Fizz With Flair, SodaStream's Penguin

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed)
Oct 8th 2010 at 2:02PM

The recent crop of home soda makers appeal on several levels: environmentally (no plastic bottles to discard), economically (no plastic bottles to buy) and practically (fizzy water for everyone, anytime). But one shortcoming has been aesthetics, since most models look like a Nalgene bottle jacked into a piece of lab equipment. Thankfully SodaStream has corrected this oversight with their Penguin.

Available through SodaStream's website and at Williams-Sonoma, this avian-themed carbonation factory is something you'll actually want to display at home. Operating without batteries or an electrical connection, the Penguin carbonates beverages with a few quick pumps of the beak (I prefer to add my own penguin sound effects when doing this). Simply rotate the stainless steel flask and insert one of the two glass carafes provided, which are attractive enough to pass for vases or decanters. Close and lock, depress the beak to activate (2-4 times, depending on how much fizz you're after), and push the pressure release valve before opening again. Once carbonated, you can seal the carafes with the provided hermetic stopper for freshness. The CO2 canisters that power the Penguin are easy to install and SodaStream estimates you'll get about 45 carafes-worth of fizz out of each.

SodaStream also offers various soda mixes and recently released a line of all-natural flavor syrups, from apple mango to pink grapefruit, but I've found that a few well-placed lime wedges work just as well. I haven't yet experimented with the Penguin and alcoholic beverages, but something tells me a Collins night is in order soon.

Tags: carbonation, kitchen gadgets, penguin, soda, sodastream, water, williams-sonoma

Filed under: Gadgets

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Rebecca Oct 8th 2010 6:09PM

I've had one of these for two years and love it. I've found I get far more CO2 than I expected per canister.

hey dude7 Oct 9th 2010 12:39AM

Sorry to correct this last comment, i have one for 3 years now, the CO2 it`s expensive and we are getting a little less that the Co advertises , they assume 2 pumps per use, in my opinion it needs 3-4 , but that is my preference.
About the CO2, if you live in a place were you can trade them in person it`s cheaper 15 to 20 bucks per order.If you order two canister get ready to pay about 70 bucks S&H included.
Plus when you buy a dispenser you get one replaceable canister , but for practical reasons you need two, that is another 15 to 20 bucks, if you decide to buy flavors your cost is exactly the same as a store bought soda when all costs are considered .
So all in all, it is more convenient than it is cheap.

MrFizz Oct 23rd 2010 10:14PM

Yeah, well, you should really try the Fizz Giz (www.fizzgiz.com) to see what a $30 soda maker feels like. Use your own co2 - buy it from anyone anywhere rather than being tied to a proprietary piece of hardware that only sodastream can service. Plus you can carbonate anything. SodaStream voids your warranty if you carbonate anything other than water. Yep.

Dee Dee Rhodes Oct 10th 2010 1:28PM

Have had this for over a year. Its great. I live in one of those places where I can trade my empty CO2 bottles in. At Williams-Somoma the CO2 are $25, but if you trade in its $15. I dont use the flavors because I flavor naturally with nectar juices. I will estimate that I get up to about 60 bottles of water, and pump between 2-3 times. I like the little chirpin sound the penguin makes as it "seltzers" my water. A great find....don't understand why luxist is so late in speaking on it, because its been on the market almost 3 years now to my knowledge.

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