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The Best SodaStream Drinks Maker for 2012

Unless you’ve had your advertising shields set at maximum for the last few weeks you are likely to have noticed that Christmas is back and apparently here to stay. If you are like me you will spend the next couple of weeks procrastinating before hitting the shops in a frenzy of angst and confusion, wondering whether your brother in law would enjoy Piers Morgan’s bumper book of patronising put downs or whether Mum would like a bread maker. Seriously guys no-one wants to bake their own bread!

However, everyone likes to make their own fizzy drinks and that is a fact. If you are thinking of buying yourself or your loved ones a SodaStream drinks maker, rest assured, you won’t look back and you will remain hydrated and happy forever more. The question is though, which model to pick up – should you lean towards lean pvc utility or decadent chrome. I reckon they all work – they all successfully produce a bottle of fizz, so the decision here is about how easy they are to use and how good they look next to your espresso machine/food processor/slow cooker (delete as appropriate) So then, here’s my round up of the best SodaStream models of 2012 Read more »

Pros and Cons of Sodastream

Given the time of year, with many people wondering “is the SodaStream the last minute present to buy for my friend/sibling/parent/colleague (delete as appropriate)”, I thought it might be a good idea to give a list of benefits and drawbacks of owning and using a Sodastream.

Pros Cons
Making drinks is fun, the process, the noise, it’s great for kids and adults! Making drinks and then waiting for them to chill takes time
Good for the environment* Have to wash bottles
Cheaper* Inevitably, not quite as good as the real thing for some flavours (e.g. Coke)
New models look good in the kitchen and don’t take much space You may not want to stump up for the penguin, the nicest looking of the range
Flavours stocked in a range of commonly found stores and these days internet ordering makes it easy to get flavours Storing lots of flavours (if you like having a lot of variety like me) takes up space
Wide range of official flavours with more launching all the time No evidence yet of the brilliant 80s Schweppes and Irn-Bru tie-ins
As well as making drinks with the official flavours you can invent your own concepts Fizzy lemon barley may not turn out to be a good idea
Amount of fizz and amount of flavour is under your control Potential for over fizzing or underdosing if you step outside the guidance
Having access to fizzy water is a great thing in itself Quality of your tap water (or willingness to use mineral water) may affect quality of your drinks
Bottles hold onto their fizz for a long time – innovative cap design Bottles run out quickly if you have a few guests
Making drinks and always having great drinks in the fridge is an easy habit to pick up Running a gas cannister out and not bothering to replace it for a bit can see your Sodastream neglected just like your George Foreman grill and your smoothy maker
Product feels retro yet innovative Some people just shrug their shoulders and feel it is completely pointless
Flavours stocked in a range of commonly found stores and these days internet ordering makes it easy to get flavours Storing lots of flavours (if you like having a lot of variety like me) takes up space

* More research and evidence to be discussed on these claims in the future. Read more »

What about the big celebrity tie-ins

I seem to remember that in the 80s in the midst of my first foray into the world of Sodastream, various partnerships had been achieved with Schweppes and other big beverage companies to produce a range of premium concentrates. I remember Fanta, Coca Cola and notable Irn Bru and Tizer.

Irn Bru particularly was a great concept. As radically left field as the premade version, with an orange colour fit to stain a small child’s white tshirt at a hundred yards.

Did these flavours exist or am I making this up?

Number of bottles fizzed 272

Twitter - @SodaStreamGeek