Adding the fizz

I’m trying to get back into using my SodaStream, but there are supply chain issues…

This is one of the current SodaStream models, the Fizzi, with a CO2 bottle and two of the proprietary drink bottles in which water is carbonated.

I had wanted a SodaStream ever since I first heard about them. A few years back, I finally bought one online.

My timing was a little off — just a few months before my purchase, the Walmart here in Shelbyville had stopped carrying SodaStream equipment and flavorings. You could still exchange your CO2 canisters at the customer service desk, but that was it. There was nowhere in Shelbyville to buy the flavor syrups, spare drink bottles, or that kind of thing.

I got around this for a while by ordering the syrup from Walmart’s website and choosing the “ship-to-store” option, which meant free shipping as long as you didn’t mind stopping by Walmart to pick up the merchandise.

At some point, though, the ship-to-store option was no longer offered for the SodaStream syrups. I was also concerned that Walmart wasn’t going to keep exchanging the canisters forever, since the local Walmart had no other connection to the product. I put the machine away and stopped using it.

If you’re not familiar with SodaStream, it’s a home appliance that uses a tank of carbon dioxide (CO2) to carbonate water (and only water — trying to carbonate juice, wine, or anything that’s already flavored could clog up…