I have been dying to try out the SodaStream ever since I first saw it advertised, so I was really excited when they agreed to let me review a SodaStream Fountain Jet. If you haven’t seen one yet, the SodaStream basically allows you to turn ordinary water into seltzer water or soda with the press of a button. Seriously, it’s that easy!! The best part is that I can control how sweet the soda will be!!  PLUS, I love gadgets!!

I received an awesome selection of flavors with my kit, from Cola, Cola Free, and Ginger-Ale to more exotic flavors like Black Currant & Pear to Diet Pink Grapefruit. I also received a variety pack of MyWater Flavor Essence, which lets you make soda more similar to seltzer water.  You can also skip the flavoring all together and just make sparkling water. This is what my husband likes to do! I love being able to make my own soda because there are never any bottles or cans to throw away. The bottles are reuseable and BPA-Free!! You can also find places where you live to refill the carbonators when they go empty.

In comparison to other brands, the regular flavors have less calories, sugar, carbs and sodium.  The regular flavor sweeteners are a mix of sugar and sucralose without high-fructose corn syrup.  The diet flavor sweeteners use Splenda, sparkling naturals use cane sugar, and the essence flavors are unsweetened. PLUS, for all my buddies that have Celiac Disease, SodaStream is Gluten-Free!!

I’m sure some of you are wondering what the cost would be to buy seltzer water/soda compared to using the SodaStream! After your initial purchase of a home soda maker package, you’ll enjoy seltzer and sparkling water in reusable 1-liter PET bottle for just $.25 per liter and flavored sodas for about $.25 per can.

Main Benefits of the SodaStream

• No bottles to store or recycle- use one bottle over and over again, so it’s good for the environment!
• Less expensive in the long run- the equivalent of one can of soda or one liter or sparkling water costs just $0.25.
• Less calories than the leading soda brands- the Cola flavor contains just 34 calories per serving, vs 100 calories per serving in the big name brands bought in stores. SodaStream’s flavors also have fewer carbs and sodium.
• Doesn’t require batteries or electricity- just push a button on the top and the pressure in the carbonation canister does all the work.
• Less waste, less packaging, and less transporting of soda bottles means it is better for the environment.
• Over 30 different flavors to choose from!

Here is how to use the SodaStream

1. Attach the CO2 cartridge to the inside of the machine.
2. Fill the 1 liter bottle with tap water to the fill line.
3. Attach the bottle filled with water, to the front of the machine..
4. Push the button at the top of the machine to add in the bubbles
5. Unscrew the bottle from the machine (it will make a sound like you just opened up a 2 liter of pop!).
6. Slowly tilt the bottle to the side to add in the recommended amount of flavoring (you must tilt it or it will bubble up and overflow and you must pour slowly!!).

The SodaStream maker definitely does what it says it will do. It really is as simple as just screwing in the reusable bottle, pressing the button a few times, adding the flavoring, replacing the cap, and tipping it back and forth to mix it up. Here is a brief video I found on how it works:

Overall we LOVE our SodaStream and will never go back to buying store bought soda’s again!! It will be ideal for entertaining over Thanksgiving and Christmas and a great idea for gift giving.  Just think of the party punches, ice cream sodas and delicious holiday beverages that I can serve my family and guests when I have my own homemade soda, right at my fingertips.

The Giveaway

One Lucky SlickHousewives Reader will receive the following:

Fountain Jet Soda Lover’s Start-Up Kit  ($99.95)

It includes:

–        Fountain Jet – winner’s choice of color (black/silver, red/silver or white)
–        1 carbonating bottle, reusable for up to 3 years
–        Reusable carbonator to fizz up to 60L of soda
–        Variety 6-pack of popular sample-size flavors
–        3 full-sized flavors of the winner’s choice

Here is how to Win:

1. Like Soda Stream on Facebook Leave a comment below with your Facebook Name to let me know you’ve done it.
2. Follow Soda Stream on Twitter  Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
3. Follow SlickHousewives on Twitter  Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
4. Like SlickHousewives on Facebook Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
5. Follow SlickHousewives on Google Friends Connect.  (click the JOIN button in the right-hand sidebar.) Leave a comment letting me know you’ve done it.
   
6. Subscribe to the SlickHousewives Newsletter.  You will receive an email confirmation with a link that must be clicked to confirm your subscription.  Once you click the email link to confirm your subscription, leave me a comment to let me know you’ve done it.
7. Join NoMoreRack Sign up for NoMoreRack using this link and confirm your sign up. (remember to confirm your email address, or the entry won’t be valid.) leave me a comment to let me know you’ve done it!
8. Join StumbleUpon Use THIS LINK to join StumbleUpon, leave me a comment to let me know you’ve done it!
9. Tweet this giveaway (maximum of 1x per day, please).  Win a fabulous Soda Stream Soda Maker & make delicious carbonated sodas in your own kitchen! @slickhousewives @sodastreamusa http://slickhousewives.com/?p=19436  Leave a comment below with a link to your tweet.

Good Luck!

Ends December 2,2011

This giveaway is open to residence in the US ONLY. It is sponsored by SodaStreamUSA and is in no way affiliated with Twitter, Facebook or any other entity listed in this posting.

Winner will be notified within 48 hours of the end of the giveaway and will have 48 hours to respond. If you see that you are the winner and for some reason have not received the email, please email [email protected] to claim your prize. If the winner hasn’t claimed their prize within that 48 hours, another winner will be chosen. This will continue until a winner is successfully chosen.

Disclosure: I received a SodaStream machine with several bottles of flavorings, free of charge, for the purposes of this review. All views/opinions remain solely my own.