A Short Review of SodaStream
In 1903, SodaStream was introduced. Giles Gilby invented a carbonation system; it made fizzy water from standard water, and was originally marketed to the upper classes. A variety of flavours were introduced in the 1920s. The new choices included sarsaparilla and cherry ciderette. In the 1970s and 80s it enjoyed vast success, becoming a big hit in countries such as Australia, the UK, and Germany.
The company underwent numerous changes in ownership, becoming, at one stage, part of the Cadbury Schweppes empire. 1998 was the year SodaStream changed hands for the final time when purchased by Soda Club, which at that time was Israel’s biggest supplier of SodaStream. After Soda Club’s unsuccessful bid to rename the brand Soda-Club, the name remained SodaStream.
More recently Soda Club sought to reinvent the SodaStream brand. Focusing on the health and diet issues that are so prevalent in this day and age, SodaStream was relaunched with a new machine and many new flavours, concentrating on providing a healthy alternative to fizzy, sugar-rich drinks such as Coca Cola and Pepsi.
The SodaStream product is essentially a home carbonation kit, which allows you to change water into sparkling water, as well as allowing you to add low-calorie flavours such as cola and orange. A large assortment of calorie-free flavours to flavour sparkling water to great taste is sold at allfreightfree.com.
The SodaStream machine works by forcing co2 into a bottle suitable for pressurising that is filled with water. The water is turned into carbonated (sparkling) water by the co2. This process — dissolving co2 — is known as carbonation. The carbonated water can then be drunk on its own as sparkling water, or mixed with flavours to create tasty, healthy treats. Once the co2 canisters have been used up they can be sent back to Soda-Club who recycle the canisters by refilling them with co2 then sending them back out.
Regarding actual health and diet benefits gained from drinking SodaStream, the company maintains that all their flavours are completely sugar-free and contain a maximum of 2 calories per 100ml; this is, assuredly, good news for every parent concerned about a child’s diet.
The SodaStream machine adds only co2 to the water, meaning it does not have the added sugar that some bottled sparkling water contains, so there is virtually no difference between it and normal water.
SodaStream have made much of their environmental and health credentials, going so far as to say that each litre bottle of SodaStream saves three aluminum cans. This means that over 3 years, a family of four could slash their soft-drink-related packaging usage by over 90%. This is a popular claim, one that in this environmentally conscious age will stand them in good stead. Obviously, Sodastream has developed into a realistic alternative to the big players in the soft drink world.