SodaStream Fizzi One Touch

By: Jamie Steinberg

This holiday season I had the opportunity to test out a SodaStream Fizzi One Touch. I was intrigued when it was originally pitched to me as it noted it was an earth-friendly option that would cut down on the use of plastic bottles and, thus, cut back on plastic pollution. So, I set up my system and got to seltzer making! Once I got my first taste, I knew there was no turning back…

The SodaStream Fizzi One Touch ($129.99 retail) comes with a carbonation cartridge, the system and a one-liter bottle to hold the seltzer you make. To begin with, it took some time for set up. The system comes with very minimal instructions, solely a set of images that indicated the steps for putting the SodaStream together. It took a few tries to figure out how to install the carbonation cartridge, but then it was smooth sailing from there.

The system does not come with any flavoring so if you’d like to make anything other than plain seltzer you will need to make a separate purchase. The syrups come in all different flavorings that range from soda to mocktails to lemonade to fruit drops for flavored water. I purchased Cherry Cola (my favorite beverage) at $5.99 which makes up to 9 liters and Peach fruit drops at $3.99 which makes up to 20 liters – and also has zero calories. Flavorings like these can be found in places like Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Amazon, etc.

The instructions provided with the machine also do not indicate whether it is best to use Spring, Purified or Tap water. The images showed you could use tap water yet did not dictate what was ideal to be used. I chose to go with tap water on my initial attempt just because it was handy and figured it would be worth tasting it that way before shelling out additional money for upgraded water.

To finally make the seltzer I followed the instructions and wedged the liter bottle into place. The directions showed to press a button twice. It doesn’t indicate whether to pick option one, two or three so you are left to your own discretion for selection and also wondering what the other buttons do. I pressed the middle button twice and then within seconds air was dispersed into my bottle and the process seemed done. I wasn’t sure if that was the full process or if I had touched something wrong, so I pressed the button again. Once more, air was released so I knew my initial attempt was accurate. I took a sip of the plain seltzer and was surprised at how good it was! Yes, I was skeptical because I had chosen tap water and I hadn’t originally been certain on whether it was truly making it into seltzer due to the button confusion. It tasted just like seltzer you would buy at the store and I had the satisfaction of knowing it was something I made at home!

At this point, I decided to take a risk…I attempted to add the SodaStream Peach drops. I poured some of my seltzer water out of the liter bottle and into a cup (in case I added too many drops or if something tasted off). Next, the bottle noted to add a half teaspoon to the liter bottle for flavoring and I chose to eyeball what I thought was a half teaspoon so that I didn’t overpower the beverage. It ended up with a slight, slight hint of peach flavor so I knew that I needed to add more. I eyeballed another half drop and swirled it with the seltzer water. Yum! I passed the cup around to my family for them to taste in order to get their opinion and they were pleased as well!

I will admit that with the holidays I’ve been a bit busy, so I haven’t tried the SodaStream Cherry Cola flavoring just yet. Please forgive me. However, I will say I’m loving the Peach water and really finding it refreshing when I’ve come in from the Florida warm weather. I’ve also mastered just the right amount of flavor drops to find what I would consider the tastiest level.

My one complaint would be the vague instructions. It came with images only and no written directions to guide set up. Additionally, the information I initially received about the system noted that there were “three levels of automatic carbonation;” however, the guide that comes in the box did not indicate anything other than the pressing of one of the buttons on the machine twice. Obviously, pressing the first button will give one burst of air, the second two bursts of air and the third gives three bursts of air, but what does that mean for the taste or makeup of the seltzer?

The SodaStream Fizzi One Touch was a wonderful addition to my home! If you are looking for a sweet and fizzy way to cut back on buying and recycling single-use plastic products or if you’re in the need for a great gift, I suggest snagging a SodaStream. It tastes great, it’s refreshing and will have you sipping seltzer happily!