refills the larger tanks. This must require buying or renting–and rdfilling-- a much bigger tank, hose and adapter filling.
So I invite a dicussion among us about the economics of Sodastream and competitors.
I’d rather gouge my eyes out than further crowd our counyertops, but if a Sofastream pencils out, Wahine’s wish is my command.
Firstly, the carbonation imparted by a SS is bland when compared to canned and bottled sodas (and doesn’t last).
Second, the flavors I have had from SS pale by comparison to Coke, DR P, various root beers and others.
I can’t estimate the savings you might experience with a SS, but if the quality of the end product is really important to you I’d suggest skipping it, unless you wish to make your own carbonated beverages from your own recipes.
Not sure where you’re located but where I live in Chicago the local Kroger owned chain (Mariano’s) stocks the CO2 cylinders, I believe they cost $16 with an exchange or $30 without. Comes out to around 25 to 30 cents per liter (w/ exchange) if you believe the “Up to 60L” claim on the cylinder. There are adapters available that will let you hook the Sodastream up to a 5lb or 10lb CO2 tank which would be much more cost effective but I haven’t tried doing that yet myself.
I used a SodaStream for 10+ years before upgrading to a (vastly more expensive yet supremely satisfying) Kul dispenser. My one SodaStream hack is buying refill CO2 canisters from SodaSense—all via mail order (USPS), so you’ll never run out of fizz. I have three canisters total, and when I get to #3, I send back #1 and #2 for replacement. It’s kind of like ordering your medications from a mail-order pharmacy. The whole process is super simple, with prepaid shipping labels, reusable cartons, etc.
People do things for different reasons. Ours wasn’t economical. It was environmental. I hated the idea of purchasing and then disposing of so many single serving containers. Recycling is good, but not getting them at all is much better.
The kit I bought came with 2 CO2 cylinders and 3 SS bottles. It was a lightning deal on Amazon for about 40% off so it was kind of an impulse purchase. I usually just fill the bottles with filtered tap water and keep them in the refrigerator, then carbonate when needed. The bottles seem to hold pressure pretty well, but the longest I’ve held them is 4-5 days.
As far as hacks are concerned, if I have leftover salad greens I’ll put them in a zip-lock storage bag and use the Sodastream to purge the bag with CO2 before sealing it up and putting in the refrigerator. The greens will remain fresh for long time stored that way.
Good article. Thanks. I think the SS is not for us.
Another reason is sitting right on my bar: a beautiful, vintage, completely functional seltzer bottle. I have boxes of the tiny CO2 ampules, and still never use it, because it’s simpler just to crack a can.
First I should say that I don’t usually drink much other than coffee and water.
I have had my SS longer than I can remember, but have only been using it a lot in the last few months.
Never with the SS stream packets. Usually with a homemade shrub or specialty lemonade syrup husband got as gifts.
I am currently the only one using it, and I can’t remember the last time I bought a cannister, which will be less convenient since our local Bed, Bath and Beyond closed, but I love that I only make as much as I use (maybe a bottle every day or two) , and have few bottles and cans to recycle.
I’ve had one for a very very long time, too. I got it so I wouldn’t have to schlep/dispose of/recycle fizzy water bottles for my guests, who consumed oceans of fizzy water My model uses glass bottles, which hold carbonation well and only hold 650 ml of water, so maybe there’s a correlation. You can “super carbonate” the water by adding more CO2 after the machine starts making that quack-fart noise. I’ve never used their syrups. I think Williams Sonoma does the canister exchange; I keep 2 extras. I never carbonated wine with it; I used a different system.
Totally agree. My hat goes off to you. My husband was going through cases and cases of flavored soda water so I bought him a Sodastream. It’s cut way back on the number of cans in the recycle bin. I just asked him, and he said it’s not as carbonated as canned “fizzywater”, and the carbonation doesn’t last as long in a closed bottle. I’m thinking the carbonation would hold if the air space was more pressurized.
We got a Sodastream as a wedding gift 11 years ago, and my wife uses it constantly. She prefers plain seltzer, and makes her own syrups when she feels like something flavored. It’s fizzy enough for me. As for canisters, she found another source now that BB&B is gone. (I don’t know what that source is–I let her handle all that.)
All that he says is true. It isn’t as fizzy and it doesn’t hold as long. However, it’s a 1L bottle, so ideally it’s consumed in a couple days. And it was easy for me to live with “not as fizzy” because I find canned soda is too fizzy for me. It makes me cry unless I let it sit a few minutes after opening!
I agree about the canned soda… which is why I buy it in 1 or 2 liter bottles (which takes the edge off by the next day or so).
But if you’re into mineral waters like Perrier or San Peligrino they are not too fizzy from the get go, and the super fine bubbles they have is just not doable with a soda maker.
I can appreciate all of that. I’m glad I don’t have a taste for those mineral waters, because it would make it harder for me to do what I felt was environmentally the right thing.
I use mine daily and love it, always making plain selzer that I sometimes dose with a little bit of lime juice. ACE Hardware carries the CO2 cans in VA and in the LA area so probably elsewhere.
My model uses glass bottles, which hold carbonation well and only hold 650 ml of water, so maybe there’s a correlation. You can “super carbonate” the water by adding more CO2 after the machine starts making that quack-fart noise. I’ve never used their syrups. I think Williams Sonoma does the canister exchange; I keep 2 extras. I never carbonated wine with it; I used a different system.
