Spärkel Beverage System | White Sparkling Water Maker | No CO2 Tank Needed | Carbonated Water Machine that Uses Fresh, Natural Ingredients | Soda Streaming Machine | 5 Unique Carbonation Levels

My boyfriend and I love our sparkel. It’s easy to use and does everything we need. I also like that I can infuse the water with fruits or veggies overnight before carbonating, since this machine allows flavorings and other additions in the bottle when adding the fizz. We have been using it multiple times a day since late October and haven’t had any issues.Longer review:When we both started to work from home in March 2020, my boyfriend and I noticed we were going through a lot of cans of sparkling water, and started to feel pretty bad about all of the cans we were recycling each week. I researched sparkling water machines, and was hoping to find a solution without CO2 cartridges. I’m so happy I found Sparkel.We started out with one machine and 2 bottles, and ended up upgrading to get 4 additional bottles. We keep all of the bottles filled with water chilling in the fridge (both pre and post carbonation). Sometimes we carbonate all 6 bottles and sometimes we carbonate on demand, it just depends on the day.Our tips:* Buy powders in bulk: I wasn’t a fan of throwing away the empty plastic sachets that were used to hold the powders each time I carbonated a bottle, so based on other reviews I switched to bulk bags of baking powder and citric acid. For ease of access I keep a mason jar filled with each by our machine. (See photo)* 2 tsp (10 ml) each: I measured one of each sachet that came with my initial order, and it came out to roughly 2.5 tsp of each one. However, Based on the waste water coming out after the carbonation, it looked like I might be able to reduce the amount and now use 2 tsp of each and haven’t noticed a difference. (Note: I live at 5,400 ft above sea level and use setting 4). I ended up buying a 10 ml coffee scoop from Amazon (shown in photo) which is super convenient. Now I just do a single scoop each of baking soda and citric acid. (Part of the reason I switched to 2 tsp instead of 2.5 was because I could only find a 2 tsp scoop and I only wanted to do one scoop of each powder)* funnel: I had a little metal funnel I got for refilling spice jars that fits the sparkel machine very nicely (also shown in my photo). After a few weeks I had noticed that it was hard to pour the powders exactly in the hole, and if there was any residual moisture from recent carbonation then I would get build up of crystallized powder around the opening (which is a little annoying to remove, but does dissolve with water and scrubbing). I prefer to use the funnel which greatly reduces buildup (especially since other household members are perhaps a little messy at adding powder !) I still get some buildup on the funnel but find that it’s so easy to clean by just running some hot water over it for a few seconds.* setting 4: My boyfriend and I both like pretty fizzy water, so we started out using setting 5. I don’t know how much is due to our elevation (5,400 ft above sea level) but we had to carefully release pressure from the top valve for quite awhile before opening a bottle, otherwise it would explode everywhere. We eventually realized that setting 4 was more convenient and still hits the spot. I can typically do just one quick tap of the release valve and then the bottle is ready to open. (Occasionally, depending on the mix-ins, I need to do a slightly longer release, but it’s still way better than setting 5).* If the “waste water” leftover from carbonation drips when you’re emptying the reservoir (or overflows because you forgot to check and empty it after making several bottles) my water usually has some excess baking soda or citric acid which will leave behind a white residue if you don’t wipe it up right away. Just something to be aware of when you decide where to plug-in your machine. It’s not hard to clean the residue if it does build up.Favorite mix-ins:* My go to is four slices of cucumber per bottle. If I’m feeling fancy, I might also add in ginger and or mint leaves that I crush/rub right before I put them in. It’s much better if they have a chance to sit for a few hours... if I put the slices in right before carbonation and drink it right away the taste is very faint. Overnight works well, but even a few hours is fine.* I also had great success with a jug of apple cider we got from a local farm this fall. I carbonated a few bottles over thanksgiving, and it felt like Martinellis :)On a final note, if you add fruits, veggies or herbs I think the carbonation process looks pretty cool. The backlighting makes it look almost like a lava lamp with food swirling around inside, lol.

After much research on water carbonating machines I chose the Sparkel because it does not use the co2 tanks and it seems like it is just more convenient than having to refill co2 tanks. I received my Sparkel today and carbonated my first bottle of water using the carbonator packets that came with the machine and I do have to say I am loving the machine. The water does have a slight citrus taste from the citric acid but it does not bother me. I mixed a cherry cola flavoring in the water after it was carbonated and it tasted wonderful. I will probably be using the machine daily. I now need to purchase more carbonator packets because only 10 packets came with the machine.

Update 5/9/2023:I've reached out to customer support as the machine is now consistently malfunctioning. This was a very costly purchase for a machine that did not last more than 2 years.Update: 4/27/2023:I'm now at a 1 star rating. This machine just does not reliably perform the way it should and I waste more product than I do making soda. I purchased brand new bottles because apparently you can't buy the caps separately from the bottles (obnoxious!) and it doesn't appear to have made a difference. I do a deep clean of the machine on a regular basis and check the O-rings. Every time I use this, it's a gamble for what trouble shooting error I get. Lately, the water leaks out of the bottle. Since this happens frequently but unpredictably, I always put the machine on an absorbent foam bath mat so it doesn't make a mess on my counter.Even when I'm doing all the right things according to the manual, it doesn't function properly. Over time, this is such a waste of money because I use up carbon packets and the flavors I use for my water (specifically coconut water). My advice: do not buy.Update 11/3/22:I went from 5 stars to 2. If you are a low maintenance person who doesn’t read instructions thoroughly and just likes to “set it and forget it”, don’t get this machine. Seriously. It requires frequent cleaning, regular inspections of the mechanisms and strict adherence to the steps every time.I typically have some type of trouble-shooting issue every half dozen uses or so which is much too often for a device like this. Their trouble-shooting manual is comprehensive but it also gives you an idea of the frequent mishaps you’ll encounter. You might be able to avoid these if you religiously follow their cleaning and inspection instructions to catch things like faulty o-rings or debris that might be interfering with the latch etc.I still use mine regularly but I do get incredibly frustrated if I forget to check something like the stupid bottle to make sure it’s in good working order before I use my machine. Call me crazy, but I expect a basically new machine and it’s accessories to work reliably at least 80% of the time.If I overlook something like debris in the bottle cap that prevents it from sealing properly, it’s too late. The whole thing will leak on the counter top, wasting juice, wine, water or whatever else I was trying to carbonate. Whenever I use this thing I have to literally stand there and watch it, in case it malfunctions.As a final comment: I also don’t like their carobonator subscription. I was trying to change my frequency online from every 2 months to every 3 but they force you to email them to request it. Instead I decided to skip the shipment altogether but it didn’t take, so I was charged anyway. I decided to cancel the whole thing altogether.Overall, there is potential here. It’s just not consumer ready in my opinion.Update 8/23/21:Sparkel's customer support was tricky to get a hold off. I sent the support email address a message and then used their website form to submit a ticket. It wasn't until I sent a Facebook message to their page that I got a reply back.They sent a replacement O-ring seal and some free carbonator packets for my trouble. My machine is working as it should now but I docked a star from my rating specifically because a product this new shouldn't already have deteriorating parts and customer service shouldn't require multiple follow-ups._____Update 8/10/21:Welp, there's trouble in paradise. I wasted at least 3 of their packets trying to trouble shoot this thing when it started making weird hissing noises and filling my bottles up with NON carbonated water from the tank in the back of the machine. After a close inspection, I discovered a ripped O-ring in the nozzle that presses into the top of the bottle - I'm assuming this is the problem or part of it.I reached out to customer support using their email and their form on the website but I get no confirmation that my request has been received. It's been 2 business days and I'm still waiting for a reply.I use my Sparkel machine at least 2-3 times a week so this is a disappointing development and I'm annoyed I wasted packets of the carbonator and a half bottle of perfectly good rosé. I'm hoping for a positive resolution._____Original Review June 9, 2021:I should preface this by saying that I've only had this for a day but I LOVE it! I'm a big water drinker in general and also love flavored water like Ah Ha, Bubbly and La Croix. I have probably spent more than the cost of this machine in the amount of bubbly water I used to buy. It never occurred to me to invest in something like this and I bought this on a whim.I LOVE this. It's very easy to use and so far, no issues at all. I have a little trouble opening the bottles when the lids get really tight but I have rubber jar openers to help. I bought extra bottles so I can have some flavors ready to choose from. I made mango water (the best flavor so far), lychee (too subtle) and strawberry (very refreshing). Level 3 is the standard level of bubbles that I'm used to from canned drinks but I'm excited to try all the settings.I'm so pleased with this, it looks great on my countertop and I love the nice little chime sounds. I'm a little worried about some reviews that have commented about this dying after a short time so I hope that doesn't happen. My only other complaint is I wish the packets of carbonator are packaged in a more earthly friendly way. Like maybe you can buy the bigger boxes and mix using a measuring spoon, that way there's less plastic wrapping. I would also like to see an accessory to filter out the fruit so I can pour without splashing the rind or fruit pieces (I used a pasta ladle if I don't want fruit in my drinking glass).Love it so far, hope it will stand the test of time!

I am enjoying this product more than I thought I would. Having the ability to create my own recipes for yummy beverages is so much fun. Well worth the $.