Soda Stream Review

So I'm kind of a soda addict. Shh don't tell. =) I seriously love soda, but man is it expensive! On top of that, coming from California, I'm so used to recycling centers everywhere. In Idaho recycling is not easy, at all. When we bag up all our recycling we have to take it down to the albertson's parking lot and distribute it into the bins. Unlike in California you don't get paid for your recycling here, but we still do it, because its the right thing to do. However they don't always have all the big bins. Lately they haven't had bins for glass bottles or tin cans. I hate throwing those things away. That is part of what led me to want to know more about the Sodastream. I've been seeing them all over the blogasphere and I wanted to know if they truly were as good as everyone had been making them sound. So when I got the opportunity to review the SodaStream, I was super excited. So was Morgen. He wanted one for his birthday and it came the day before his birthday. Man he has all the luck, every time he says he wants something I get the chance to review it. I should convince him to say he wants a new sewing machine next!

One of my big questions, was "do the soda's really taste like name brand?" and "Is it easy to use?" When it came I was excited to put it together and get to work. Unlike Morgen, I like to read directions first, and I'm glad I did, because Morgen almost broke it trying to force the back in. It was actually really easy to put in, he was just doing it wrong, so make sure you read the directions (the right way is actually the intuitive way, I'm not sure what he was doing).

I love how sleek this is, it takes up very little room on the counter, basically the same amount of space a 2 liter bottle would take up. 

One of my favorite flavors is the pineapple orange natural soda. Made with real sugar no high fructose corn syrup. I like that I can let my family have soda, and know that its not full of HFCS. 

To use the Soda Stream is very easy. Start with cold water, (The directions say cold water, but don't say anything about the mix, We tried using it at room temperature and cold, cold is better, it mixes better and has less of a tendency to foam up.) 

Fill to the squiggly line with cold water. Then screw it in to the soda stream. You have to push the black part above where it says SodaSteam to push it out. At first this was kind of difficult because the bottle didn't want to turn into it. But after I got the hang of it I can do it fairly quickly now. I would suggest having your mix poured into the cap before your add the carbonation to the water. 

Push the button 3 times until it makes a loud buzzing sound. 

Unscrew the bottle

add the mix, do it at an angle slowly so it doesn't overflow. 

Rotate the bottle until the mix and the carbonated water are mixed well. 

Pour and enjoy!

My family gives the soda stream 2 thumbs up! Tabitha is a huge fan of the sparkling lemonade and the My Water flavored carbonated water. We don't let her have actual soda yet, but she loves it when we let her have a small glass of My Water. I'm not a huge fan of flavored sparkling water, but the My Water is the best I've ever had. We used the Orange flavored one, to try and it was pretty good. Some of the other flavors we've tried are All Natural Ginger Ale. Oh my gosh! Besides a very hard to find ginger beer I got once at a Trader Joes, this was the BEST Ginger Ale i've ever had! I really love Ginger Ale, I know a lot of people think its something you only drink when your sick (My mother in law could not figure out why I was always buying Ginger Ale when we lived there, apparently she thought I was always sick!) We also got to try the Black Current and Pear, and it is so so so good. I was a little bit nervous, mainly because i've never tried any black current, but it was so good. Some of the other Sparkling Natural flavors they have are: Cola, Naturally Sweetened Cola, Lemon lime, Green Tea, Pink Grape Fruit, Root Beer, and Apple Mango, which I am dying to try. 

They carry regular soda too, comparable to national brand sodas like Dr Pepper, Mountain Dew, and Sprite. I don't drink coke but i've heard from others the Cola tastes just like Coke. I'm a big Dr Pepper fan so I need to get over to Walmart to get some Dr. Pete to try in my soda stream. They now also carry Crystal Light and Country Time lemonade.  The My Water comes in Orange, Lemon Lime, Raspberry and mint. I would like to try the mint, our samples didn't include that one, but I will probably buy some to try. They also have energy drinks comparable to Red bull, and lots of different sparkling teas. One thing I love is that you can have sparkling water for $0.25 a liter. I used to buy 4 bottles of sparkling water a month at over $3 a bottle to make italian sodas, now I can make the water myself for $0.25! 

Sodastream has a bunch of different machines so you can find the one that is right for you. There is the Pure, which is elegant and stainless steel RTV $129.95

The Fountain Jet (this is the one I have) RTV $79. 95

The Genesis RTV $99.95

The Dynamo Delux RTV $124.95 available exclusively at Costco

Coming soon the Source RTV $129.95

The Fizz RTV $149.95 Includes the Fizz Chip technology which allows you to see how much CO2 you have left, to make sure you never run out. 

The Crystal which uses individual glass bottles. RTV $179.95

The Penguin which also uses individual glass bottles. RTV $199.95 Exclusively at William Sonoma. 

and the Revolution which has a LED screen and 4 different fizz levels RTV $199.95 sold exclusively at Williams Sonoma. 

You can purchase a SodaStream machine and most of the flavors at many stores including, Walmart, Bed Bathe and Beyond, Best Buy, Sears, Macy's, JC Penny, Khols, Target and many other stores. Check here for a list of stores in your area. 

When you buy your SodaStream make sure you fill out your registration card, so that you can receive a free gift with your first online purchase of supplies. 

I'm predicting the SodaStream will be The Gift this holiday season for adults. Its Awesome! 

Disclosure: I received this SodaStream for free for the purpose of this review. All views are my own and I would never recommend a product that I would not personally use.