The home soda maker, often called a Sodastream after the most popular manufacturer in the segment, is an amazing addition to any kitchen. One downside though is that almost all of them use plastic bottles.
So which Sodastreams and soda makers use glass bottles? And which of those are the best buys?
Why Buy A Glass Carafe Soda Maker
As a long-time (over 10 years now) Sodastream owner, I’m a big fan of the product, but I’m tired of the plastic bottles. Not only do they only last 3 years (read the side, they have an expiration date), but they are not dishwasher safe and after just a few months they look beat up.
I also don’t love the idea of keeping water in plastic for extended periods of time. Maybe I’m being overly cautious here, but it seems like we have more than enough plastic in our lives and nothing good comes from keeping out food and beverages in it.
The talks throughout 2019 and 2020 of ocean plastic and micro-plastics really shored up my opinion to focus on glass for food and beverage storage. This hasn’t been an inconvenience for me at all, except in the case of my homemade sparkling water! For years I’ve had an original Sodastream Jet, but it has plastic bottles, so I need to keep my water in the fridge in glass carafes, decant those into my Sodastream plastic bottle and then get the water into my water bottle or glass. It’s a pain.
So, finally, I broke down, did the research, did the testing, and bought a glass bottle soda maker. Which is the best way to go?
Sodastream Aqua Fizz
The Sodastream Aqua Fizz the the current top-of-the-line model from the most popular manufacturer in homemade sparkling water. Selling for about $160 with two glass bottles and a CO2 tank that is good for 60 liters of water, there is no arguing that it’s expensive.
The extra money gets you a more refined design that is much quieter than a normal Sodastream because the carbonation happens inside of a metal housing. This means way less of that loud, and frankly annoying, squeal when your water is fully fizzed. Another perk is that you don’t need to screw the bottle in when making your water fizzy, you just push the top down and it seals on its own.
Downsides, aside from the price, area the the glass carafes are 0.6 liters, which is much smaller than the standard 1.0 liter plastic ones. The glass carafes also sell for about $20 each, where the standard plastic ones are $8 each.
Long story short, Sodastream has identified glass bottles as being a highly sought-after feature that is demanded by a small segment of people who are willing to pay about 2x the price for the maker and the bottles.
SodaStream Penguin Soda Maker
The Penguin is the predecessor to the Aqua Fizz, which seems to not only be its direct replacement, but its only descendant. Then Penguin uses the same glass carafes and a very similar design, but the top of the maker has a strange beak shape that clearly gives the product its name.
This soda maker is no longer made, but perhaps you can find one on Ebay or beg, borrow, or steal one from a friend or loved one.
And That’s It.
Unfortunately, if you want a soda water maker with a glass bottle there are very few options. No one even makers a glass bottle that is compatible with the standard Sodastream! It’s not clear if there are concerns with glass being under pressure or chipping or what, but there has to be some hesitation as no one sells aftermarket glass bottles for the Sodastream Fizzi or other top sellers. Also, both the Aqua Fizz and Penguin have their bottles filled while fully encased in metal housings, so clearly there is value in the bottle being enclosed when being filled.
Either way, if you want a glass bottle for your Sodastream or sparkling water making in general, then the Aqua Fizz is the only game in town.