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DIY Soft Drinks

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Re: DIY Soft Drinks

#151

Post by AlBugdy »

lores wrote: post #149
eru wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems entirely reasonable to me to quote larger prices per item, even much larger prices, for smaller quantities. Or even outright refuse to sell in small quantities. I mean, my grocer doesn't sell individual beans either. So why should wholesalers be forced?

They don't? I'm in London, and my local grocer will happily sell me one bean if I want. I've bought 1 bird chilli several times.

Sure, if the chili peppers or the beans are not packaged, you could buy as little as you want. Sometimes you might get funny looks, sometimes they'll give you the bean for free as it's not worth the hassle to sell an individual bean.

But what about prepackaged beans, like 500 gram pack? You can't open the package and expect to pay for part of it. Sometimes the beans are packaged by the grocery store with their branding. That's the same as not letting you buy an individual bean.

Re: DIY Soft Drinks

#152

Post by genericuser256 »

wongarsu wrote: post #128
foresto wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I found it cheaper and much, much more convenient Cheaper? I don't see how. We're filling from the same CO2 cylinders, and my total hardware cost was less than that of a midrange SodaStream without the adapter you describe. More convenient? Maybe, depending on environment and use. But mine has advantages, too: More fizz, no counter space required, fewer fragile plastic parts, standard components that are easily ser…

One advantage of standard tabletop carbonators is that you can get versions with glass bottles. I quite like the 0.7l glass sodastream bottles. You could probably get them to work on a DIY setup with the right pressure regulator settings and the right adapter. But I'd like to avoid the flying glass shards if I get it wrong

Do you mind my asking which ones you use? The only ones I've been able to find (Canada) don't work with the standard soda stream

Re: DIY Soft Drinks

#153

Post by robotbikes »

xarope wrote: post #116
cogman10 wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IDK if it'd apply here, but there are technically laws on the books in the US against price and purchase discrimination for grocers. It was specifically one of the things Lina Khan was investigating on the way out of office and something I believe she's going to be using for the NYC grocery stores. A food seller isn't allowed to cut out a grocer because they are too small. However, I believe they get around this toda…

can't several small hometown grocers get together to be able to make that volume/quantity? Surely that would be better than just buying from costco?

A lot of small co-op groceries and even food co-ops that are more like ordering clubs used to use a company called UNFI to put in their orders but I think they focused more on organic and other high end items but they were willing to service smaller stores so yeah it's probable. There was also IGA (independent grocers association) but I think most of the stores associated with that brand/network locally have closed down so not sure if it's a thing anymore. Many of the independent convenience stores here stock almost all of their groceries at Aldi.

Re: DIY Soft Drinks

#155

Post by eru »

AlBugdy wrote: post #151
lores wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They don't? I'm in London, and my local grocer will happily sell me one bean if I want. I've bought 1 bird chilli several times.

Sure, if the chili peppers or the beans are not packaged, you could buy as little as you want. Sometimes you might get funny looks, sometimes they'll give you the bean for free as it's not worth the hassle to sell an individual bean. But what about prepackaged beans, like 500 gram pack? You can't open the package and expect to pay for part of it. Sometimes the beans are packaged by the grocery store with their brandi…

And it's great that lores found a grocer that caters to their needs. Even less of a reason to make a law to force everyone to do so.

Re: DIY Soft Drinks

#156

Post by mattmaroon »

user070223 wrote: post #103
mattmaroon wrote: post #22

One pro-tip as I now somehow have a commercial bottling license these days: get pre-hydrated gum Arabic. Much easier to work with. Almost everybody who messes this up will make the mistake at the hydrating the gum Arabic stage. Blend it with any dry ingredients like sugar before using. If you can’t source it, I’m not going to tell you that you SHOULD pretend to be a bottling company and ask a gum provider to send you…

Another fun use for gum arabic is making watercolor paints, you can do it with your kids sourcing the pigment from different soils. pour water and let the heavy big particle fall to the bottom and source the small ones from the top and mix some ingredients

Oh! I knew they sold it for art but not why.

Re: DIY Soft Drinks

#159

Post by jfengel »

mattmaroon wrote: post #22

One pro-tip as I now somehow have a commercial bottling license these days: get pre-hydrated gum Arabic. Much easier to work with. Almost everybody who messes this up will make the mistake at the hydrating the gum Arabic stage. Blend it with any dry ingredients like sugar before using. If you can’t source it, I’m not going to tell you that you SHOULD pretend to be a bottling company and ask a gum provider to send you…

I wonder how they pulled off Crystal Pepsi.

A neat trick, even if nobody cared.

Re: DIY Soft Drinks

#160

Post by qmr »

mattmaroon wrote: post #22

One pro-tip as I now somehow have a commercial bottling license these days: get pre-hydrated gum Arabic. Much easier to work with. Almost everybody who messes this up will make the mistake at the hydrating the gum Arabic stage. Blend it with any dry ingredients like sugar before using. If you can’t source it, I’m not going to tell you that you SHOULD pretend to be a bottling company and ask a gum provider to send you…

What's the use in ice cream?

My ice cream is just ... ice cream. Cream, milk, sugar.

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