At any rate, I've had an ongoing argument with my (eco-nut) husband for approximately 15 years about the evils of drinking beverages from bottles and cans. The upshot: It's bad for the world.
In honour of Earth Day (is it Earth Day all over the world? Or is it an Ontario thing?), I have finally purchased a Soda Stream:
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| This is the Pure, which I bought for $179.00. It's not gorgeous, but it somehow won a design award nonetheless. I intended to get the top-of-the-line Penguin unit, but I was surprised to see how plastic-flimsy it looked. |
Make no mistake, I have been researching this for years. The problem has been that, until sometime in the last 6 months, the carbonation cartridges were not easily available in Canada and the regulations in Canada are different than those in the US. So getting refills would have been a major pain involving ongoing expense and couriers. What a surprise.
Finally, and because a coworker just started looking into the product for her own purposes, I discovered that The Bay has started selling - not only the soda stream units - but also the cartridges and all of the accoutrements. And the cartridges are recyclable by returning them to the housewares desk for a discount on the purchase of new ones.
People, it was time.
So, tonight we set it up - took 10 minutes start to finish - and the result is terrific. Tap water has never been so palatable! You're supposed to use branded syrup to turn the water into fun-style pop, but we prefer it plain.
Just to be exciting, I made up a cream soda recipe (not sure if this has anything to do with how actual cream soda is made) by combining a tablespoon of maple syrup (real, natch) with a teaspoon of vanilla extract (also real). It was tasty-yum and indistinguishable from any cream soda I've ever bought.
One of the reasons I was initially so committed to purchasing the Penguin unit is that it's the only one that comes with glass bottles. I tend to find that carbonation and plastic are a gross mix. Happily, the Soda Stream plastic bottles (the ones that come with the Pure unit, which I bought) are extremely firm and the bubbles respond to them as if they were glass.
Another thing I love about this product is that you can carbonate the water to your taste. I like a lot of bubbles - so I press the carbonation button 3 times. If you prefer it a bit less bubbly, you can save on cartridge use by pressing the button once or twice.
So, has anyone else used one of these? In truth, I haven't found a negative review. Let's talk.
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Brilliant! Seriously, I've always seen these things and poo-pooed them with "sure, buy the unit and spend ten times that on the flavorings" and NEVER had I even contemplated a squirt of lime juice or straight up plain. Now: time to do my research. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOh, just think that you can add Ribena (if you want a bit of sweet flavour, but not much) or some lime coridal - or just a bit of fresh orange or grapefruit juice. Mind you, it's really indistinguishable from Perrier in its unflavoured form.
DeleteIf I were employed I would be on this bandwagon like a hot rash. I, too, have only heard good things. Also, while I know that club soda isn't expensive, it really does kill me how often we throw out half-empty bottles because they lose their fizz so quickly once opened. (We only really drink club soda with booze... I don't love fizzy things otherwise because I'm incapable of burping. Fun fact about me! TMI?)
ReplyDeleteFascinating fact! :-) They have a tonic syrup too. I didn't see it at the Bay, but I guess you could order it online.
DeleteHmmmm....we go through so much soda at our house it's really kind of sad. I wonder if this would be as good. Does it offer a caffeinated flavor? I don't drink coffee, so I use soda as my pick-me-up. You'll have to update us on how much it saves vs. buying pre-made sodas too.
ReplyDeleteThey do, as far as I know - they have a cola and a diet cola. Also, you can use any brand of soda syrup. I hate the taste of cola (and of most pop flavours), so I haven't done any research, but I'm sure there are options.
DeleteWow, this is one of those things I love....at other people's houses. I don't drink soda (except the very occasional root beer) and don't like carbonated water AND I have a bad track record of not using fancy machines. I understand it's totally awesome for you, though.
ReplyDeleteJust out of curiosity, how does it wash? I would think you'd need to wash it occasionally -- are the parts and bottles dishwasher safe or what?
It's not a fancy machine. It takes 3 seconds. I made 4 bottles last night, from tap water, and drank them all. Tasted utterly indistinguishable from Perrier. Which shocked me.
DeleteIf you put flavouring in the bottles (after carbonating), you need to wash the bottles in the sink with cold water. Or at least rinse them well. The bottles should not touch hot water, so dishwasher is out.
However, if you don't flavour the water, you rarely have to clean the bottles (after first use) because they're always just full of fresh water.
I think I have seen the refills etc at Bed Bath and Beyond as well...
ReplyDeleteI don't think we have that store in TO, do we?
DeleteI am a fan of club soda and bubbly water too. Every time I see them in a flyer, I think about it but don't step up to research or buy one. I am very glad to hear your opinion on it. It will be on my wish list.
ReplyDeleteYou won't regret it!
DeleteCongrats on your new purchase. I have had this model for a little over a year and LOVE it. One warning though, you will never want to drink water without bubbles again. My friends and family joke that I have become very high maintenance between the Soda Stream and my Keurig LOL! I cannot live without either.
ReplyDeleteActually, my kid has made 3L of water today and drunk it all. Regular water is SO boring!
DeleteI do like your blog a lot, thank you for writing it! I should really comment on the very interesting sewing and bra fitting posts (same fitting issues here, just with a long torso), too, but this one tempted me more to share recipes.
ReplyDeleteI got a Sodastream as a gift last year, and like it a lot. I think this brand finally figured out that the supply chain of the cartridges has to work. Have you tried white whine Spritzers yet? Or maybe Aperol Spritz (Carbonated water, Aperol, Orange Juice, Cointreau?). I am an expat European in the US, so using the soda flavors supplied by the brand never occured to me. My in-laws sometimes give us home-made fruit sirup to mix in. If you mix it in the glass or other container, then you don't have to clean the special bottles at all. And with orange juice it tastes like Fanta (or Orangina)....
Mona
Mona: Thanks to you for reading! I haven't tried an aperol spritz yet - but that time of year is coming up. And I do love aperol!
DeleteI didn't know they still sold these! Real blast from the past. I love carbonated water as well and never thought I could buy a machine to make it myself! I'm always learning something new from your blog!
ReplyDeleteWell, those ones that look like thermoses with push levers on the top are so retro. This is like the sexy modern version :-) Trust me, it's a great product. Let me know what you think if you get one.
DeleteI have looked at those things again and again, only thing is the area we live in primarily agricultural (orchards) and our water is disgusting to say the least. At one point it went through 4 stages of filtration and a Brita and it was still brown. Ugh. Our water is so bad that even the dogs drink bottled water. One more way to deal with water, but I would love it. Maybe I will put it on the Christmas list.
ReplyDeleteOK, if your water is brown, you've got to give this a miss. Hate to say it, but I think the look and taste of one's water is paramount here. A friend of mine, who just happened to buy a Soda Stream last week, came over and tasted my version of Perrier yesterday. When I asked her what she thought (she lives in a rural area), she told me that she prefers it to hers because she thinks our tap water is better. So I do think that's a deal breaker, so sorry to say.
DeleteWe were visiting relatives in TO over the weekend, and I kept chugging back tap water - I had forgotten how GOOD Toronto tap water is! (We live in London Ont., and the tap water has an ever so subtle tang of sulphur that I find absolutley disgusting).
ReplyDeleteI guess it really is good. I take it for granted, naturally :-)
DeleteOoh, I never knew these existed! We love sparkling water. Does it have to be water, or can you carbonate, say, tea? Oh, an Aperol spritz sounds divine...
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you could use it with tea. If it were unsweetened, I imagine it would work but the machine says specifically to use it only with water. If it were to break, I imagine you'd be on your own having used another liquid. Or maybe it's just that they've only tested it formally on water, so they can only advise using water. Don't know.
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