SodaStream Home Soda Maker - A Review and Giveaway!

***Giveaway Closed 6/21***

You make soda at home?! Yes, we sure do! It is easy, economical, and green! It's Eco-Cheap!

We got the chance to give the SodaStream Home Soda Maker a try. I thought it was going to be another one of those kitchen gadgets that you get and use like crazy at first. Once the initial excitement wore off, I figured it would end up taking up space on the counter and collecting dust. Well, the sodastream is no ordinary kitchen gadget and we are pleasantly surprised by how much we have enjoyed it!

The SodaStream Soda Maker is a sleek, fashionable, fun, and easy to use device that allows you to carbonate tap water. You simply fill the special SodaStream bottle with water, screw it to the soda maker, push the carbonator button a few times, and voila...fresh and easy sparkling water.

Don't care for plain, sparkling water? Me neither. SodaStream offers a wide variety of over 30 sodamix syrups including dozens of regular, diet, and caffeine-free options. The regular flavors contain NO HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, and contain less sugar, calories, carbohydrates and sodium than national drink brands, because they are sweetened with a combination of sugar and Splenda. The diet flavors are sweetened with Splenda, not aspartame. Each bottle makes about 12 liters of soda (approx. 33 cans) which comes out to about 25 cents per 12-ounce can.

We tried diet cola, diet caffeine-free cola, zero cola, diet lemon-lime, diet pink grapefruit, orange, cranberry-raspberry, and energy. My favorite is the diet caffeine-free cola. I love the taste! I think it's better than either Coke or Pepsi. I don't drink any caffeinated products, so the Hubs drinks the diet cola and the zero cola and thinks they are every bit as good as the nationally recognized brands. His favorite is the Energy flavor. He says it tastes just like Redbull, and it's GOOD! All of the flavors we tried, and had others try, are very good and taste just as good as the nationally recognized brands.

Personally, I think they all taste better because I can customize the amount of carbonation and it is always fresh. I like my soda extra fizzy, so I give it a few extra "shots" of carbonation and it turns out perfect!

So, what makes the SodaStream green? By making your own soda at home you aren't buying soda from the store in plastic bottles, which means less plastic manufactured, less plastic waste, and fewer bottled beverages to be transported from manufacturers to distributors, to stores, and ultimately to your home.

It is also considered an "active green" product which means that consumers are actively reducing their CO2 footprint every time they make soda or sparkling water. The more it is used, the more CO2 footprint the user actively saves.

The SodaStream Home Soda Makers are easy, make great tasting beverages, save money, and are green. What more can you ask for in a product?! Starting at $99.95 with 4 different styles to choose from, you will  find one that will look great in your kitchen too!

Enter to win a SodaStream Fountain Jet Starter Kit (retail value of $99.95)!

Mandatory Entry:

Visit SodaStream and tell me what flavors you would like to try.

Extra Entries:

After completion of the mandatory entry you are eligible for any of these additional entries. Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry!

• Like SodaStream on Facebook
• Follow SodaStreamUSA on Twitter.
• Follow my blog publicly through Google friend connect.
• Grab my button and post it on your sidebar.
• Subscribe to Eco-Cheap Mom via email.
• Subscribe to Eco-Cheap Mom in a reader.
• Vote for Eco-Cheap Mom on Top Mommy Blogs.
• Blog about this giveaway. Be sure to link back to my site and leave the URL where you blogged in your comment. (2 entries)
• Post about this giveaway on Facebook.
• Follow @ecocheapmom on Twitter and tweet (up to 3x per day, at least an hour apart): Make your own soda at home! Win a @SodaStreamUSA Fountain Jet Starter Kit from @ecocheapmom. http://bit.ly/akOLs4 #eco #giveaway ends 6/21

Good Luck!

Open to US residents only. Giveaway ends June 21st, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. EST. The winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email and announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

***I was given a SodaStream Fountain Jet to review. I was not compensated in any other way and the statements above are my own honest opinion.***