91 replies to this topic

[GG Mora]

My name is GG and I am a Seltzer Addict. I got my husband hooked, too. We each have a 1 or 2 bottle a day habit. I started feeling schmucky about the environmental impact of all that bottled soda (especially when I see the giant plastic bags full of bottles waiting to go to recycling). And it's a lot of schlepping of bottles from the grocery store. So I started looking into making our own.

Some research turned up that your basic soda siphon doesn't make very fizzy seltzer, and that those little CO2 cartridges get expensive and are a PITA. Then I found a thread on Chowhound about the Soda Club soda maker. Sounded like just the ticket. I ordered one. It arrived yesterday.

It makes incredible seltzer. I'm sure using our sweet Vermont well water helps, but I can control the amount of fizz – I can make it strong enough to burn my nose and make my eyes water (spectacular!). And each big CO2 canister will carbonate up to 110 liters of water. And it comes with reusable plastic bottles. Excellent.

Check it out:
– Soda Club website
– Pictures and review on Cooking for Engineers

The set-up also comes with a sampler of the soda flavorings available from the company. I threw them away – even the non-diet ones have Splenda in them.

But I'm looking forward to experimenting with making my own soda (I had a lemon verbena soda at Hugo's in Portland that has haunted me for nigh on 3 years).

[omnivorette]

Oooooh Ooh oooh. I have been thinking about this and this may push me right over the edge. My cousin recently got one and he LOVES it. He has started to make his own flavored sodas too.

Thank you!

[GG Mora]

Discussion on Chowhound.

[rancho_gordo]

I used to have my seltzer delivered in San Francisco.
I love my fizzy water. I think I have to do this.
I imagine you could make lemonade.

[tanabutler]

I want one of those SO much it hurts. Giving up my lime seltzer water is so difficult, but I think next big payday, I'm popping for one of these. I've been having lemonade with seltzer, and it's addicting.

Move over on the church pew there, Mora, and make room for a new 12-Stepper for Fizz.

[Orik]

I have one of these. The only annoyance is that you still need to filter the tap water to make it not smell of chlorine, but other than that it makes good soda.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I'm not a huge fan of fizzy water, but the BF is and I bought him a vintage seltzer bottle which is well-used and loved. No flavoring, but I Britta the water from the tap beforehand.

[rancho_gordo]

I'm not a huge fan of fizzy water, but the BF is and I bought him a vintage seltzer bottle which is well-used and loved. No flavoring, but I Britta the water from the tap beforehand.

That's the kind where you add a cartridge, right? that's more 1960s, I believe.
The real vintage ones were etched glass and needed to be filled at a plant. I think the Seltzer Sisters in San Francisco are still in business. They bring crates each week and you and your special friend get in silk pajamas and have seltzer fights while saying madcap things to each other.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I'm not a huge fan of fizzy water, but the BF is and I bought him a vintage seltzer bottle which is well-used and loved. No flavoring, but I Britta the water from the tap beforehand.

That's the kind where you add a cartridge, right? that's more 1960s, I believe.
The real vintage ones were etched glass and needed to be filled at a plant. I think the Seltzer Sisters in San Francisco are still in business. They bring crates each week and you and your special friend get in silk pajamas and have seltzer fights while saying madcap things to each other.

I have two; one is definitely circa 1930s and takes a cartridge (but no longer works because of a dead seal). The other is the same design which does work. I love the idea of the Seltzer Sisters.

[omnivorette]

My bro-in-law used the Seltzer Sisters for years. He still misses them. (lives on east coast now)

[rancho_gordo]

I'm not a huge fan of fizzy water, but the BF is and I bought him a vintage seltzer bottle which is well-used and loved. No flavoring, but I Britta the water from the tap beforehand.

That's the kind where you add a cartridge, right? that's more 1960s, I believe.
The real vintage ones were etched glass and needed to be filled at a plant. I think the Seltzer Sisters in San Francisco are still in business. They bring crates each week and you and your special friend get in silk pajamas and have seltzer fights while saying madcap things to each other.

I have two; one is definitely circa 1930s and takes a cartridge (but no longer works because of a dead seal). The other is the same design which does work. I love the idea of the Seltzer Sisters.

Here's a link to a page at their site.
It looks like they use plastic now, but in my day (early to mid-1980s) they used to bring the vintage bottles.

[Melonious Thunk]

Hi GG. My name is Joel and I am a seltzer addict. So is my wife. We consumer 4-6 750 ml bottles of Vintage Seltzer a week. I use it in lemonade, mint juleps, mix rasberry syrup in it, add it to orange soda and drink it straight.

I am ordering one immediately!! I have a CO2 siphon that we hardly ever use. It's like the deco cocktail table version. Thsi seems like a real substitute for bottle seltzer and I like that you can vary the carbonation. Thanks GG! Great find.

[OTB]

My name is GG and I am a Seltzer Addict. I got my husband hooked, too. We each have a 1 or 2 bottle a day habit. I started feeling schmucky about the environmental impact of all that bottled soda (especially when I see the giant plastic bags full of bottles waiting to go to recycling). And it's a lot of schlepping of bottles from the grocery store. So I started looking into making our own.

Some research turned up that your basic soda siphon doesn't make very fizzy seltzer, and that those little CO2 cartridges get expensive and are a PITA. Then I found a thread on Chowhound about the Soda Club soda maker. Sounded like just the ticket. I ordered one. It arrived yesterday.

It makes incredible seltzer. I'm sure using our sweet Vermont well water helps, but I can control the amount of fizz – I can make it strong enough to burn my nose and make my eyes water (spectacular!). And each big CO2 canister will carbonate up to 110 liters of water. And it comes with reusable plastic bottles. Excellent.

Check it out:
– Soda Club website
– Pictures and review on Cooking for Engineers

The set-up also comes with a sampler of the soda flavorings available from the company. I threw them away – even the non-diet ones have Splenda in them.

But I'm looking forward to experimenting with making my own soda (I had a lemon verbena soda at Hugo's in Portland that has haunted me for nigh on 3 years).

I have a similar unit that we bought some five years ago. They use mini canisters. The problem with these things is getting the canisters refilled locally. It has to do with the fact that they use a non-standard fitting.

If you are lucky, you can establish a rapport with your local fire extinguisher supply or paintball gun sports store and they can refill the CO2, if they can get the mating fitting for their gas supply to attach to the canister.

I gave up on my machine a few years ago when my local guy went out of biz who could do the refills and just had my local Nestle Waters supplier deliver me six cases of 16oz plastic bottles of Poland Spring Sparkling every month. Its a lot more convenient than having to schlep home water bottles.

If you're really serious about soda -- you get yourself a standard 10 or 20 pound tank that you can exchange with a regular CO2 supply company periodically and hook up a restaurant-style gun. The guns and associated hardware for a basic soda setup can usually be found on eBay for less than 200 bucks.

[GG Mora]

My name is GG and I am a Seltzer Addict. I got my husband hooked, too. We each have a 1 or 2 bottle a day habit. I started feeling schmucky about the environmental impact of all that bottled soda (especially when I see the giant plastic bags full of bottles waiting to go to recycling). And it's a lot of schlepping of bottles from the grocery store. So I started looking into making our own.

Some research turned up that your basic soda siphon doesn't make very fizzy seltzer, and that those little CO2 cartridges get expensive and are a PITA. Then I found a thread on Chowhound about the Soda Club soda maker. Sounded like just the ticket. I ordered one. It arrived yesterday.

It makes incredible seltzer. I'm sure using our sweet Vermont well water helps, but I can control the amount of fizz – I can make it strong enough to burn my nose and make my eyes water (spectacular!). And each big CO2 canister will carbonate up to 110 liters of water. And it comes with reusable plastic bottles. Excellent.

Check it out:
– Soda Club website
– Pictures and review on Cooking for Engineers

The set-up also comes with a sampler of the soda flavorings available from the company. I threw them away – even the non-diet ones have Splenda in them.

But I'm looking forward to experimenting with making my own soda (I had a lemon verbena soda at Hugo's in Portland that has haunted me for nigh on 3 years).

I have a similar unit that we bought some five years ago. They use mini canisters. The problem with these things is getting the canisters refilled locally. It has to do with the fact that they use a non-standard fitting.

If you are lucky, you can establish a rapport with your local fire extinguisher supply or paintball gun sports store and they can refill the CO2, if they can get the mating fitting for their gas supply to attach to the canister.

I gave up on my machine a few years ago when my local guy went out of biz who could do the refills and just had my local Nestle Waters supplier deliver me six cases of 16oz plastic bottles of Poland Spring Sparkling every month. Its a lot more convenient than having to schlep home water bottles.

If you're really serious about soda -- you get yourself a standard 10 or 20 pound tank that you can exchange with a regular CO2 supply company periodically and hook up a restaurant-style gun. The guns and associated hardware for a basic soda setup can usually be found on eBay for less than 200 bucks.

My primary interest was in getting away from massive consumption of plastic bottles. The set-up I bought came with 3 CO2 canisters, each capable of carbonating up to 110 liters of water. When you need more CO2 you ship back the empties and order full ones (@$20/ea + shipping). It does require a little advance planning, but I'm compulsive enough that I don't see its being a problem.

[rancho_gordo]

Mine is on the way.
I went for the non-stylish white.