Published on December 12th, 2013 | by Guest Contributor
0Soma Water Carafe – A Great Gift This Holiday Season
There are many options for holiday shopping, but I want to tell you about the gift I want to give everyone on my list – the Soma Water Carafe. I gave myself this gift last December after reading about their campaign on Kickstarter. There was something about the look of the carafe, their promise of sustainability, and their forward-thinking mission that compelled me to donate.
Depending on your water filtration needs, this may be the best one on the market for you and your loved ones. Not only is it rooted in environmental sustainability from the design to the shipping, it is a gorgeous piece that you will want to show off to guests at parties and in every day entertaining. And of course you know that avoiding bottled water is a must not just for fresh water reserve sustainability, but also to limit unnecessary plastic that pollutes our environments. The Soma water carafe has designed a product to address all these areas and more.
I received my carafe this past July and have not looked back! Long gone are the day of plastic water filters and their containers, or sink filter attachments. Now, I only have my Soma carafe and it is amazing! Below are pictures of the Soma Carafe as mailed to me, unwrapped, and on my counter. It’s a stunning piece of glass that sits on my counter and provides some of the most crisp filtered water I’ve ever tasted.
When I received the carafe in the mail, I fell in love with their packaging (and took the pictures above to write a future article about awesome product packaging) immediately. The instructions on how to use the filter and the carafe were printed on two pieces that didn’t include anything too large and nothing extraneous. Everything fit within the cylinder and it all could be placed in my recycling bin when unpacked. It came wrapped in a large plastic bag which I was able to take to my local Whole Foods Market, which has plastic bag and cling wrap recycling. Simple and done!
As for the Carafe. Well, that’s love, too! The carafe sits at 10.7 inches tall and 6.5 inches wide. It fits in almost all full-size refrigerators and is dishwasher safe. The carafe holds approximately six 8-oz glasses of water and was designed to process 40 gallons of water, or for most customers, about two months of usage. The filter is made of biodegradable materials (Malaysian coconut shell carbon, four layers of fine silk, and a plant-based filter casing) so you can drop it off to be composted at a commercial composting facility in your neighborhood. Replacement filters are shipped (with free shipping!) every 60 days by mail. The filters come in a folded cardboard piece that can easily be recycled with your paper and cardboard.
I made it a habit to eat and drink off of ceramic and glassware a long time ago and I’ve stuck to it. (My reusable water container is made of glass). There’s a different experience that one has when they take measures to eat and drink with purpose. With each carafe, Soma achieves this experience, and it does so beautifully. I think it’s one of the prettiest kitchen items I own.
What makes Soma even more appealing to me is their social component. Halfway between donating to Soma and receiving the final product, I got an email explaining that Soma was going to be working with the non-profit Charity:Water to help provide clean drinking water to everyone in the world. That is something I can stand by, and I think everyone can stand by, especially during the holiday season, when we’re all shopping for gifts that have significance and meaning to our loved ones.
You can find out more information on the Soma website, but for those interested in price, here are the details:
The Carafe costs $49.00
Refill filters, mailed to you every two months with free shipping costs $12.99
You can pause or cancel your subscription at any time
Finally, what made my decision to share my love of Soma with you today, was the email I received from Mike and the Soma Team on “Black Friday,” November 29th, that said the following:
I’m writing to say that today you shouldn’t buy Soma; or anything else, in my opinion.I woke up this morning with an inbox overflowing with “exclusive offers” that “end at midnight.” I was tempted to send a you similar note, but it just didn’t feel right.I’m in Portland right now with my mom, girlfriend, and sister’s family. I’ve spent most of this week laying on an overstuffed couch, gorging on Thanksgiving food, and wrestling with my nephew on the living room floor.We designed Soma to be a symbol of the things that really matter: health, community, having fun, and giving back.Today, I’d like you to spend time with your family. Wear slippers until 2pm. Make open-faced turkey sandwiches. Go on a hike. Read a good book. Laugh, love, and enjoy life.But don’t buy a Soma.There’s always Monday for that.-Mike & the Soma team