A soda maker turns still water into sparkling water at the kitchen counter, with a small CO2 cylinder instead of a crate of bottles. In Thailand the appeal is obvious: the weather calls for cold fizzy drinks all year, and every bottle of sparkling water you do not buy is one less plastic bottle to carry home and throw away.
The machine itself is the easy part of the decision. What makes or breaks the experience is everything around it: where you refill the cylinder, what each refill costs, what water you put in, and how little work the machine needs to keep going. This guide walks through those points so you can judge any soda maker sold in Thailand, including ours.
In short, a good soda maker for a Thai home has a cylinder you can refill or exchange locally at a known price, carbonation you control by hand, a reusable bottle in a material you trust, and a compact footprint. On our online shop the Soda Maker Kit costs ฿3,990 and a 380 g food-grade CO2 refill costs ฿390.
What should you look for in a soda maker?
Most soda makers work the same way: a bottle of cold water screws onto the machine, you press to release CO2 from the cylinder, and the gas dissolves into the water. The differences that matter are in the details below.
The CO2 cylinder and how you refill it
This is the first thing to check, before the colour or the design. A cylinder lasts for a few weeks of daily use, so you will refill it many times over the life of the machine. Ask three questions: how many litres does one cylinder make, how much does a refill cost, and where do you get it. A machine that is cheap on the shelf but relies on a cylinder nobody refills in your town will end up in a cupboard.
The cylinders sold on our shop hold 380 g of food-grade CO2 and make up to 50 litres of sparkling water. The refill is an exchange, so you never handle the gas yourself: bring the empty cylinder to one of our four shops, on Koh Samui, in Phuket, Hua Hin and on Koh Phangan, where it is swapped on the spot for a full one, or order online and return the empty by post. If you want to avoid waiting between refills, an additional CO2 cylinder (฿890) lets you keep one full while the other is away.
Carbonation control
Manual carbonation, where you press a lever or a button a few times, gives you control over how fizzy the water is. Lighter for everyday drinking, stronger for a drink with lime and ice. Machines with a fixed single setting are simpler but less flexible. Manual machines also need no electricity, which matters if you want the soda maker on a terrace or by a pool rather than next to a socket. Restaurants and bars have different needs, which we cover in how restaurants and bars make soda water on site.
Bottles and materials
The bottle is in contact with your water every day, so the material is worth a thought. Standard kits come with a plastic carbonating bottle. If you would rather keep plastic out of your drinks altogether, look for a version with a glass bottle and a stainless steel body: on our shop the Inox and Glass variant of the Soda Maker Kit (0% plastic) costs ฿6,490 instead of ฿3,990. Check too that spare bottles are available, because a household of four will want more than one.
Footprint and placement
Thai kitchens are often compact. A countertop soda maker takes about the space of a kettle, and a manual model can sit anywhere, since it has no cable. If you already have a water dispenser at home, keep the two close together: the shorter the walk between cold still water and the soda maker, the more you will use it.
How much does the CO2 cost per litre?
The running cost of a soda maker is almost entirely the CO2. The calculation is simple once you know the price of a refill and the volume one cylinder makes. With the figures published on our online shop:
| Item | Price on our online shop | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Soda Maker Kit | ฿3,990 (Inox and Glass: ฿6,490) | Machine, bottle and a cylinder to get started |
| CO2 cylinder refill (exchange) | ฿390 | 380 g of food-grade CO2, up to 50 litres |
| Additional CO2 cylinder | ฿890 | A second cylinder, new and full |
Cost of CO2 per litre: ฿390 ÷ 50 litres = ฿7.80 per litre. If you like your water strongly carbonated and get 40 litres from a cylinder rather than 50, the figure becomes ฿390 ÷ 40 = ฿9.75 per litre. Either way, the gas costs less than ฿10 for a litre of sparkling water, before the water itself. For a household drinking one litre of sparkling water a day, that is roughly seven to nine refills a year.
Which water should you put in a soda maker?
CO2 dissolves far better in cold water than in warm water, so chill the bottle first. The water should be still and clean, because the machine adds bubbles and nothing else: whatever is in the water before carbonation is still there afterwards. Tap water in Thailand is treated at the plant but can pick up contamination on the way to the tap, which is why most households filter it or buy bottles. Our article on whether you can drink tap water in Thailand explains the reasons.
The simplest pairing is a soda maker next to a water system that produces cold mineral water on site. A Minairal Air system makes drinking water from the humidity in the air, filters it and remineralises it with calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium, and serves it cold. Pour that into the soda maker and you have sparkling mineral water without a single bottle, which is exactly what the Soda Maker Kit was designed for.
How do you look after a soda maker?
Very little is needed. Rinse the carbonating bottle after use and let it dry open. Keep the cylinder upright, out of direct sun and away from heat, and never try to open or refill it yourself. Replace the bottle if it is scratched or past the date printed on it, since it is a pressure vessel. The machine itself has no filter and no motor, so there is nothing to service on a schedule. Follow the care instructions supplied with your kit for anything specific to your model.
Where can you buy a soda maker and CO2 refills in Thailand?
Both are on our online shop, which delivers across all of Thailand. Start with the Soda Maker Kit (฿3,990, or ฿6,490 for the Inox and Glass version), then order a CO2 cylinder refill (฿390) whenever a cylinder runs empty. Minairal cylinders are compatible with other major soda maker brands such as SodaStream, so you can keep the machine you already own and switch to our refills. If you prefer to swap in person, our shops on Koh Samui, in Phuket and Hua Hin and on Koh Phangan exchange an empty cylinder for a full one on the spot; contact us for opening hours.
If you are also thinking about the water that goes into the machine, our team installs and services Air and Pure systems on Koh Samui, in Phuket and Hua Hin, and in Bangkok, and the home models are listed on the same shop.
Frequently asked questions
How many litres of sparkling water does one CO2 cylinder make?
A 380 g cylinder from our shop makes up to 50 litres of sparkling water. The exact number depends on how strongly you carbonate each bottle.
Does a soda maker need electricity?
A manual soda maker does not. You press to carbonate, and the pressure comes from the cylinder. This is why it can sit on a terrace or by a pool.
Can I use tap water in a soda maker?
You can use any clean still water. The machine only adds bubbles, so the quality of the water in the glass is the quality of the water you poured in. Filtered or remineralised water gives the better result.
How much does CO2 cost per litre of sparkling water?
With a ฿390 refill making up to 50 litres, the gas costs about ฿7.80 per litre. If you carbonate strongly and get 40 litres, it is about ฿9.75 per litre.
Do Minairal CO2 cylinders fit other soda maker brands?
Yes. They are compatible with other major soda maker brands such as SodaStream. Swap the empty at one of our four shops or order a refill online, delivered across Thailand. On Koh Phangan, CO2 cylinder exchange is available in Thong Sala.
