I cut down the booze and try to avoid diet or regular sodas. In their place I have been drinking a lot of canned or bottled sparkling water (La Croix, Topo Chico, etc.).
Have any of you started making your own and has it been a good investment?
I was looking at something like this:
But open to learning if you all have taken the plunge and if so how are you making your own?
We use Soda stream at our house. We have very good quality tap water and the bubbles make me drink more. I love doing a 1:6 mix of apple juice and bubbly water when thirsty.
Kefir water (not to be confused with milk Kefir) is also super tasty and really easy to make once you source the ‘grains’. We only flavor it with fruit slices, so it ends up tasting more like a cider than lemonade.
Soda streams are great and highly recommend investing in a glass bottle model.
A lot of Soda Stream fans. When I looked at them it didn’t look like the price plus the C02 would be all the economical but with so many fans I’m guessing I am off on that one.
This is pretty much the way i make it…except we don’t add fruit juice, just fruit slices. Adding juice makes it sweetener, so could be a good way to start.
I got my grains from a local swap group but pretty sure most health food shops would sell them.
To remove chlorine from tap water, you can either use cooled boiled water or leave a glass bottle of water out in the sun for a day.
Yeah the SS consumables price (CO2) makes me wonder about cost effectiveness but my daughter with environmental engineering degree got it for me to reduce waste. Bed Bath & Beyond with a coupon is best price for CO2.
I considered a sodastream for a bit, but whether or not it’s more economical depends on your own habits. For example, I live alone and don’t drink a whole lot of sparkling water- so it’s cheaper for me to just buy the store-brand stuff. (i also live in a dorm, so I don’t really have the extra space.)
On the other hand, if you drink a lot- or have a family who does also- it could make a lot more sense. A lot of people also don’t consider the brands you typically buy- La Croix for example is pretty expensive, so you might find yourself saving with the sodastream even in smaller amounts.
I also like homemade iced tea- black with lemon, or a herbal blend if I don’t need the caffeine.
Soda stream for convenience.
Head to your local brew shop and get a proper gas bottle if you use it a lot. You can then add an adapter as pictured below.
Just the sound of that makes me want to go more of the industrial route. I can easily drink 6 La Croixs in a day. If I had it on tap I could double that and not feel so guilty about creating so much waste and drinking canned water when the tap water here isn’t bad at all. Just no bubbles.
Sodastream 60L CO2 cartridges state net weight CO2 of 14.5 ounces (0.9 lbs), we get these for something like $20 at Bed Bath & Beyond with a coupon. We ran out of time yesterday, and are buying it today.
A local brewing supply outfit will fill a 5lb CO2 container for $33.
Ignoring the cost of buying the 5lb tank and adapter hose, 5lbs of CO2 costs:
$111 when 60L Sodastream cartridge costs $20
$33 when refilling CO2 tank at local brewery supply store