Keurig Kold: genius or madness? [General]

2015 Sep 30
Or (whirr, fizz, pop, k-ching, gulp) both?

www.cnet.com


2015 Sep 30
This cries out for the 'thumbs down' option. . . . .

2015 Oct 1
I concur - 2 thumbs down! Let's make it happen, for old times sake.

2015 Oct 1
Sounds like a neat idea if you drink a lot of soda and like those brands- but seems kind of expensive.

Some of those cartridge systems seem neat- there is one at walmart to make loafs of bread where you use a pod and just add water- and each bread mix is around $6

The idea of "fresh soda" seems fun, but then I know you can just get one of those ISI carbonators to do your own drinks or I just mix club soda with stuff at home and I think that is fine. I do not drink tons of carbonated stuff or else I have had a stomach ache,so has to stop drinking carbonated water for a while- now I just have a bit of it.

Even for coffee,I do not like these systems- they just seem expensive and too much packaging.
One of my coffee makers with paper pods is the Senseo-I got it in the US but the coffee for it is decent and cheap and there are other brands or round coffee bags you can get locally.

I also have a stovetop espresso maker and a Bodum and those are good too.

Apparently you get 4 pods in a box and each Kold soda pod makes 8oz of soda.
They say it is $5 US for a 4pk, so $5 us for 32 oz soda?

You can buy the 500-700ml Coke,Pepsi bottles every week at the drugstore here for around $2.50 or $3 for a 6pk.

If the article online is American and then in US prices that is just ridiculous!

2015 Oct 2
I have a SodaStream machine..bought it on a whim as it was on clearance for $70. I figured it would be better than lugging home cans and bottles of pop from the store. I've used it consistently to make around 2L of soda every week for about 3-4 months now and my c02 cylinder still hasn't run out.
The one advantage I see the Keurig machine having over SodaStream is that they are affiliated with the brand name sodas. The sodastream syrups are ok, but they do NOT taste like pepsi, coke etc. After having tasted various flavours of the syrups now I'm not sure I still would have purchased the machine.

That being said, I really don't like seeing another pod based system hit the market as I don't think that the pods are recyclable. At least with the sodastream you are not creating extra waste..you reuse the carbonation bottles and the syrup bottles can be recycled when empty.

2015 Oct 3
Do you have to use sodastream syrups with the machine?

I know that the French have flavour syrups that they use with sparkling water or still water for hundreds of years now.

I like Ribena syrup- that is sold at most grocery stores and is black currant/cassis.
Torani makes tons of syrups.

Nicastros sells quite a few fruit syrups,but most have sugar in them.

For sugar free stuff I like the True Lemon/lime/orange powders in club soda or else the true lemon drink mixes made with stevia.
If you are careful you can mix the peach, cherry or lemonade powder in carbonated water.
Not sure where you can get the True Lemon drink mixes here, but whole foods and Independent have true lemon and lime powder.

You can order the drink mixes from Vitacost quite cheaply.

2015 Oct 5
^^^ That's funny, I was JUST looking at a package of True Lemon Raspberry mix at Rainbow last night. I wasn't sure if it was any good, so I put it back. Maybe I'll pick it up next time I'm there.

2015 Oct 6
Hi,
I have every single product they make from the True Lemon line!

The iced tea is the one I like least- nothing wrong with it,just not one I use much.

The raspberry mix is good,but I find it a bit strong in just 500ml water,so now I use about half a packet or put that in a 1l bottle in the fridge.
1l is a bit watered down,but I find it more refreshing.

I also like to use their mixes and even the true lime or orange in soda water/perrier-but be careful as it will bubble a lot if you are not careful.

-and another good thing about the True Lemon/lime products is you can put the lemon and lime packets in your wallet and keep them on you.
Many times this year,I went to visit family for dinner and they had grilled fish and corn-they had no lemon or lime and only margarine.
-even powdered lemon (their products also have lemon oil in them...so very lemony) is an improvement over plain fish.
The lemon raspberry would also make good popsicles or slush drinks...and all natural.
The lemonade one I find is quite tart.

The cherry lime one is so good.

But I find the local prices are just "crazy" for this brand.
I used to order from their US site and would pick up my items when visiting family in the US.

But now Vitacost carries most of the line and is 1/2 of the price here,so usually I like to buy stuff locally,but most natural packaged items made in the US cost so much here that I get those online.

I sug,but the products here first and then if you like them then order online as it is much cheaper if you use a ton of their products.

2015 Oct 10
in UK they have Rybina with with splenda or stevia and they are as good as the regular ones but have not been able to find it here only the full sugared version.

2015 Oct 12
I do not really like the thought of a Splenda Ribena- I do not tolerate sugar-free stuff that well.
But I guess if I could not have extra sugar that would be different.

Also, just as good is Creme de Cassis de Dijon, or Cherry Rocher Cassis liquor.
Cherry Rocher has nothing to do with the chocolates at all- it is a French company that makes various fruits in liquor like plum,pineapple,cherry, raspberry and some liquors.

Cherry Rocher products are very hard to find in Ottawa-Swiss Pastries no longer carries them and their distributor is still redoing their website (I used to order from them directly).

Creme de Cassis is 20% alcohol and around $15 for 200ml, Cherry Rocher liquor is 15% alcohol and 750ml for around $27.

Which one is a better deal? They taste very similar.