Is it worth buying a SodaStream for hosting? I think so, especially now it's finally on sale

Anyone of a certain generation will remember the joys of a Sodastream. Growing up, it was a fantastic moment when my parents pulled out the Sodastream and we could craft our own homemade lemonade.

Joyous moments, and potentially cost saving given you can use it to turn tap water into all sorts of fun fizz, from soda water to any other soft drink.

Happily, Sodastream is still around and the 2024 version of the clunky 1980s gadget I remember is the sleek SodaStream Art sparkling water maker. With other brands hot on the heels of Sodastream with the Ninja Thirsti and the Sage InFizz, I wanted to try out the SodaStream Art to see if it was as good as I remembered. Here's how I got on.

SodaStream Art Carbonator : was £139.99 now £79.99 at Amazon

You can pick up the SodaStream Art for a bargain price right now, which you should factor into your decision if you're looking to buy one for your festive hosting duties.

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How does a SodaStream work?

My first impressions of the SodaStream Art were good. It's an aesthetically pleasing black and silver bit of kit, it looks good on the side and doesn’t take up too much space.

Another bonus is it’s not mains powered - so you can put it anywhere. It comes with a gas cylinder as well as a reusable bottle to make your drinks in, plus a lid so you can pop them in the fridge when they’re done. And that’s pretty much all you need to get going.

Unless you buy some kind of bundle or package, you’ll need to invest extra money for some syrups if you want to make things like Pepsi Max or tonic water.

Setting the Sodastream up is super easy. It’s just a case of opening up the back of the machine and screwing the cylinder in, then you’re ready to go.

The instructions are simple - fill the bottle with tap water to its fill line, then put into the machine and lock into place with the lever. You can’t really go wrong when it comes to carbonating it - press the big button. Three times for normal fizz and five for a stronger fizz.

And lo and behold - fizzy water right there ready to drink. It’s probably the simplest of kitchen gadgets I’ve used in a while, and all a bit smoother and easier to use than the version I remember from my childhood. The level of fizz is just like a shop-bought bottle of water , the bottle easy to store, and the whole thing a quick and easy process.

Eager to see if I can use it for more than just fizzy water, I order myself some diet tonic syrups. They’re not the cheapest, but if you think each bottle creates 9l of drink, that’s actually a lot of tonic, so I decide it’s a worthwhile investment. Again, the instructions are super easy.

You only add any syrup once the water has been ‘fizzed’, so you just carbonate it as normal then pour in the measured amount of syrup courtesy of a set line on the bottle lid.

I test it on friends, and they confirm it’s easily as good as shop-bought tonic, so we’re made up for the foreseeable when it comes to gin and tonics, especially when paired with some clear ice cubes. According to Sodastream, as well as being appealing for people who are keen to improve their hydration game by embracing sparkling water, it’s also great for mocktails, cocktails and soft drinks - basically anything you’d usually use a fizzy mixer for.

Should you buy a SodaStream?

At £139.99, the Sodastream Art sparkling water maker isn’t an insignificant purchase, especially given it’s not particularly vital to the running of your kitchen. But it does have benefits.

The obvious one being the fact you can sort yourself out with fizzy water, mixers or soft drinks pretty much whenever you like, and as a result don’t have to store quite so many bottles of them if you like to keep a stock. There’s also the environmental benefits. If you’re a big fan of sparkling water or get through a lot of soft drinks and mixers, you’re cutting down on plastic bottle use. The fact the gas cylinder is recyclable is also a nice touch.

In terms of cleaning, there isn’t a great deal to get dirty, to be honest, but the whole thing is fairly streamlined and easy to wipe clean. And if the worst case scenario of some of the water bubbling over happens, all you’re spilling is water so it really isn’t the end of the world.

The reusable bottle it comes with is also dishwasher safe, so it’s an easy one to keep clean between usages. A few uses in, and we’re converted, helped by the fact that it tucks away quite nicely in a corner in the kitchen and looks rather nice too.

Of course, life is more than manageable without your own fizzy water maker but it’s arguably more fun with one. So in the spirit of the 80s Sodastream ad that advised us to ‘get busy with the fizzy’, this could be a fun addition to your kitchen arsenal if you don’t mind parting with some cash for it.