Soda Stream CO2

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Originally Posted by malbert73

Why all that big equipment. We have one similar to this and use the little cartridges
https://www.amazon.com/Innovee-Soda-...&tag=hydsma-20

I would mind having to carry hundreds of these small capsules with me. Especially if I can't be sure, they are recycled properly.

Paul

[Dockhead]

Sodastream (and a local competitor "My Soda") is very popular in the Nordic countries, where a can of soda might cost €2 or even €3. Up here it's simple economics.

But I think sodastream makes eminent good sense on a boat - saves a ton of storage space. We drink exactly zero soda, but tonic for G&Ts is a basic necessity on board this boat. The carbonated water is nice by itself too.

[Mystic38]

I bought a soda stream outfit before a winter in the bahamas with exactly the op thought..space saving.

all the flavors tasted like crap.

it was far easier on our second trip to simply wean ourselves off soda before departure and only take soda required for mixed drinks

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by malbert73

Why all that big equipment. We have one similar to this and use the little cartridges

https://www.amazon.com/Innovee-Soda-...&tag=hydsma-20

I forgot - we do carry one of these now. It works just as well as our large system, but the cost per liter is higher even when buying the co2 cartridges in bulk.

Matt

[RickG]

In Grenada there is a soda stream refill service that will pickup and drop off. He also does drinks and frozen food. He is on the 66 net - Fast Manicou.

Cheers, RickG

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Mystic38

I bought a soda stream outfit before a winter in the bahamas with exactly the op thought..space saving.

all the flavors tasted like crap.

it was far easier on our second trip to simply wean ourselves off soda before departure and only take soda required for mixed drinks

First I’ll bet lunch all the flavors you have are all sugar free, because that seems to be what is mostly sold, and yes that synthetic sugar tastes like crap, Diet Coke is absolutely horrible, I don’t understand how people can drink it.

Anyway try some root beer or Dr. Pete, but do not get the sugar free, get the kind that has sugar, it’s low sugar unfortunately, it has some sucralose in it so they can advertise half the sugar of regular, but it avoids that nasty sugar free taste.
Still better than high fructose corn syrup though

We have been back in the US for months and are still using our soda steam, but we aren’t cola addicts either, I drink ice tea most of the time, she drinks crystal light most of the time but once or twice a week we make root beer or the Dr Pete.

[wsmurdoch]

The Sodastream cap holds about 55 ml at the top mark and makes 1000 ml of soda. Coke Syrups are used 1:5::syrup:water or 167 ml syrup to make 1000 ml of soda. Sodastream can not dissolve enough sugar in their small amount of syrup to make a sweet soft drink, so they must use an artificial sweetener to get the sweetness right.

Sodastream tonic water is 10g sugars per 240ml with added acesulfame potassium. Schweppes tonic water is 32g sugars per 355ml, Publix tonic water is 34g sugars per 360ml, and Harris Teeter tonic water is 34g sugars per 360ml. None of the last three mention an artificial sweetener in their ingredients.

I notice that the Sodastream ginger ale uses stevia as its artificial sweetener along with 10g sugars per 240ml soda.

As an aside, I tried to talk my GP into prescribing me one quinine pill so that I could make my own tonic water, but he refused.

Bill

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by wsmurdoch

The Sodastream cap holds about 55 ml at the top mark and makes 1000 ml of soda. Coke Syrups are used 1:5::syrup:water or 167 ml syrup to make 1000 ml of soda. Sodastream can not dissolve enough sugar in their small amount of syrup to make a sweet soft drink, so they must use an artificial sweetener to get the sweetness right.

Sodastream tonic water is 10g sugars per 240ml with added acesulfame potassium. Schweppes tonic water is 32g sugars per 355ml, Publix tonic water is 34g sugars per 360ml, and Harris Teeter tonic water is 34g sugars per 360ml. None of the last three mention an artificial sweetener in their ingredients.

I notice that the Sodastream ginger ale uses stevia as its artificial sweetener along with 10g sugars per 240ml soda.

As an aside, I tried to talk my GP into prescribing me one quinine pill so that I could make my own tonic water, but he refused.

Bill

The sodastream just makes sparkling water. What if you pour 1 part chilled Coke syrup in a glass and add 5 parts sparkling water? Isn’t that what the Coke machines do?

Same for tonic water: you can buy the best syrups even on Amazon.

[peghall]

I've had a SodaStream for years and love it. A CO2 cannister makes up to 60 liters, but that depends on the fizziness level selected...selecting the lowest every time does make 60 liters, but they're not very fizzy...the highest every time makes about 30. I exchange empty cannisters with filled ones for $15...I have 3 and replace two while using the 3rd. Depending on the amount of flavored syrup (doesn't have to be SS syrup)...use whatever floats YOUR boat for you) used, you can make a full liter or a single serve...I mostly make single serve 'cuz I don't always want the same carbonated drink. When stored in the fridge in the SodaStream 1 liter bottles, plain or flavored carbonated water lasts as long as any opened bottle of soda that has a threaded cap.

I often just put a wedge of lime in unflavored carbonated water....unlike club soda, there's no sodium or other additives. Commercial "seltzer" water is sodium free, but still isn't without added ingredients and is a lot more expensive than club soda.

As for the price per serving compared to commercial soda pop, I've never bothered to find out 'cuz I'm happy with a countertop appliance that provides me with whatever carbonated drink I want at any given time instead of cans and/or plastic bottles that require a lot more storage space when full and room in the trash or separate recycle bin when empty.

That's my experience with SodaStream...your mileage may vary, but prob'ly not nearly as much is you've read and follow the instructions than if you haven't thought it necessary.


--Peggie

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

The sodastream just makes sparkling water. What if you pour 1 part chilled Coke syrup in a glass and add 5 parts sparkling water? Isn’t that what the Coke machines do?

That would work like a charm. My method is nearly the same. From post #12... I fill a 1 liter empty tonic water bottle with 167 ml syrup and the balance water, fit a 'carbonation cap' to the top, cool it is the fridge, then connect it to the CO2 with the regulator set at 50 psi, and shake the inverted bottle 100 times. Done.

Bill

[sailorboy1]

For me and the reason I asked the orginal question is that the unit needs to find a worth balance of:

- cost compared to just getting cans of soda etc
- storage of the cans and the unit
- availability of both cans and sodastream supplies
- taste and variety
- the trash issue of all the cans

On my boat we go through a lot of cans. But we didn't run out during 3 weeks of Bahamas lockdown and we didn't really do a massive stock up.

[Gerrycooper56]

We have one to make club soda/sparkling water. In Grenada there are people refilling the bottles so no problem. If I look at the number of liters of water I can fizz up with a CO2 cylinder versus the equivalent number of cans, I’ll be knee deep in them.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

For me and the reason I asked the orginal question is that the unit needs to find a worth balance of:

- cost compared to just getting cans of soda etc
- storage of the cans and the unit
- availability of both cans and sodastream supplies
- taste and variety
- the trash issue of all the cans

On my boat we go through a lot of cans. But we didn't run out during 3 weeks of Bahamas lockdown and we didn't really do a massive stock up.

It “Wins” on storage space and lack of trash, everything else is likely a wash. I don’t think it saves money, or not much if it does.
If you really like a particular brand of soft drink it’s not going to replace that, but there is so much more it can do, I like to fizz some water and put the Mio energy drink in it, it’s much better than flavored water.
However we took some Coke with us, if you really want a Coke, nothing else will replace it, once in a blue moon I’ll mix a Crown and Coke, and you need real Coke for that.

[Amapola]

One summer, the soda & beer cans we had stowed started exploding; what a mess! After that, we bought a SodaStream. Except for tonic, we buy the real Coke syrup products instead of using SodaStream's brand. As other's have done, we rigged our own large tank. It is not cheaper than cans/bottles but saves space and exploding.

[Trimaran Ken]

A friend of mine uses a Soda Stream machine and Soda Stream canisters on a daily basis. However, he refills the expensive canisters from his own CO2 tank. This requires buying modified canisters or modification kits. Once modified, they seem to work forever. He tells me that Soda Stream changed their flavors a while back and that they are no good any more. He buys off brand flavors and usually uses half a package per bottle to keep the sweetness down. I have had his soda many times and most of it is good.


At home, I regularly drink Poland Spring Sparkling Water. Recently we did a blind taste test. One glass had a freshly opened bottle of my regular drink. The other glass had Poland Spring Water that had gone through my friend's Soda Stream machine.


I could clearly tell that the Soda Stream was less carbonated than the factory carbonation. It made a big difference to me. I can't tell if the fact that the CO2 was from a refilled canister made any difference.