Smeg Soda Maker Review

Design and Features

• Stylish design
• Solid build quality
• Pleasantly easy to use

The design of this soda maker is classic Smeg with a minimalistic and rounded profile that oozes class. It’s available in a range of colours, including black, white and what Smeg calls Emerald Green, plus the Storm Blue I have that looks fantastic.

With that minimalistic design and a pleasantly slender profile, it can easily become the unassuming centrepiece of a home bar setup you might have. I placed mine on my new sideboard, and it just felt right sitting there. Of course, running from a CO2 canister inside means it’s technically cordless (and doesn’t need a wire), and you can therefore place it where you want to.

The main chassis is a pleasantly textured matte plastic, while there are metal accents around the Smeg logo with the control button, and the brushed metal base and drip tray cover.

It comes with an 800ml Tritan Renew BPA-free plastic bottle that is said to be made with up to 50% recycled plastic. The bottle is also dishwasher-safe, earning Smeg some more brownie points as this isn’t always the case. 

It says to replace the bottle every 24 months, which could be quite costly. On some retailers, it’s around £25 for a new one, so you’re essentially paying just over £1 a month to use the bottle. Nonetheless, it’s still cheaper and more sustainable than purchasing the standalone drinks.

The CO2 canister that Smeg has used with the soda maker is a standard-issue one that’s found elsewhere. My sample came with it pre-installed, but you may need to install yours when it arrives.

On-board controls are as minimalistic as the machine, with only the Smeg control dial/button making this soda maker fizz. To use it, simply turn the dial for as long as you want to achieve desired levels of carbonation – a couple of seconds will give you a light fizz, while going for longer creates something more violent.

The bottle screws into the machine itself with ease – just make sure it’s done tightly before you fizz your water. It also has a tidy metal cap for when you’re done, so you can stow your carbonated water elsewhere, be it to take out with you or to put in the fridge if you want to fizz more later.

Smeg advises that you should only use water with this soda maker, and unlike SodaStream, it doesn’t sell any syrups to accompany it. A cursory look at other rivals, such as the Breville InFizz Fusion, reveals options that can carbonate liquids beyond water, including fruit juice and even wine.

Performance

• Wonderfully simple to use
• Equally adept for non alcoholic and alcoholic drinks

During my time with the Smeg Soda Maker, I mixed a few different drinks, both alcoholic and non alcoholic, to see how well it performed for day-to-day use. In my testing, I found it to be easy to use and provide generally excellent results for the task at hand.

I first tried a simple fizz up to pair with some Vimto cordial, which produced fizzy results comparable to purchasing the beverage in a carbonated form, which I haven’t done for years. It was surprisingly refreshing, and potentially a money-saver in the long run if you wanted to pair the carbonated water with any flavoured syrups, as is done with SodaStreams.

I then moved more into the realm where Smeg felt the Soda Maker appropriate. In looking at the recipe suggestions, it seems as if this machine is targeted at folks who want a centrepiece for their stylish home bar to use as an additive for cocktail recipes. I’m by no means a mixologist, but I gave it a good go.

For another test, I tried a recipe involving Reverend Hubert’s Summer Cup, a gin-based liqueur that was paired with some prosecco and soda water. The water was fizzed for a few seconds to get some heavier carbonation, and it worked especially well.

I also tried a Hugo cocktail using some Aviation gin, some homemade elderflower cordial provided by my partner, more prosecco and a dose of soda water. This tasted good, although a little strong owing to the elderflower cordial; perhaps a little more soda water would have balanced this out. This isn’t the fault of the Smeg Soda Maker, though.

For a final test, I tried a simple gin rickey, again using some Aviation gin, a tipple of potent lime juice, and with the rest of the glass topped up with soda water from the Smeg Soda Maker. This was an especially refreshing option that I’ll be making more often, working well for a summer’s afternoon.

Should you buy it?