SodaStream - Diet Pepsi Beverage Mix Diet Flavor for SodaStream Turns 9.5 Gallons of Sparkling Water into Diet Pepsi Light, Crisp and Refreshing with Zero Calories 14.9 Fl Oz, Pack of 4

Good

The first thing I noticed after mixing this according to the instructions was to grab the bottle and take a second look. I was certain I had ordered regular Pepsi -- Not Diet Pepsi. And, I was right, it didn't say "Diet Pepsi", yet why did it have that weird aftertaste like diet sweeteners that almost makes your eyeballs hurt? Sure enough, after I looked at the ingredients, I found the culprit: SUCRALOSE -- why, why, why? I've been to restaurants and ordered a fountain Pepsi that had the same flavor a few times. Not all the time, but every once in a while, I get one where I have to send it back. You can usually tell by the amount of foamy/fizzy -- Diet Pepsi foams *much* less than regular, which causes it to look darker in the cup. My guess is that some cheaper formula syrup is marketed by Pepsi for those places because it's just cheaper to produce with replacing some of the sugar with Sucralose -- and I'm also guessing that just enough people don't notice it or care about the artificial taste that they can get away with it. Depending on the specific drink or food, I might not notice it as much, but I can definitely taste it in Pepsi -- because I know what to expect and getting that bitter-sweet smack in the face that I get from the Sucralose makes it that much worse because I taste it with *every* sip, and cringe. I tried adding sugar and some light corn-syrup to mask the annoying Sucralose taste, but it's still there -- so that didn't mask it. I had read that adding salt to coffee will reduce the bitterness -- and that does work for coffee. But the Sucralose isn't so much a bitter taste as an acrid or "false" taste sensation that I can detect. Because I had bought the 4-pack and didn't want to waste it, I tried adding all of these: Torani Cinnamon Syrup Lemon Juice Cherry flavoring Salt Torani Salted Caramel Syrup - (the worst, btw). Nothing worked to offset the taste. There aren't any other Pepsi-brand options that are made for the smaller home soda-machines, unless you want to by a 3-gallon box of syrup for about $150 that is made for restaurants and way overpriced I'm almost tempted to buy it, but then what if it's the same nasty sucralose formula as this product? I'd be out $150 and have 3 gallons of syrup to dump. The bottle says "Special Soda Stream only formula" -- which means "We cut corners on this to save a few bucks and cut down on the shipping weight." This is a terrible excuse for the regular Pepsi formula. If you like Diet Pepsi, then this might work, but then you'd still have the sugar. If you don't have sensitive taste-buds, then maybe this would be okay for you. But if you don't like the nasty aftertaste of Sucralose (Splenda-brand-name), then stay away from this. There are others that might not be exactly Pepsi, but Pepsi-with-Splenda is worse than any other cola that doesn't use artificial sweeteners. So, lesson learned. I'll be checking the ingredients when I buy pre-made syrups. Don't get me wrong, I really like Pepsi with sugar and even with the high-fructose-corn-syrup. I don't like Diet Pepsi -- even though I have friends who say, "You get used to it." -- buy why? Why would I want to do that when the real stuff exists for the same price? Overall, only one-star because zero-stars are not possible.

I was previously buying these at a big box retailer and spending more money. This 4-pack is a great value and was delivered to my front door in just 1-2 days. Very happy with my purchase!

Much cheaper than buying pre made, and there is usually deals for buying these multi packs vs in the store. Even though this isn't diet or zero, it still has sucralose (Splenda) added and if you can taste it, it's there. Not as good as the full sugar version, but less calories and it's still good.

I don't have the brand named Soda Stream machine - just a knock-off, if you will - but I use it regularly and have the CO2 canisters refilled when needed. Having this syrup allows me to make the drink I want whether it is less "syrup-y" or more so. I'll tell you, I really wish they would add a little "fill" line inside the caps of these - one line for a 16 oz cup, another for a 20 oz cup and maybe another for a 30 oz cup. Sure would make it less of a guessing game, y'know? Other than that, I will buy this product again, along with my other favorite, the diet Dr. Pete syrup.