I have recently professed an interest in reviewing various products here at Stellar Path. Some of my reviews will be for things I have purchased myself, and I either wanted to praise said product or warn people to stay away. At other times, I have been approached (or I have asked) if I could have said product for free for me to review.

When I get a product for free, I promise that I will not mindlessly endorse such a product. If I like it, I will reflect that in my review. If I do not like it, I will reflect that in my review.

In accordance with FTC blog disclosure policies, I received all products mentioned in this blog for free in exchange for a review. No promise of a positive review was promised or implied.

With that being said, let’s get on to the fun stuff.

I recently was given the opportunity to review a SodaStream machine!

If you don’t know what this product is, it is basically a way to carbonate your own cold tap water at home, add whatever you would like to said freshly carbonated water (soda syrup, fruit juice, et cetera), and enjoy.

My wife saw one at Kohl’s years ago and said that she wanted one. My response. “Soda is cheap. That machine costs $80. Pass.”

And then I heard someone talking about how much fresher and genuinely better the soda is from a SodaStream than from a 2-liter bottle.

The ultimate selling point?

It’s cheaper. A 2-liter made with a SodaStream costs about fifty cents. Even my generic Diet Dr. Thunder costs more than that.

So when I received the opportunity to review a SodaStream machine, I jumped at the chance.

You can buy these at Macy’s and Kohl’s, among many other stores, but if you do decide to order from the company, I will mention that it arrived VERY securely packaged.

I received the SodaStream Jet. It is their smallest machine, but after using this product for a few weeks, I honestly can’t imagine a need for a bigger unit. It’s small, fits nicely on my counter, and it feels pretty well made. Best yet, it isn’t an eyesore. Oh, and another perk – it doesn’t run on electricity. I was under the assumption that it required an outlet, but it doesn’t.

Before I get into the flavors they also sent me to review, let me quickly disclaim: You do have to purchase CO2 canisters to carbonate your soda. I received a canister that will carbonate 60 liters of water (depending obviously upon how much carbonation you put into your water). I do know that I’ll be getting an extra to keep on hand so as soon as this canister is empty, I won’t have to wait.

I was sent eight flavors, along with some fruit flavor essence, to try. But first, let me share this video I posted on YouTube where I actually show the operation of the unit. Ridiculously easy. The hardest part is getting the bottle screwed onto the base.

My thoughts on the flavors?

Cola Free – Delicious. It truly tastes like Coke Zero to me. I didn’t get the Diet Coke, but I can’t wait to try it.
Cranberry-Raspberry – Pretty good. It was a bit too tart for my taste, but it wasn’t bad.
Root Beer – Quick caveat – I hate root beer. Hate it. With a passion. So naturally, I found this disgusting. However, my wife, who enjoys root beer, said it was excellent.
Energy Drink – The bottle says it is comparable to Red Bull. I don’t know that it really tasted like Red Bull, but it did have a very nice flavor. More soda-y than red bull, in my opinion.
Green Tea Pomegranate Peach – I’m not a huge green tea fan, but it had a good flavor just the same. I suspect if you liked green tea, this would be excellent.
Ginger Ale – Wonderful. It had the same crispness you would expect from Ginger Ale.
Pink Diet Grapefruit – This one was a surprise, but I think it’s my favorite. It’s sweet without being too sweet, but still a little tart… I’ve drank more of this than any of the others.
Diet Lemon-Lime – Also quite good. I would compare this in flavor to Sprite, which is my least favorite of the lemon-lime drinks, but it’s still very tasty. Much better than Sprite, truthfully.
Fruit Flavor Essences – I did not care for these at all. They had a very bitter taste that I just didn’t like. I tried using both less and more, but I ultimately had to conclude that I didn’t like them. Tina said she thought they were okay, but I wouldn’t make a purchase of these.

There are other flavors available that I haven’t gotten to try yet, including one that is supposed to taste like Diet Dr. Pepper. That is DEFINITELY going to be my first purchase from their online store, and I will definitely review it here as soon as I get it.

I also tried carbonating water and putting a little Crystal Light in it. I didn’t care for it as much as I thought I would – it made it a little too sweet for me. I need to just experiment with the ratio, because I like carbonated water but it definitely needs to have some type of flavor for me to fully enjoy it.

In a nutshell, this has become my current most-used kitchen appliance. I absolutely love it!

Please email me at jeremy@stellarpath.net if you have any questions.

Have you tried the SodaStream machine? What did you think of it? Would you want one, or would it just be another appliance to take up room in your kitchen?

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