Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My first response after my first drink was, "Wow!". Amazon will lose a bit of money over this; here's why: A few months ago, I discovered Lipton Sparkling Tea and was instantly hooked. Problem was it was two bucks per (12 oz) can where I bought it. I found it on Amazon for what comes out to a buck and a quarter a can (fifteen bucks for a twelve pack). But it's so delicious that I was buying a 12 pack a week (my son loves it too and keeps scarfing it!). So when the price suddenly jumped to twenty two bucks a 12 pack, I was like uh-uh. Not happening (it's back down to fifteen now, by the way) . So I wondered if there was a machine that I could use to carbonate my own drinks, and was surprised to find out there are quite a few. So I researched and was on the verge of going with something from SodaStream, but their products, like ALL others I'd found, can only carbonate water, then you have to add some kind of flavor syrup to get what you want, which it just more cost, more work measuring stuff and who knows if I'd actually like any of the flavors, right? So I was taking my time and happened to run across this, the DrinkMate carbonator, which claims to be the only one that can carbonate ANYTHING. After a bit more looking and finding none others that would carbonate more than water, I purchased this item (in red). It came today, and I decided my first experiment would be with something I used to drink before I started with the Lipton Sparkling Tea, and that is a 50/50 mix of Lipton Citrus Flavored Green Tea, and Lipton Mixed Berry Flavored Diet Green Tea. I like that combination because I get a good, rich enough flavor (citrus), but it's only 50 calories per 16.9 oz bottle because the Mixed Berry is zero calories (this compared to 70 calories per 12 oz can of the Sparkling Tea). The very first sip just flat out blew me away! I was kind of expecting the carbonation to somehow 'feel' different from commercially carbonated products, but it absolutely does not. It tastes exactly like it's 'supposed' to taste. I couldn't be happier, and couldn't recommend DrinkMate's Carbonated Soda Maker any higher. While it's a bit more expensive than most of the SodaStreams and others, it's well worth it, if for no other reason than that you can carbonate ANYTHING, as long as it doesn't have pulp in it. You can even 'revive' flat soft drinks, sparkle wine or just...use your imagination (I'm thinking of trying carbonated milk!--just kidding...I think). So, you might wonder, how is this going to cause Amazon to lose money? Well, I was paying fifteen bucks for twelve 12 oz cans of Sparkling Tea. Now that I can make my own, I pay only six bucks for twelve 16.9 oz bottles of green tea, mix it and carbonate it myself! That's a pretty significant savings and I get something I really like. Plus it's fewer calories in 16.9 oz than in 12 of the Sparkling Tea. Sorry, Amazon, but thanks! The unit itself is made mostly of plastic, which isn't an issue because, it's not like I plan to play football with it or anything! But it's sturdy and feels well made. It's simple to operate (will take some experimentation to determine how much carbonation you like in whatever you use it for) and does what it does in not too much time. Obviously, I can't yet comment on its durability yet, but if it fails any time within the generous 2-year warranty period, I'll be sure to update this review. If you're looking for a carbonator, this is definitely the one to get.