In a quest to find the ultimate home-based drink maker, I steered my explorations towards the new, fairly steeply priced Ninja Thirsti carbonated drink maker. It claims that it can make flavored drinks with an appealing feature that allows users to control the level of carbonation. It's time to put these claims to the test and evaluate whether it offers true value for its $180 price.

Unboxing, Setting Up, and Understanding the Functions

The $180 package came with eight assorted flavors alongside a 60-liter canister that can supposedly create around 100 drinks before requiring a replacement. Then there’s the gadget itself with the water container that you fill up. Setting up involves placing a glass under the dispenser, inserting the 60-liter canister in the designed place, and loading the water container with ice water. Installing the canister was relatively easy with a twist to the right until it was securely placed. Additionally, the machine sports buttons that allow you to choose your flavor and carbonation intensity, alongside portions from six to twenty-four ounces. You also have the option of combining flavors or going with a solid, single flavor option.

The Taste Test Begins: Eight Flavors to Dissect

Going head-first, I started with a six-ounce strawberry-kiwi drink with no carbonation and a hint of flavor. The machine follows a sequential flow where the flavor goes in first, followed by water if you opt out of carbonation. Upon tasting, I found it pleasantly fruity, a taste resembling your average Gatorade or Powerade. I assigned it a solid seven out of ten. For the next test, I decided to switch to watermelon-lime flavor, adding in minimal carbonation and maintaining the six-ounce size. This time, carbonation was injected first, followed by the flavor. This variant had a distinguishable watermelon flavor making it more robust with undertones of carbonation. On a scale of one to ten, I'd give this a seven as well. In the third test, I tried the peach mango energy drink flavor with moderate carbonation. Both peach and mango notes came through strongly, creating a wonderful blend. The carbonation was on par with a regular soft drink. The combination was impressive enough for me to rate it at 8.5. Next, I fully carbonated a max flavor orange-tangerine drink, resulting in an intensely bright, orange colored beverage with an overbearing amount of carbonation. This combination wasn't a personal favorite, so I ended up rating it a mere three out of ten. Following that, I experimented with combining flavors with low level carbonation. This attempt resulted in a mixture of mango and lemon, which surprisingly didn't yield the expected results. The flavors did not work with my palate, so I gave this combination a lowly one out of ten. Finally, the last test was an attempt to find redemption, combining watermelon-lime and lemonade flavors, both at max level. On tasting, it was evident that the watermelon and lime flavors were rounded off beautifully by the lemonade mix, leading me to rate this variant a 9.5 out of ten.

Looking at the Costs and Final Thoughts

In terms of cost effectiveness, the initial high price of the Ninja Thirsti becomes more reasonable if you use it frequently. Breaking it down, every canister makes around 100 twelve-ounce drinks and costs about $30, which works out to approximately thirty cents per drink. Similarly, each flavor drop, which can make 20 drinks, averages around thirty-five cents per drink. Adding these costs, a 12-ounce drink made at home with Ninja Thirsti will cost you about 65 cents - a definite saving when compared with store-bought carbonated drinks. Looking at all these aspects, the Ninja Thirsti is a great gadget if carbonated drinks are your thing. It offers control over flavors, carbonation, and portion sizes and could save cash and trips to the store. However, like with all products, individual taste preferences play a significant role. Would you give this gadget a try or stick with your regular soft drinks? If you loved this comprehensive review and want to see more kitchen gadget reviews, make sure you subscribe. Let your kitchen journey begin!

Pros:

• Wide variety of flavors

• Four different levels of carbonation

• Six to 24 ounce sizes

• Zero calorie options

• Easy to install canister

• Cool blinking lights that show when the flavors are installed

• Cheaper than buying drinks from the store

Cons:

• Expensive initial purchase price

• Cansiter needs to be replaced every 100 drinks

• Some flavors are too carbonated for some people

• Unsweetened flavors are not as enjoyable

• Price: 3/5

• Flavor Options: 5/5

• Flavor Quality: 8/10

• Carbonation Levels: 4/5

• Ease of Use: 4/5

• Value: 3.5/5