This time around, I decided to test out some drink mix powders, which I found at places like Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Big Lots and stores like that. As I said last week, I didn't like the idea of mixing them with plain tap water, but SodaStream-carbonated water, that's another story.
I have to start with this Pro Tip for powders: Liquefy your powder before adding it to the carbonated water by stirring it into 40-50 mL of water. For example, if you are using a one-liter bottle, then you would need to mix two packets with that water. One YouTuber even resorts to using boiled water to liquefy his powders. What I've been doing is, I've been using an old prescription vial, because it's similar in size to a SodaStream syrup cap, and mixing the powder and water in that.
So here are the results I've gotten from my first four powders:
A&W Root Beer: Home run! I knew there was a reason why I didn't want to try the SodaStream root beer syrup, and this is it. Why settle for the store brand when you can have the national brand? This powder may be my best justification for having a SodaStream. Sweetener: Aspartame and acesulfame potassium.
Orange Crush: Great! Note to self: Juicy Mixes LLC rocks! (They make both this one and the A&W Root Beer powder, and both tasted like they really care about getting the flavor of the original soda just right.) Sweetener: Sucralose and acesulfame potassium.
Strawberry Sunkist: I've been trying to find a good sugar-free replacement for Faygo Redpop, and this could be the one (pending a future taste test of Strawberry Crush).* While I don't put it on the same plateau as A&W or Orange Crush, it is refreshing and delicious, although I do notice an aftertaste, which comes from the... Sweetener: Mainly aspartame, with 2% or less acesuflame potassium. WARNING: When adding Strawberry Sunkist, even in its liquefied form, the reaction between it and the carbonated water was particularly volatile, even more so than the root beer. My first attempt at making Strawberry Sunkist failed because I added too much, too quickly, meaning I got to realize that volatility the hard way. Thus, add this one more slowly than you would others.
Pineapple Sunkist: The flavor is kind of strong. Maybe it's because I've had a few pineapple-flavored energy drinks recently (e.g. Monster Ultra Golden Pineapple; Monster Reserve White Pineapple; 5 Hour Energy Pineapple Splash). Down the road, I'lll try mixing it with an orange mix (e.g. one packet of this with one packet of either Orange Sunkist or Orange Crush, to try to imitate Faygo's Pineapple Orange soda). Sweetener: Mainly sucralose, with 2% or less aspartame and acesulfame potassium.
*Once upon a time, Faygo Redpop was one of my favorite sodas. I even remember trying to make it into a Thanksgiving Day tradition at my parents' house (inpsired by this commercial featuring M*A*S*H actor Jamie Farr). I have to say "was" because, after switching from regular (high fructose corn syrup- or sugar-sweetened) sodas to artificially sweetened ones, I discovered that I don't like Faygo's diet sodas. Why? To this day, Faygo sweetens its diet sodas with aspartame and only aspartame, and aspartame, by itself, leaves an aftertaste that I don't like. While other soda manufacturers have vastly improved how they sweeten their zero-sugar sodas, Faygo's diet sodas are stuck in an early 1980s time warp. Ever since then, I've been searching for a good diet strawberry soda.
Next week: Frutal drink mix powder packets--amazing Amazon find, epic fail, or a mix of the two?
2+ weeks: 7-Up, Canada Dry, and Orange Sunkist. We'll see how they stack up against three flavors I've already tested (Starry, SodaStream Diet Ginger Ale, and Orange Crush). Also, I'll mix one packet of whichever loses between Orange Crush and Orange Sunkist with one packet of Pineapple Sunkist.
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