Keurig Kold, a countertop soda-making machine that Keurig hopes will expand its appeal beyond coffee. KeurigKeurig Kold, a countertop soda-making machine that Keurig hopes will expand its appeal beyond coffee. Keurig, best known for its pod-based, countertop coffee dispensers, is branching out. The new Keurig Kold provides a chilled counterpoint to the company’s previous models, serving up sodas from name-brand pod providers like Coca-Cola and Snapple.If that sounds a bit like SodaStream, that’s because it is, although there are a few key differences. The most important of which, for those who’ve grown weary of carbon dioxide refills, is that Kold uses “Karbonator beads” embedded in its pods to generate CO2. That means no canisters, and no confusion over just how many bubbles to add.That also means the Kold should be equally adept at non-carbonated beverages, including teas, sports drinks, and flavored water; in addition to its partners, Keurig will be offering its own brands in those categories. Regardless of fizz, as you’d expect from the name, the drinks also come out, well, cold, thanks to what Keurig describes as an “aerospace-inspired thermal transfer system.”While it’s hitting shelves today—or more specifically, hitting Keurig’s retail website; it will roll out to stores in select cities later this month—Kold made its debut at an analyst conference this past March, and has been in development the past five years. The long rollout signifies just how important Kold is to Keurig; the company’s currently trading at about a third of its 52-week high due to quickly fading sales of its K-Cup-based coffee products, a decline that led the company to announce a 5 percent workforce reduction in August. Kold represents its best chance at a pick-me-up. Then again, Kold’s most obvious competition, SodaStream, has been in an extended sales free fall, calling into question whether there’s currently a significant market for home carbonation machines in the first place.

The device faces other challenges, as well. A coffee pod’s prime appeal is ease of use; it’s obviously faster and less fussy than parsing out grinds for a traditional drip coffee maker. Making that same case for Kold could be tricky, since it’s competing against the simple act of popping the tab on a can, or twisting the top of a bottle. And whatever convenience it does offer doesn’t come cheap; Kold comes with an MSRP of $370, with pods costing between $4.50 and $5.00 for a pack of four. Each pod produces a single 8-ounce drink, making your countertop cola more expensive than the grocery store equivalent even before the sunk cost of the machine itself.

Push-button drink production has a demonstrable appeal; whether that translates from hot to cold depends on one’s counter space, pod appeal, and single-serve obsession.

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