If you like soft drinks or sparkling water, you’ll know it’s a pain to buy them at the supermarket. It’s heavy, takes up a lot of space, and leaves recycling filled with plastic bottles.
There is another way: make your own at home. Carbonating water using CO2 – carbon dioxide – is quick and easy with a countertop machine such as the humble SodaStream.
All you have to do is fill a bottle with tap water, press the button on the top repeatedly depending on how carbonated you are, and bingo, you have fresh sparkling water.
Add a slice of lemon or some cordial and you have a tasty drink that’s considerably healthier than a pop filled with sugar or sweetener. And, if you want sparkling water or other mixers for an event, you can make as much as you need on the day and you won’t have to lug around heavy bottles.
It’s also better for the environment because you can reuse the plastic or glass bottle that comes with a SodaStream. Since each cylinder carbonates up to 60 liters of water, that’s a lot of single-use plastic bottles that you don’t buy and recycle or, worse, throw away. Still, there are delivery emissions to consider: you’ll have to order gas cylinders and send empty ones back for reuse when they’re finished.
Having sparkling water available at the touch of a button is a great incentive to stay hydrated, and a SodaStream has a small counter footprint, so it’s easy to fit on your kitchen counter.
To make sparkling water with a SodaStream, you fill the bottle to the line with tap water. Cold water works best, so it’s best to have more than one carbonating bottle available and refrigerate them, ready to go.
Insert it into the machine at an angle so the spout is just below water level and push it in until it is vertical. Depending on the type of machine you have, the carbonation process is slightly different. Traditional machines require you to press and hold the button on top for two seconds and release it. You should do this three times for light carbonation and five times if you prefer more bubbly.
Newer machines may have different mechanisms. The Art, for example, has a lever that you press to carbonate. The electric and plug-in E-Terra has three buttons, for more or less carbonation. Just tap the one you prefer.
SodaStream
If you want to make lemonade, cola, and other classic flavors, you can buy flavorings from SodaStream and add them after the water has carbonated.
Four new SodaStream models are available. All are compatible with the new quick-connect gas cylinders.
The Terra is the simplest and most economical model. The Art has a classic design and single lever operation. Then, depending on where you live, you can buy the Aqua Fizz, which accepts glass bottles, or the Duo, which accepts both plastic and reusable glass bottles. Finally, there’s the E-Terra plug-in, which lights up in carbonate. We have just tested the E-Terra. Take a look at our review to find out what we thought of it.
You can browse all models on SodaStream.
SodaStream
Best SodaStream Deals
Thinking of buying a SodaStream? Here are the best deals we can find right now.
If you’re in the US, you can use the code Memorial20 to get 20% off sitewide from SodaStream.
In the UK, SodaStream has a brilliant half-price deal on the Terra flavor pack (note that this is the plain, non-bright model). It’s normally £167.92, but the current offer is £83.96, saving you 50%. Get SodaStream’s offer. In the pack, you’ll get the Terra machine, a gas bottle, two reusable plastic bottles, and five flavor varieties, including Pepsi and 7-Up.
Amazon UK has a deal on the Terra Starter Pack. Along with the machine, you will receive a reusable two-liter BPA-free plastic bottle and a gas bottle. This pack would normally cost you £109.99, but you can buy it on Amazon now for just £84.02, saving you almost a quarter of the price.
Amazon is also offering a deal on the Art Starter Pack – it costs a bit more but is even better. You’ll get the lovely Art machine, plastic bottle and cylinder for just £89.99, up from £139.99, saving you 33% or £50. Get the offer from Amazon.
