Who here uses Soda Club/Soda Stream?

[Athryn]

I know a few of you use them, and I tried to find the thread where people were waxing rhapsodic about them, but my search skills are failing me. I usually drink about 4 6-packs of carbonated water a week, and now that we've moved into a place of our own, my SO was thinking about getting one, but I wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations on which system was best.

[Karen]

I know a few of you use them, and I tried to find the thread where people were waxing rhapsodic about them, but my search skills are failing me. I usually drink about 4 6-packs of carbonated water a week, and now that we've moved into a place of our own, my SO was thinking about getting one, but I wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations on which system was best.

We have a regular soda stream, and it is awesome. Ben is a big seltzer drinker, so having the ability to make our own rocks.

Williams and Sonoma carry the refill canisters, so we can always pick up more there. The only problem is that I have to deal with the cranky Victor NY store manager when I go there. I am not fabulous enough for him. However, we love the soda stream maker.

[Talisker]

I'd go with the Fountain Jet -- it comes with the 110 liter canisters (vs. the 60 liter canisters the other models use), which means more soda per canister, and way less expense shipping stuff back and forth. IE, it's cheapest (both up-front, and ongoing cost wise).

And, given how much you drink, definitely *not* the Penguin, as the glass carafes are half the size of the 1-liter bottles the other models all use.

[BennyProfane]

We have a Soda Club Penguin, and really like it. Yeah, the glass bottles are smaller, but I just don't like the way water tastes coming out of plastic bottles, so the glass ones work great for me.

We've been very happy with ours. In fact, the first one we had broke after about a year--it quit sealing well, so the bottles wouldn't gassify well--and SC replaces it no questions asked.

[Marged]

We have one and love it. Geoff is the seltzer drinker and he used to go through at least a bottle a day. It probably saved our relationship with our neighbors, who were pissed that we were filling up the recycling bin so fast. We have the Fountain Jet and it works fine, although I think we need to replace a few of our bottles. At the time, ours didn't come with the 110 liter cannisters, which is a pity. Looks like they do now, though.

I like some of the soda mixes, but I am not too terribly picky so I don't know if you want to take my word for it. They basically taste like store brand, and I don't mind store brand.

[Ben Sones]

I'd go with the Fountain Jet -- it comes with the 110 liter canisters (vs. the 60 liter canisters the other models use), which means more soda per canister, and way less expense shipping stuff back and forth. IE, it's cheapest (both up-front, and ongoing cost wise).

Unless you have a Williams-Sonoma that carries the Penguin nearby, that is. We have the Fountain Jet model, and I'd definitely recommend it over the Penguin for the reasons stated, but we usually use the 60-liter cannisters simply because we can get them locally. It's about the same price as ordering them from Sodastream, plus shipping, but it's a whole lot more convenient to just run out to the store when we need more (and WS will take your empties, too).

For us, one 60l cannister lasts about a month, and we buy them in pairs, so we don't even have to go to the store very often. It's a whole lot better than the several-times-a-week trips to the store we used to make buying bottled seltzer (and taking back the bottles). And a whole lot cheaper, too. The Fountain Jet is only $99, and if you drink as much seltzer as we do, it pays for itself pretty quickly.

Plus, I like that you can make it as fizzy as you want.

[Talisker]

Can't argue with convenience :)

(The Fountain Jet, just in case it's not clear, works with both 60 and 110 liter canisters -- given that, and that it's the cheapest, it's a no-brainer)

[Athryn]

Can't argue with convenience :)

(The Fountain Jet, just in case it's not clear, works with both 60 and 110 liter canisters -- given that, and that it's the cheapest, it's a no-brainer)

That's what I was thinking, too!

Now to show this thread to the SO so he can make a decision.

[Talisker]

Oh, and count me in on the "SodaStream is awesome" bandwagon, if that wasn't obvious :)

[Bahimiron]

I've been sold since the last time this was brought up, but never bothered to actually follow through on it. So this time I decided to go visit the SodaStream website.

Which is when I noticed the ad at the top of the page.

HERE'S TO YOU, TOM!

Every time I drink a glass of cold soda water, I will feel good knowing I actually bought something from an ad on QT3.

[FoRmaT]

60 and 110 liters?! Gosh, you Americanos are extreme!

[Griddle]

Cripes, at the rate that my Girlfriend and I go through Seltzer, this thing my just be the cat's pajamas.

[Athryn]

60 and 110 liters?! Gosh, you Americanos are extreme!

I drink about 48 liters of carbonated water a month, so it will take me a couple of months to go through a canister.

[Jonathan Crane]

We got connected with Sodastream based on the last Qt3 thread, and over the past year it has been nothing short of great. Being able to adjust the level of carbonation is wonderful, and it just works. I love things that just work.

[Talisker]

Whoever first mentioned this thing on QT3 would be making out like a bandit if they only had a referral program :)

60 and 110 liters?! Gosh, you Americanos are extreme!
The canisters aren't 110 liters in size, they contain enough compressed CO2 to make 110 liters of fizzy water.

[Brandon Clements]

We got connected with Sodastream based on the last Qt3 thread, and over the past year it has been nothing short of great. Being able to adjust the level of carbonation is wonderful, and it just works. I love things that just work.
Same here. I love the stuff (and the Diet Cranberry-Raspberry mixes pretty damn good with tequila, btw).

[Ben Sones]

60 and 110 liters?! Gosh, you Americanos are extreme!

Well, I prefer seltzer to regular water, and I generally don't drink anything else except for coffee in the morning, and a beer or a glass of wine with dinner. We go through about two liters a day (that's for both me and Karen), which seem like, I dunno, a normal amount of water to drink?

[krayzkrok]

Was at a friends place the other day, and for some reason we discussed their SodaStream (used to have one nearly 30 years ago). Their only criticism of it was the frequency with which they change the design of the soda bottles and the gas cylinders, making everything obsolete. They didn't say what the time interval was between each design update, but they showed us three different soda bottle designs none of which are interchangeable.

[Ben Sones]

Huh... I didn't know they had been around that long. FWIW, they just introduced two new models, (the Genesis and the Pure), and they use the same bottles as the old ones.

[Sparky]

I have a Fountain Jet. Then I got a whole bunch of flavored syrup concentrates (you can get them with sugar or without and add your own sugar/sweetener, I got sans-sugar as it's cheaper and sometimes I like to add Splenda instead of sugar) from Prairie Moon: http://prairiemoon.biz/index.html.

Now I can make wacky gross combinations like Raspberry Bubble Gum Sarsaparilla.

[krayzkrok]

Huh... I didn't know they had been around that long. FWIW, they just introduced two new models, (the Genesis and the Pure), and they use the same bottles as the old ones.

The system we saw looks totally different to the one on the SodaStream website, maybe Australia is getting screwed around yet again. Apparently it's been around for over 100 years although it only really became popular in the 70s.

[VegasRobb]

Had one for a few years. I am a big fan of the energy drink mix. It was nice to save money on monsters / rockstar / etc.

I just drink seltzer now. Four to five shots. :)

[The Other Guy]

We have the Penguin and also go through about a 60 liter cannister every month (although we have to work to stretch it that long...) I love it, but am also kinda vexed by the smaller bottles (wouldn't want to give up the glass, however) and that Williams-Sonoma more often than not is in-between shipments when we need more. We've ordered through the website which is also not without its frustrations.

But while we're not really saving that much money-wise, not producing all those empty plastic bottles is great, and when you're not hitting the dregs of a container, the water is fantastic.

[barstein]

Fountain Jet arrived today. That was quick. I thought I had read somewhere on Qt3 that SodaStream was slow shipping - maybe that comment was specific to refills.

First experience: Since the wording was a little vague on the subject of how long to press the button ("press briefly and release quickly"), I was too conservative in my pressing. Because I never heard a Bzzzt, I should have experimented further but instead I removed the vessel to test. This was stupid, but then again I didn't know what the Bzzzt was supposed to sound like. It wasn't nearly fizzy enough, so I screwed it back on and pressed the button a couple more times. This time the machine seemed downright excited or agitated because, I later realized, there was too much air at the top of the bottle. Nice shower/bath I got when I unscrewed the bottle again.

Next try was smooth as ice, though. The manual should have said to "press briefly and do not release until you hear a Bzzzt", and I think adding the sound to the online animation demonstration would have been a good way to let customers hear what it sounds like. Normally with appliances like this I jump right in without bothering with the manual, but this time I was actually a little proud that I took the time, and I got drenched anyway. Justice!

Anyway, thank you once again, Qt3! This seltzer addict is very happy.

[Athryn]

I'm supposed to get mine sometime this week :D

[barstein]

I hope you love it like I love mine, Athryn.

I nearly forgot to ask the question I came here to ask. If I shop for flavors or syrups in markets and grocery stores (or Costco, I guess) what type of product am I looking for? My assumption is the Italian soda syrup I've seen at supermarkets is OK, but I don't think that's the same thing.

[RepoMan]

Jeez, sorry to rain on the parades, but I just read today that even plain ol' calorie-free seltzer water is carbonated (DUH!), so it has phosphoric acid in it (http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drmao/20270/what-soft-drinks-are-doing-to-your-body/;_ylt=Am9FlQNUDxmsnogh.H5ScaV1kIV4), which leaches calcium out of the body :-P

AHA, but it seems to be BUNK! (http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/hop-on-pop/Content?oid=924752) This is a profound relief to me! Curse you, Dr. Mao, and your sketchy healthful promotions!

[Sparky]

I hope you love it like I love mine, Athryn.

I nearly forgot to ask the question I came here to ask. If I shop for flavors or syrups in markets and grocery stores (or Costco, I guess) what type of product am I looking for? My assumption is the Italian soda syrup I've seen at supermarkets is OK, but I don't think that's the same thing.

I have used the Torani syrups with it, and they work fine.

[barstein]

Thanks, Sparky. I know where to get some of that. How do like Torani flavors compare to Prairie Moon's offerings (if you've done that test)?

While making my third bottle a few minutes ago, I noticed the well-placed warning sticker that actually has the words LOUD BUZZ written in caps, at the top of the device. Here I was so fixated on the product manual with its comparatively mild language ("Press the carbonating button in short presses until you hear the buzz"), and so proud that I was taking the time to do so. Looks like I'm the first and only member of the Qt3 SodaStream Soda Bukake Club.

[Talisker]

Looks like I'm the first and only member of the Qt3 SodaStream Soda Bukake Club.
Despite all the stark warnings not to, I tried fizzing up some apple cider. It was delicious! Or rather, the 30% that stayed in the bottle was. Holy fricking foam.

(I actually released it pretty carefully, so it didn't go all over the kitchen, but I did get sprayed a little, and cleaning out the machine was a pain in the neck)

[BennyProfane]

Despite all the stark warnings not to, I tried fizzing up some apple cider. It was delicious! Or rather, the 30% that stayed in the bottle was. Holy fricking foam.

(I actually released it pretty carefully, so it didn't go all over the kitchen, but I did get sprayed a little, and cleaning out the machine was a pain in the neck)

Yeah, I tried it with a mix of water and orange juice (trying to recreate Izzy's Clementine).

Don't try it. You'll end up wearing it, and cleaning the machine up afterwards is a royal pain.

[WarrenM]

I'm surprised that orange juice would cause a violent reaction.

[mouselock]

Anyone actually tried buying name brand soda syrup (say at Costco or Sam's Club) and using it in their machines?

I'm afraid I'd just never be happy with anyone's generic cola, when I know I could be drinking genuine Coca Cola brand.

[Marged]

Yeah, I tried it with a mix of water and orange juice (trying to recreate Izzy's Clementine).

Don't try it. You'll end up wearing it, and cleaning the machine up afterwards is a royal pain.

I would just ultra-carbonate the water and mix them after the fact. It'd be like an orangina.

Can you really buy genuine Coca Cola soda syrup at Costco? Holy schmokes, I'd be all about that.

[walTer]

This is the thread I have been waiting for. Item number one on my Christmas list.

[BennyProfane]

I would just ultra-carbonate the water and mix them after the fact. It'd be like an orangina.


Exactly what I do now. My mix ends up being about 2/3 water, 1/3 juice, and it works nicely.

[NoWayJose]

Can you really buy genuine Coca Cola soda syrup at Costco? Holy schmokes, I'd be all about that.
I know for a fact you can buy genuine Coca Cola soda syrup at Costco, and you don't even need a Soda Club to enjoy it because it already has carbonated water right there in the can with the syrup.

[Marged]

I know for a fact you can buy genuine Coca Cola soda syrup at Costco, and you don't even need a Soda Club to enjoy it because it already has carbonated water right there in the can with the syrup.

Har har!

[Athryn]

Horray, I got mine! No more having to lug cases of water upstairs. :D

[Athryn]

So, after almost a week of Soda Stream goodness, I am still very happy with it. It came with a bunch of flavor samples, and I couldn't figure what was up with them -- they always seemed to have a funny after taste.

I finally looked it up and it looks like even their non-diet flavors have spenda in them. Yuck! I am going to work on making some of my own flavors using a simple syrup recipe. Or I might get lazy and buy some Torani as mentioned in this thread.

[Griddle]

So, after almost a week of Soda Stream goodness, I am still very happy with it. It came with a bunch of flavor samples, and I couldn't figure what was up with them -- they always seemed to have a funny after taste.

I finally looked it up and it looks like even their non-diet flavors have spenda in them. Yuck! I am going to work on making some of my own flavors using a simple syrup recipe. Or I might get lazy and buy some Torani as mentioned in this thread.
I ended up making my own ginger ale with simple syrup and seltzer, yous should turn out perfect.

[bloo]

I want to franchise this guy's operation to Dallas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPbh6Ru7VVM
http://sodapopstop.com/

[Athryn]

I posted about that guy a while ago in the real Soda thread. :P

[barstein]

Apparently my kid and I drink a lot of soda water. We went through about 60 liters of highly carbonated water in about 15 days, which means if we continue at the same rate we would be spending $1 per liter from here on out (refilling two 110L C02 canisters costs $60).

So it looks like I am actually spending more money now using the Fountain Jet than I was on store-bought mineral water and such, which was usually about $1 for a 1.25 liter bottle. And that's not factoring in the cost of the water filter on my sink.

Of course, the reason we're drinking more than we were is because homemade soda is pure ambrosia, and we'd be saving more $ if we didn't overcarbonate as we have been.

I have to wonder if there's a cheaper way to refill these canisters. I assume it's impossible to refill them anywhere but at an official Soda-Club retailer because the canisters lack a valve, or perhaps the connectors are proprietary, or something.

[Athryn]

Apparently my kid and I drink a lot of soda water. We went through about 60 liters of highly carbonated water in about 15 days, which means if we continue at the same rate we would be spending $1 per liter from here on out (refilling two 110L C02 canisters costs $60).

So it looks like I am actually spending more money now using the Fountain Jet than I was on store-bought mineral water and such, which was usually about $1 for a 1.25 liter bottle. Of course, the reason we're drinking more than we were is because homemade soda is ambrosia, and we'd be saving more $ if we didn't overcarbonate as we have been.

I have to wonder if there's a cheaper way to refill these canisters. I assume it's impossible to refill them anywhere but at an official Soda-Club retailer because the canisters lack a valve, or perhaps the connectors are proprietary, or something.

If there's a Williams Sonoma nearby, you can exchange them there, although I am not sure if it's any cheaper than doing it by mail. If you're drinking homemade soda, you could probably factor in not buying soda as a factor in the price.

[barstein]

So, after almost a week of Soda Stream goodness, I am still very happy with it. It came with a bunch of flavor samples, and I couldn't figure what was up with them -- they always seemed to have a funny after taste.

I finally looked it up and it looks like even their non-diet flavors have spenda in them. Yuck! I am going to work on making some of my own flavors using a simple syrup recipe. Or I might get lazy and buy some Torani as mentioned in this thread.

I totally agree, I didn't really like any of the flavors that came with the kit. Torani was fine, and this week I ended up ordering a few unflavored syrups from Prairie Moon (http://prairiemoon.biz) (thanks, Sparky). Here are their syrup making instructions (http://prairiemoon.biz/symidi.html). Haven't done it yet though. I plan to try using agave nectar.

Anyone here ever make ginger ale or ginger beer from scratch before? I'm curious if a syrup-based concoction could be enhanced and improved further using additional natural ingredients.

[barstein]

If there's a Williams Sonoma nearby, you can exchange them there, although I am not sure if it's any cheaper than doing it by mail. If you're drinking homemade soda, you could probably factor in not buying soda as a factor in the price.

Unfortunately, the closest facility (not WS but some camping store) is ~20 miles away, and I'd only be saving $10. And that's the funny thing, I didn't mention in my other post that before we were only sparkling water drinkers, not flavored soda drinkers. Doh!

[Ben Sones]

I'm not sure how much it costs when you do it online, but when we take them back to WS, it's $15 per 60l cannister, including the return credit.

Man, 60 liters in 15 days? That's a lot. Karen and I go through 60 liters in 30 days, give or take, and we drink a lot of seltzer. In fact, aside from coffee in the morning and a beer or glass of wine with dinner, seltzer is the only thing I ever drink.

[ZekeDMS]

I have to wonder if there's a cheaper way to refill these canisters. I assume it's impossible to refill them anywhere but at an official Soda-Club retailer because the canisters lack a valve, or perhaps the connectors are proprietary, or something.

I've been wondering the same myself, if a local place would refill the stuff.

I almost wonder if I could hit my local paintball shop, they refill carbon tanks, afterall. Is CO2 just CO2, or should I be looking for a high grade?

I'll call around local restaurant supply stores and see what I can find, and if there's something that works, definitely put it in here.

I still love my Sodastream, but they do charge a ridiculous amount for the carbon, overall. But the machine itself is pretty great.

Also, for those wanting carbonated juice, I've been using frozen juice concentrates. Just thaw 'em out and mix it in like any other syrup. Works great.

Also makes the energy drink mix tolerable to mix 20 ML of that with 60 ML of juice! :D

[Ben Sones]

I dunno, on top of the convenience of always having seltzer available and not having to go to the store all the time to buy bottles, it only costs $.26 a liter. That's about a quarter of what I'd pay at the store. Seems pretty reasonable.

[BennyProfane]

I totally agree, I didn't really like any of the flavors that came with the kit. Torani was fine, and this week I ended up ordering a few unflavored syrups from Prairie Moon (http://prairiemoon.biz) (thanks, Sparky). Here are their syrup making instructions (http://prairiemoon.biz/symidi.html). Haven't done it yet though. I plan to try using agave nectar.

Anyone here ever make ginger ale or ginger beer from scratch before? I'm curious if a syrup-based concoction could be enhanced and improved further using additional natural ingredients.

Wow, thanks for the link. Prairie Moon looks great. I have to ask, though....WTF flavor is "Tiger's Blood"?

[Athryn]

I dunno, on top of the convenience of always having seltzer available and not having to go to the store all the time to buy bottles, it only costs $.26 a liter. That's about a quarter of what I'd pay at the store. Seems pretty reasonable.

Yeah, that's the whole reason I bought Soda Club in the first place -- after calculating the price of the canisters vs going out and buying a flat of water a week, the canisters are cheaper.

[ZekeDMS]

Well, I've found the best long-term way is to buy an adapter, like the sodastreamrefill.com ones. The bottles have a proprietary threading and some valves to prevent refill. Easily enough overcome. There's things to let you use a siphon tank to refill small bottles, or just go directly off a normal carbon tank, which is my preference, since it's still way, WAY cheaper for a long term supply. I can also get 20lbs of carbon for $30 or so, which is to say, dirt cheap compared to the Sodastream price.

I can get a 5 lb CO2 cylinder (2.5 110s from SS, 5 60s) for 60 bucks, gas will cost 5-10, and a regulator on top of it. 100 bucks for the adapter, so I'm aiming at an initial 175 I'll say. Now that's definitely not a price to sneeze at, but then my next refill in say a half year is 10 bucks on the high end, compared to 70 plus shipping.

I got the machine as a long term investment, and by all means it's been a good one, I've saved money for sure, but I can do this cheaper with a little work and another investment, which I'm happy to do. In a year, I'll probably spend 15-30 bucks versus the 180 on refills, and after that I'm saving.

Plus I don't have to watch my supply so closely for when I need a refill, because I can't afford the price of the one upcoming, nor do I have the shipping delay, or feel like I'm wasting money if I overfizz or mess up on one.

I'm well aware I'm talking pretty low prices anyway, overall, but after being broke long enough and jobless long enough, I'd MUCH rather pick the long term savings option.

Also-I tried mixing the energy drink with some concentrated juice. It was DELICIOUS. I mean, the part I got to drink. Probably not as big a deal with other juices, but OJ concentrate can go Vesuvius on you. Tastes good though, instead of Red Bull Ass flavor, almost like a creamsicle. Definitely going to try other concentrates, on their own and with the mix, but 20 ML syrup to 60 ML juice is GREAT (aka, half cap of syrup+half cap juice, one cap juice).

Just pour it slow and after you shake it, let the gas push out nice and easy.

[Ben Sones]

I don't really use any of the flavors that came with it--I typically prefer simple carbonated water--but it is pretty tasty with just about any kind of fruit juice. Karen uses cranberry juice a lot.

[ZekeDMS]

I wish they sold unsweetened flavors. I like the base they've made for most, but they're too damn sweet. If they had 'em ready to go, just add sweetener, I'd buy a ton.

Alas. Pomegranate concentrate was great though, and the amount I get from using frozen juice vs. the price of kool-aid syrup is pretty reasonable. Not something I want to pay for daily, but definitely a nice option. Might do a can a week, get three solid liters from that. Two servings worth of concentrate seems to be all it takes to make the soda, enough to make 480 ml of juice, so the cans say.

[barstein]

Sparky turned us onto Prairie Moon earlier in the thread. They sell concentrated syrups (http://prairiemoon.biz/cosy.html) for about $3.50 per bottle. This requires a pound of sugar and makes a gallon of syrup.

If you're sensitive to the sodium benzoate they use as a preservative in all their syrups and concentrates, as some people I know are, they mentioned Naturesflavors.com to me as a possible alternative.

[Omniscia]

So, as mentioned in other threads, I got one of these for Christmas, and I'm quite enjoying it. But after opening my refrigerator this evening to find my Sodaclub tonic completely frozen, I'm wondering, does the steel-capped bottle lead to frozen beverages? The root beer I made in that bottle earlier also got a little icy, but nothing in the plastic-capped bottle has...

[ZekeDMS]

I've not had any freezing issues myself. Try moving the bottles a little forward in the fridge, maybe? They might just be catching a vent.

So! I got the type c adapterthing (the direct connection option vs refilling) from sodaclubrefill. It's fucking great. Expensive startup, but I've got a couple years supply of carbon for the price, and then, $15 for a few more years worth. I also no longer have that psychological block about using more than three or four carbon pumps, since the stuff is so cheap now I don't have to hold back or feel like I've wasted money if I messed up a flavor. Yay!

[barstein]

That's awesome, Zeke. Wish I could do the same, but I shall have to enjoy your newfound freedom vicariously through Qt3 instead, for a while. I'm jealous.

[Chris Nahr]

So, as mentioned in other threads, I got one of these for Christmas, and I'm quite enjoying it. But after opening my refrigerator this evening to find my Sodaclub tonic completely frozen, I'm wondering, does the steel-capped bottle lead to frozen beverages? The root beer I made in that bottle earlier also got a little icy, but nothing in the plastic-capped bottle has...

A refrigerator always stays several degrees above the freezing point (6°C is standard I think). It's impossible for any liquid to freeze in there unless you set the wrong temperature. Did you put the bottles in the ice compartment or something?

[Chowhound]

Just bought the Fountain Jet deluxe starter set combo via the top link. Thanks for all the testimonials - that's what made my decision!!

[Talisker]

I'm intruiged by the stuff at sodastreamrefill.com, but I'm a little cagey about following their recommendation to go buy a tank of CO2 from a welding/industrial supply vendor, seeing as I'm going to ingest it.

[WarrenM]

I showed our SodaStream to a few people over the holidays and they were amazed that I could make sparkling water at home. It was awesome. I've gotten so used to it now that it seems normal but people who haven't seen it before are gob smacked.

[Athryn]

That reminds me, I finally went through my first cylinder right before Xmas, so almost 2 months use from one canister, to give anyone considering one an idea of how long they last.

This is drinking on average 2 to 3 liters a day.

[barstein]

Depends on how much water you drink, what size canisters you have, and whether you take delivery or replace your canisters yourself (i.e. local Williams Sonoma). I would recommend that new owners track how much they use during the first cycle or two.

My daughter and I drink a lot of bubbly water and started drinking even more when we first got the Fountain Jet. I was also bringing a couple of bottles to work with me each day, and of course we were going kind of crazy with special drinks and deserts for a while.

Since we like our water really bubbly, we went through about 60 liters of highly carbonated water in about 15 days. At that rate, regular delivered refills for two 110L C02 canisters would cost ~$60, which translates to about $1/liter. After finishing the first cycle and computing the costs, we started reducing our consumption rate and the cost has become much more reasonable (although to be honest I haven't done the math yet).

[Omniscia]

A refrigerator always stays several degrees above the freezing point (6°C is standard I think). It's impossible for any liquid to freeze in there unless you set the wrong temperature. Did you put the bottles in the ice compartment or something?

No. It was in the back, on the top shelf, next to the un-frozen milk and un-frozen leftover soup.

[Chris Nahr]

Top shelf is below the freezer compartment, right? Get a thermometer and check the temperature there, it's probably just above freezing. The whole refrigerator may be too cold by a few degrees.

[VegasRobb]

A nearby Kohl's had some of the different flavors for sale. Not the widest selection, but they were slightly cheaper than the website ($4.49 versus $4.99).

[Chowhound]

So this arrived last week, and I've been having a blast using it. The included sampler pack plus some of the syrups that came with it have been interesting - none of them really bad, and all of them very drinkable. I'd place it just a notch below the name brand and several notches above the store/generic labels. I'll be combing this thread again for flavors and ideas. Thanks!

[malkav11]

I really shouldn't get one of these, but booooy am I tempted.

Am I correct in my assessment that the only difference between the models is the more expensive ones being classier in design?

[Talisker]

The "Penguin" model uses a smaller glass decanter, instead of the 1-liter plastic bottles.

[Athryn]

I really shouldn't get one of these, but booooy am I tempted.

Am I correct in my assessment that the only difference between the models is the more expensive ones being classier in design?

Sorta, they also have different CO2 canister sizes. The best model is also the cheapest, at least imo. It has 1L bottles and bigger canisters.

[barstein]

I really shouldn't get one of these, but booooy am I tempted.

Am I correct in my assessment that the only difference between the models is the more expensive ones being classier in design?I think you're talking about the Genesis (http://www.sodastreamusa.com/Genesis-Machines-C30.aspx) ($99) and the Pure (http://www.sodastreamusa.com/Pure-Machines-C24.aspx) ($149), which look to be the same basic design with the Pure having "stainless steel accents". The Fountain Jet (http://www.sodastreamusa.com/Fountain-Jets-C23.aspx) ($89, next notch down) seems to offer the same set of features and is compatible with the same bottles and carbonators. So to answer your question, I think the chief differences are aesthetics and, possibly, long term durability. Better durability is in question, since the Fountain Jet I have doesn't seem to be in any danger of wearing anything out even if its materials and do seem pretty cheap.

Edit: Whoops, didn't see the other replies when I posted just now.

[malkav11]

I wound up getting a Fountain Jet Deluxe Starter Kit or whatever it's called, complete with free shipping coupon from net coupon sites. They didn't send any kind of order progress notifications or any of that, and they give themselves 10-18 days to complete your order in the confirmation e-mail, so I was rather surprised to be called (on my cell) at work today by a deliveryman trying to locate my house (this happens all the time with pizza, but I'm used to shipping being done by, y'know, UPS or FedEx, occasionally USPS, and they know where I live). And sure enough, when I got home, there it was. On the front steps, despite my specifically asking that he drop it off at the side door (which is mine, whereas the front door is the upstairs renters) and the delivery instructions saying the same in big, highlighted letters. And with no kind of tarp or other protection from today's freezing drizzle. Go go incompetent delivery.

Still, I'm excited.

Edit: First attempt = glorious mostly-failure. Sprayed water every which way, then proceeded to spill a significant amount of soda mix down the side of the bottle instead of into the bottle. This is going to take more mastery than I had expected. On the other hand, I do have most of a bottle of slightly flat but otherwise acceptable cola to show for my efforts.

[Talisker]

Avoiding water spray: release the bottle sllloooowwwly.

Adding soda mix: either trickle it in really slowly, or (if you have bottle of mix as opposed to one of the little sample squeezies) dump it in quick and screw the cap back on super fast. Strongly suggest having the bottle sitting in the sink if you use that latter technique :)

[malkav11]

The water didn't spray on release. It sprayed on carbonation attempts. Repeatedly. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong, and never got the buzz I was supposed to. Which is why the cola was mostly flat.

[Athryn]

The water didn't spray on release. It sprayed on carbonation attempts. Repeatedly. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong, and never got the buzz I was supposed to. Which is why the cola was mostly flat.

Did you screw it into the thing before you tried to carbonate? It's kinda awkward to do at first, as you have to tilt it out, thread it onto it and then tilt it back in, but if you put your hand on the bottom of the bottle it's not too bad.

[Talisker]

Did you screw it into the thing before you tried to carbonate?
This. The bottle screws into the carbonator machine -- which is important, as it needs the pressure to actually force the CO2 into the water. If it's not screwed in snugly, it ain't gonna work.

[malkav11]

I thought I had it screwed in properly, but it's entirely possible I didn't.

[malkav11]

Yeah, I didn't have it screwed in correctly. I've made three bottles worth of soda ("fountain mist", "energy drink" and diet cola) since discovering this and all came out just fine. The flavors haven't been anything special, but are reasonable facsimiles of the real thing. I'm going to have to look further afield for something other than the kind of stuff they sell in the store, I suppose. Maybe Prairie Moon, although I'm not wild about the idea of mixing my own syrup from concentrate and they sell so much syrup even in the ready made varieties that I'd take a long damn time to get through it all.

What exactly is the point of being able to detach the black part of the bottom of the carbonation bottles? I'd originally thought the entire bottom came off, which would make it easy to clean them by hand with a scrubber the way I do all my dishes, but no.

[Athryn]

clean them by hand with a scrubber the way I do all my dishes, but no.

Don't use something abrasive to clean the bottles ..... read the manual! :) Abrasions on the bottles will give places for bacteria to grow, and you don't want that to happen.

[malkav11]

Don't use something abrasive to clean the bottles ..... read the manual! :) Abrasions on the bottles will give places for bacteria to grow, and you don't want that to happen.

It's just a soapy brush. But it's irrelevant, because the only way into the bottle is the neck and that's way too small for my brush.

[Athryn]

Yes, but a brush is abrasive, even more so than the scrubby side of a sponge. They use a medical-grade plastic for the bottles so they will last longer than the plastic normally used in bottled water, but scrubbing it very hard at all or putting them in the dishwasher will ruin the bottles (dishwasher detergent is also abrasive.)

[Hanzii]

I want to franchise this guy's operation to Dallas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPbh6Ru7VVM
http://sodapopstop.com/

Wow, that looks great. Stores like this is one of the few things that makes me wish I lived in a larger country - at least the EU open market is opening the way for more cool exotic stuff being available.

[Hanzii]

Just bought the Fountain Jet for my wife. Made a batch of diet cola and hated it... but she say she primarily want it for the carbonated water. Which is good, because 375 ml of official syrup is almost $11 here and only good for 9 liters. The CO2 is $18,5 for 60l. A 1,5 liter bottle of generic cola is about $2 in the shops.

SodaStream was all the rage, when I was a kid... but my parents didn't really encourage the drinking of carbonated drinks, so we never had one.

A refrigerator always stays several degrees above the freezing point (6°C is standard I think). It's impossible for any liquid to freeze in there unless you set the wrong temperature. Did you put the bottles in the ice compartment or something?

Not completely true.
Recommended temps are below 5°C but all modern fridges lets you set the temp from 0°C and up. Actual temperature is dependent on the age/quality of the fridge and stuff like packing and airflow. A really packed fridge tends to be cooler and in the back and just under the icebox, you can get colder zones. Freezing if the overall temperature is close to zero - and of course some stuff is more prone to freezing than other.

[malkav11]

I'm enjoying mine once I mastered making it. All the flavors I've tried have been at least tolerable although I won't be getting lemon lime or pink grapefruit as I'm not especially fond of either to begin with. (was vaguely hoping the latter would actually taste like grapefruit, but it doesn't.) A big part of my purchase was wanting to get more exotic with the flavors, though, so I still need to score some nonofficial syrups.

[malkav11]

Some questions about unofficial syrup options:

Are there any big store chains or the like that might sell Torani syrups? I checked my usual grocery stores to no avail, don't want to buy three bottles at a time (yet, at least) from Amazon, and am leery of shipping charges from the Torani site.

About how much Torani or Prairie Moon syrup might be equivalent to a capful of the official mixes?

[Athryn]

I think you can get Torani syrups from Costco. I *think* that's where I got them from the last time I got some.

[BennyProfane]

I think you can get Torani syrups from Costco. I *think* that's where I got them from the last time I got some.

Either Torani or Monin, don't recall which--its been a couple of years since I was in a Costco. Sam's Club sells several varieties of the syrup too, also Torani's IIRC. You find it on the coffee aisle, I guess they assume its for the Starbuck's crowd.

[malkav11]

Unfortunately, I have access to neither of those stores.

[Athryn]

Just go get a card or find someone who has one, it's not that hard. :P

[malkav11]

No, I mean I don't have physical access to either of those stores. I don't have a car and I live about as close to the middle of the metropolitan area as it's possible to get while all the Costco and Sam's Club locations are out in the outer ring of suburbs which have like three busses a day.

[Sparky]

No, I mean I don't have physical access to either of those stores. I don't have a car and I live about as close to the middle of the metropolitan area as it's possible to get while all the Costco and Sam's Club locations are out in the outer ring of suburbs which have like three busses a day.

I've also found Torani syrup at Smart & Final, BevMo!, and Cost Plus, if you have any of those around. Most restaurant supply-type places have flavored syrups of some brand or another.

[malkav11]

....Bacon flavored syrup (http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=2926001&prrfnbr=3756155&pcgrfnbr=3034591). You know, for bacon soda. Or bacon latte.

[tiohn]

We got a Sodastream Pure from Crate and Barrel yesterday. I've probably consumed 10 liters since yesterday afternoon.

How cold do you really need the water before you carbonate it? I know that cold tap isn't cold enough, but will I see better results the colder the water is as I begin to approach freezing? I have moved the bottles from the door to the back of the 'fridge to see how that works tomorrow.

[Talisker]

If I don't have any water that's cold enough, I'll drop in a few ice cubes and give it a quick shake before carbonating. Doesn't hurt anything if they're not all fully melted.

[Ben Sones]

How cold do you really need the water before you carbonate it? I know that cold tap isn't cold enough, but will I see better results the colder the water is as I begin to approach freezing? I have moved the bottles from the door to the back of the 'fridge to see how that works tomorrow.

If it's too cold, ice will actually form in the bottle as you carbonate. I try to avoid that, since presumably the frozen parts of the water aren't getting any fizz. It's good to have the water fairly cold, though.

[Bahimiron]

How does everyone else wash their bottles?

The manual specifically says never to put them in a dishwasher and just to use lukewarm water to rinse them out, so I do that every time, but they're starting to get a kind of funky smell and I've only had them a few months.

[Alan Dunkin]

I had a close chance of getting a real Dublin Dr. Pepper on tap in Dublin, TX but unfortunately I was going through town at 5 and they close the front office at 4. D'oh.

--- Alan

[ZekeDMS]

Bahimiron, I suggest filling with lukewarm water and adding a little bleach.

The only real trouble spots I find are the rims/caps. Molds like to grow in there around the threading, otherwise as long as stuff is rotated often and always full/refrigerated, it's minimal for me.

[malkav11]

I did find some...not flavored syrup, per se, but bottled juice concentrates at the grocery store today...in the foreign food aisles: raspberry and sour cherry from...well, I don't know, actually, but former Soviet seems like a good guess, and orange and lemon Barley Water from Britain.