Bubbles of Love - SodaStream Review and Giveaway

Welcome to the Blog Pops Bubbles of Love Event!  Over the next 3 days I will be featuring some great companies that will help you make this holiday of love extra special, whether you are shopping for a spouse, a friend, or even your kids!

So let's get right to and start off with a bang!

Ladies (or gentlemen)- does your significant other like soda, or, as it's called where I'm from, pop?  Well I imagine that if you are a frequent blog reader and like entering lots of giveaways that you already know all about SodaStream!  So instead of telling you the same old information I want to tell you about some NEW things offered from SodaStream!

OK, OK, for those of you who don't usually read blogs and have no idea what SodaStream is I will run it down for you quickly- SodaStream is a company that makes fabulous soda makers (pop makers).  Without the use of batteries or electricity you can make carbonated water using just a bottle (provided) and your own tap water!  It's simple and fast.  Kids can do it, your great-grandma can do it (granted she is still with us...), and best of all- the pop-lover in your life will LOVE getting a SodaStream Soda Maker this Valentine's day!

So now that you know what it is let me address a concern that has come up frequently on my Green Living message board.  A lot of health fanatics and eco-friendly folks have been turned off from SodaStream not because of their fantastic Soda Makers, but because of their syrups.  They do NOT use High Fructose Corn Syrup which is great, but they DO use Splenda.  Several people I have spoken to don't really like Splenda and prefer to buy their soda mixes somewhere else where the company uses sugar.  Well, you can all stop shopping somewhere else!  SodaStream now has a wonderful line of soda mixes called "Sparkling Naturals" that use contain no artificial flavors, no artificial colors and no artificial sweeteners, and do not contain any preservatives, making them a perfect, sparkling, natural soda alternative for the entire family.  Best of all- they use the oh-so-desirable sugar ingredient.

Sparkling Naturals is currently available in Pink Grapefruit, Lemon Lime, Apple Mango, and Orange Pineapple.  I've actually been given the opportunity to try all four of the Sparkling Naturals flavors for the purpose of this review and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious these drink mixes are.  I'd have to say that Orange Pineapple is my favorite and mixes quite well with Appleton Rum.  Lemon Lime tastes just like any other Lemon Lime drink available out there- I even did a taste test with a popular brand of Lemon Lime Soda and noticed a small but barely noticeable different, but couldn't tell you which was the popular brand and which was the SodaStream Sparkling Naturals variety.

Yet, on my Green Living board, this is more complaints.  Yes, these are great flavors but what about the soda drinkers who like soda flavors?  Cola, Root Beer, Ginger Ale!  What about those?  You're in luck- coming Spring of 2011 these three flavors will be available in the Sparkling Naturals variety!  This is what I love about SodaStream- it's a company that really cares about their customers and strive to make them happy and give them what they want.

This Valentine's Day you can give the pop lover in your life the gift of an eco-friendly way to enjoy their favorite beverages.  Once removed from the box your SodaStream Soda Maker will produce virtually no waste!  No throw away bottles or cans and no cardboard box waste.  Save the planet while you enjoy your Cola, is there anything better?

What I Love: Like I said, SodaStream is a company that listens to their customers and strives to constantly improve and add to their stock to make it appealing for everyone.  The mixes make delicious sodas that are healthier than store bought pop but still just as enjoyable!  In just minutes you, too, can be enjoying your favorite flavor of pop!  SodaStream is even available in Brick and Mortar stores!  Just last month I was at a Bed, Bath, and Beyond and to my surprise came upon a beautifully set-up SodaStream display.  I always love it when my favorite products are available online and in stores.

What I Don't Love:  Not much now that the Sparkling Naturals line exists and that Cola will soon be available in this variety!  I would love to see Pete's Choice (their version of Dr. Pepper) available in Sparkling Naturals though I imagine they are planning more varieties in the future and I just have to be patient.  Also maybe a few flavors available in a Stevia variety would be a great addition, but I think the market for Stevia sodas are still so limited it wouldn't be a wise move financially just now.

BUY IT!

Got that pop lover in your life who would love a SodaStream this Valentine's Day?  It's truly a gift that keeps on giving!  Pick up a SodaStream Soda Maker for as little as $79.99.   Want to splurge a bit?  Check out the Penguin Soda Maker, which uses re-usable Glass Carafes instead of re-usable plastic bottles and sells for $199.95.

The Sparkling Naturals soda mixes do cost a bit more than the other varieties of drink mixes, but at just $9.99 it's still more affordable than other brands I've looked into.  Four flavors are available now and three flavors will be available this spring!  If you want to stock up- every 10th soda mix is free!!

WIN IT!

Yup, you can win with SodaStream and Eco-Friendly and Frugal as part of the Bubbles of Love Event!  The prize is a Fountain Jet Soda Maker and Two Soda Mixes (your choice!) which is valued up to $100 and is available to my readers in the Continental United States (no PO Boxes!)!  To enter, read on...

Mandatory Entry: Head on over to the SodaStream website and take a look at all of the Soda Mixes available from SodaStream.  When you're done come back here and tell me which TWO are your favorite. Also, you must be a public Google Friend Connect Follower of my blog to enter this giveaway. The widget to follow my blog is in the right sidebar.

Don't forget to leave an e-mail address so I know where to contact you if you win! You only need to post your e-mail on one entry.

Extra Entries: Please write a new comment for each additional entry. If something is worth 2 entries, be sure to leave two comments. For example: "I follow you #1" and "I follow you #2" should be two different comments. All entries are worth 1 entry unless otherwise noted.

-Like SodaStream on Facebook and comment here with your first name and last initial

-Follow SodaStream on Twitter and comment here with your Twitter name

-Subscribe to the SodaStream YouTube Channel and comment here with your username

-Make a SodaStream purchase of any size during the course of this giveaway from their online store.  Save your confirmation email or receipt as I will confirm the purchase if you win (worth 10 entries)

-Network with me. There are four ways to do this- Twitter, Facebook, RSS, and email subscription. Buttons and links are on the left sidebar. (worth 1 entry per method, up to 4 entries total)

-Tweet about this giveaway. You can use this Tweet or write your own: Head over to @EFandFrugal to win a @SodaStreamUSA SodaMaker during the Bubbles of Love Event! Ends 1/24 http://bit.ly/f5v1H0 #giveaway #eco (2 Tweets per DAY-at least 2 hours apart- 1 Entry per Tweet)

-Add my button to your blog's sidebar and comment with a link to your blog (worth 3 entries)

-Vote for me on Top Mommy Bloggers. Voting button is on the left sidebar or just click the link (can do once per day)

-Enter any other giveaways that are a part of the Blog Pop's Bubbles of Love Event on my blog or any of the other 9 blogs participating in this event!  See the Linky at the bottom of this post to see all the Giveaways that are a part of this event.  There are some great events going on right now so be sure to stop by each blog, give them a follow for support, and enter their giveaways!  And come back here every day to see more giveaways! (1 entry per giveaway entered)


This giveaway is open to my readers who are 18 year of age or older with a US mailing address and will end on January 24th, 2011 at 10PM Mountain Time. The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected. Good luck, everyone!


Fine print...
SodaStream provided me with a free product for the purpose of this review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. All opinions expressed are my own. I was not paid to write this review.