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Step 3Carbonate
I used my CO2 generator to pressurize a 20oz bottle containing the mixture to about 40psi, then shook it up to dissolve the CO2. Seems to be a lot harder to get a decent fizz with this compared with plain water. The sugar's probably the culprit there.
Note: Let the bottle sit for a while before opening. Open very slowly and retighten if it starts to foam.
Cap and refrigerate.
As I said, this is a first attempt. I think next time I'll try more lemon and less sugar. I'll post updates if and when I come up with better formulations. I'm trying to stick to ingredients typically found in grocery stores, which limits the possibilities a bit.
Note: Let the bottle sit for a while before opening. Open very slowly and retighten if it starts to foam.
Cap and refrigerate.
As I said, this is a first attempt. I think next time I'll try more lemon and less sugar. I'll post updates if and when I come up with better formulations. I'm trying to stick to ingredients typically found in grocery stores, which limits the possibilities a bit.
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I also notice you're using a yeast based CO2 source. Remember to boil your sugar water (yeast food) and cool before pitching yeast. Yeast eat monosaccharide, white sugar is a disaccharide. Boiling the sugar breaks it down into something the yeast can use and will produce much more CO2 with less sugar, making it cheaper and faster.
Also, consider that while the yeast requires warm temperatures (about 80°) Suspending CO2 in water works best at temperatures just below freezing (30°) and requires constant agitation to inhibit freezing and ensure the maximum absorption of CO2.
Try using an old steel pressure cooker with a steam-off valve for the fermentation. You can boil your sugar solution directly in it, cool it, pitch the yeast and shut the lid. When the pressure reading is between 55-65 psi, connect the hose to your chilled bottle of soon-to-be soda and simply release the valve to inject gas. Agitate the bottle as gas fills it and you're done in about 30 seconds. Depending on the size of the pressure cooker used, you could do several bottles all at once since you have a shut-off valve. You can even speed it up by placing the pot on a heating pad set to a more ideal temperature.
For Citric Acid, try this link: http://www.nutsonline.com/seedsspices/citric-acid.html
$15 for a 5lb bag is a good deal. Most brew shops sell 4oz jars for $4-5 each, far too expensive for soda making.
As for adding caffeine, caffeine pills are bad. They will leave an bad taste in the bottle, like sucking on an aspirin. I find light green tea (1 packet per 0.5L) will impart enough caffeine, and the potency of the vanilla and acid almost completely removes any tea flavor. Coffee works too (and is quite good in cola), but green tea will have more caffeine per volume and a lesser impact on the taste.
Recipe: Lemon/Lime (7up, Sprite etc.)
1.75 L spring water
4 Cups white sugar
3 Tbsp Citric Acid
Mix, carbonate and drink.
The difference between most brands is simply the sugar to acid ratio. Sprite has more sugar, 7up has more acid, and for the exact 7up flavor, 2Tbsp of Lime syrup (Roses brand works well). Play with the ratios a bit to find what you like.
Check the USDA Nutrient Database if you aren't sure.
Also, green tea contains less caffeine than black tea.
Don't know where you got the info that green tea has more caffeine than coffee.