We have the Penguin and also go through about a 60 liter cannister every month (although we have to work to stretch it that long…) I love it, but am also kinda vexed by the smaller bottles (wouldn’t want to give up the glass, however) and that Williams-Sonoma more often than not is in-between shipments when we need more. We’ve ordered through the website which is also not without its frustrations.
But while we’re not really saving that much money-wise, not producing all those empty plastic bottles is great, and when you’re not hitting the dregs of a container, the water is fantastic.
Fountain Jet arrived today. That was quick. I thought I had read somewhere on Qt3 that SodaStream was slow shipping - maybe that comment was specific to refills.
First experience: Since the wording was a little vague on the subject of how long to press the button (“press briefly and release quickly”), I was too conservative in my pressing. Because I never heard a Bzzzt, I should have experimented further but instead I removed the vessel to test. This was stupid, but then again I didn’t know what the Bzzzt was supposed to sound like. It wasn’t nearly fizzy enough, so I screwed it back on and pressed the button a couple more times. This time the machine seemed downright excited or agitated because, I later realized, there was too much air at the top of the bottle. Nice shower/bath I got when I unscrewed the bottle again.
Next try was smooth as ice, though. The manual should have said to “press briefly and do not release until you hear a Bzzzt”, and I think adding the sound to the online animation demonstration would have been a good way to let customers hear what it sounds like. Normally with appliances like this I jump right in without bothering with the manual, but this time I was actually a little proud that I took the time, and I got drenched anyway. Justice!
Anyway, thank you once again, Qt3! This seltzer addict is very happy.
I nearly forgot to ask the question I came here to ask. If I shop for flavors or syrups in markets and grocery stores (or Costco, I guess) what type of product am I looking for? My assumption is the Italian soda syrup I’ve seen at supermarkets is OK, but I don’t think that’s the same thing.
Thanks, Sparky. I know where to get some of that. How do like Torani flavors compare to Prairie Moon’s offerings (if you’ve done that test)?
While making my third bottle a few minutes ago, I noticed the well-placed warning sticker that actually has the words LOUD BUZZ written in caps, at the top of the device. Here I was so fixated on the product manual with its comparatively mild language (“Press the carbonating button in short presses until you hear the buzz”), and so proud that I was taking the time to do so. Looks like I’m the first and only member of the Qt3 SodaStream Soda Bukake Club.
Despite all the stark warnings not to, I tried fizzing up some apple cider. It was delicious! Or rather, the 30% that stayed in the bottle was. Holy fricking foam.
(I actually released it pretty carefully, so it didn’t go all over the kitchen, but I did get sprayed a little, and cleaning out the machine was a pain in the neck)
I know for a fact you can buy genuine Coca Cola soda syrup at Costco, and you don’t even need a Soda Club to enjoy it because it already has carbonated water right there in the can with the syrup.
So, after almost a week of Soda Stream goodness, I am still very happy with it. It came with a bunch of flavor samples, and I couldn’t figure what was up with them – they always seemed to have a funny after taste.
I finally looked it up and it looks like even their non-diet flavors have spenda in them. Yuck! I am going to work on making some of my own flavors using a simple syrup recipe. Or I might get lazy and buy some Torani as mentioned in this thread.
