I try not to drink much soda. I get deyhydrated easily, and I know how bad soda is for you, with high fructose corn syrup, etc. It's basically a drink version of junk food. I was pretty excited, though, when Soda-Club contacted me to review their soda making machine. It appealed to the side of me that likes soda but wishes it weren't so bad for me, and to the side of me that dislikes the idea of purchasing so many soda bottles / cans.
The soda mixes contain no high fructose corn syrup. They have less calories, sugar, carbs, and sodium than their store-bought counterparts. For example, Coca-Cola brand Cola per serving contains 100 calories, 27g carbs, 27g sugar, and 35mg of sodium. Soda-Club Cola per serving contains 34 calories, 9g carbs, 9g sugar, and 2mg of sodium. To compare all of Soda-Club's sodas to other brands, visit their comparison charts.
I received the Penguin unit, which comes with 2 glass carafes to make the soda in (the other units come with reusable BPA-free plastic bottles). Each unit comes with a carbonator, and making soda is as simple as filling the bottles given with water, putting it in the machine, and pushing a button to carbonate. I should actually be having my husband write this post, because he is the one that has been making all the soda. We received the sample soda mix kit and the flavored sparkling water variety pack. We haven't yet tried the sparkling water, because we aren't big fans, but we have made our way almost entirely through the sample kit. One word: Yum!
We'd like to share a few things we learned about making soda with the Soda-Club machine with you:
- The directions say to use 2 sprays from the carbonator, but, from my husband's experience, 4-5 will result in soda more similar to that of bottled soda. It's a matter of trying out different levels of carbonation to find one that you prefer (we prefer ours pretty bubbly).
- The soda tastes MUCH better if you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. We tried a few flavors straight out of the machine, and I started getting worried I would have to give a negative review. After allowing them to chill, I was MUCH happier. In fact, after a few hours in the fridge, what was once very disappointing became delicious.
- If you do taste the soda straight out of the machine, and it isn't carbonated enough, don't try to carbonate more unless you want to clean up a huge mess. We learned that the hard way!
On to the flavors we have tried so far.
- The energy drink is very similar to Monster energy drink and / or Red Bull (to be honest, I can't remember because I haven't had either of these in years). It has a fruity but not over-bearing flavor, very good.
- Pete's Choice is similar to Dr. Pepper, but not quite the same. This was the only flavor I was a little disappointed with, because Dr. Pepper is my favorite soda.
- Root Beer tastes EXACTLY the way it is supposed to. I think it is the one that would be the hardest to tell from store bought soda.
- Fountain Mist is similar to Mountain Dew. Not exact, but close.
- Lemon-Lime is one of my favorites. I couldn't decide if it was more like Sprite, 7UP or ginger ale, but it is definitely delicious.
- Orange is another favorite. Just like store bought orange soda, yet somehow better.
- Diet Cola was surprising. I was expecting it to be gross, like the brand name, but it wasn't too bad. I wouldn't drink it on a daily basis, but I think diet soda drinkers will enjoy it.
- Diet Lemon-Lime was not as good as the non-diet version. This one left the after flavor common in artificially sweetened beverages.
- Diet Pete's Choice wasn't too bad, but I wasn't a big fan of the non-diet version, so this one was just ok. My husband said it was pretty good for a diet soda.
- Diet Cranberry-Raspberry was up there on my list with Lemon-Lime - delicious! Surprisingly so. No artificial sweetener flavor, and the flavor was just right, not too much cranberry, not too much raspberry. Very refreshing, and I plan to order the non-diet version to see if it's as good.
We are definitely planning to order full size soda mix refills, and already have them picked out. I'm personally exciting about trying the cream soda and ginger ale.
The Soda-Club machine is available in 3 different models, the Fountain Jet (starting at $79.99), Pure (starting at $129.99), and the Penguin (starting at $199.99). Sounds pricey, I know, but a soda lover will end up saving money in the long run (not to mention save plastic bottles and ingest less garbage). Each unit comes with a 3-year warranty and requires no batteries or electricity to run. All starter kits come with two carbonators, while larger starter kits come with three. Soda mixes are $4.99 each, and make about 12 liters of soda.
December 18th, 2008 at 9:26 am
I always get kinda nostalgic when I see machines like these. Reminds me of the sodastreams from the 80s
They were really fun but the taste... well, kinda chemical
December 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Agolf, no chemical flavor to these ones
December 18th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Stefanie, besides the fact that these seem a lot less unhealthy (I'm not going to call them healthy) than the regular sodas how are they when you compare the pricing? For these sodas you'll have to include the price of the machine but will it eventually add up to a fair deal?
December 18th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Soda is one of those things that you can easily make with just sparkling water and juice. It's not as sweet, but it has a similar taste with no artificial flavorings in it.
December 18th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I wish I'd seen this before I finished my husband's Christmas shopping. He's such a soda drinker and it'd be great if he'd switch to something borderline less unhealthy.
Although I do have to say his favorite drink is Dr. Pepper, so it would have been a gamble. I'd love to try the rootbeer over some home-made vanilla ice cream in a float! Thanks for the review.
December 19th, 2008 at 3:39 am
I'm a soda lover and this Soda maker seem like a great deal to me, Stefanie!
December 19th, 2008 at 10:28 am
The only downside is if you buy the mixes they contain Splenda. I sell these on one of my green sites and just found out that the mixes contain Splenda, which I personally won't consume nor allow my kids to either...kinda bummed since I was going to buy one for myself but not now
December 19th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
"They were really fun but the taste... well, kinda chemical
"
Same here, im kind of fear full to try this.
December 21st, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Wow These machines looks really cool, without any artificial or chemaical mixture! Im just wait to try it
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:03 am
I actually bought this soda maker a few months ago. Its great! I takes seconds to make and the flavors taste good. If you drink alot of soda, I would suggest buying one.
December 26th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Tara Burner said:
That's one of the big pluses for me. My doctors want me to eliminate aspartame and they consider Splenda a suitable substitute -- and I have a kidney disease so they're picky.
I've been debating about buying one of these for a while because I hate the amount of empty cans and plastic bottles I seem to generate but I can never decide if this machine/service would be suitable for a single person or if I'd get bored of a single flavor long before I'm able to get to the next.
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:20 am
Soda is my favorite. I like Orange and lemon lime soda flavors. I want to buy soda maker and i will drinking my favorite soda flavors. Thanks.
January 21st, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Agolf, it's definitely a larger initial investment. I'd say that the amount you could save would really depend on how much soda you drink. If you don't drink it often at all, it might not be less expensive.
J.Lynne, you could always buy a few flavors and rotate
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I like soda, but is very danger to the body. I drink more water and juice. This soda machine are nice, i never see that i would buy to make cola and lemon lime flavors.