Coca Cola readying self-chilling soft drinks?
By Darren Murph 
posted September 17th 2007 3:33PM
posted September 17th 2007 3:33PM
And you thought non-stick chewing gum was the heat. Turns out, Coca Cola may be plotting a new version of Sprite that actually chills itself upon opening. Apparently, the drink has to be kept at a specified temperature before being snapped up, and once the oh-so-thirsty consumer pops the top, "a mechanism inside creates ice made from the drink, so it is not diluted." Reportedly, the beverage would sensibly be called Sprite Super Chilled, and if it does indeed hit the UK (and prove successful) by "early next year," the technology could then be passed along to Coke, Diet Coke or even "super cold alcoholic drinks, particularly beers."[Via Tech Digest]
Just what we need. More materials added to beverage containers to help stuff our landfills even faster.
Why can't I ever live in the test-market? They always send the new stuff somewhere else first.
@eric: becase you live in the US, where everything is a reason to sue.
you guys are seriously worried about the changes to the chemical make-up that this will bring to COKE?? Really? There are already ample reasons not to drink the stuff.
Besides, Coca-Cola Corp. probably has the world's most highly trained chemical engineers (well, this side of Dupont) in employ working to keep the chemical effects to humans and the environment low.
Instantly cold beer is a pretty exciting idea, though.
sounds like a thermus to me.
what would mentos do?
make the drink spray up into the air - some people can get 5-10 feet sprays.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbv-7hnngWI
thats the masterpiece right there
Ice-Nine??
Exactly what I was thinking. Cue the cyclones, etc...
Was wondering how long before we'd get an Ice-9 comment....
I may be completely wrong about this, but in the case of beer, if it does in fact lower the temperature to the point of forming ice, wouldn't the water be the only part that freezes, with what's left having a much higher alcohol concentration (and then, once that's drunk and the ice melted, an unappealing, non-alcoholic watery beer)?
What ever happened to those self-heating cans of coffee???? i bought one, never to see them again :(
theyve just came out where im from (NE Scotland). it works, but it tastes like crap, and yo uget about 30ml inside. and they are expensive
Instant cool beer, me likes.
Not the first time by a long shot. I remember hearing about trying to do self-chilling sodas (either Coke or Pepsi) some 10 years ago by putting a compressed-air (or some kind of gas) module in the middle which then gets released by opening the can. I'm sure we all know that when gases are expended they cool, which would chill the container and then the soda that surrounds it.
If I recall, they gave up because it either wouldn't eject the compressed gases upon opening or it just couldn't cool the soda enough. Is this another attempt using the same kind of idea with newer technology? The Mirror article (when I finally clicked through all of the blogspam to get there) has no details.
Nothing new here - Miller already has a leg up on Coke -
Engadget Should referance there own work more often.
Next time check you records before posting the same story or at least referance it.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/04/20/miller-to-introduce-self-cooling-beer-cans-next-year/
That works by a different process though, actually taking chemicals. The way this seems that it will work will be that when you open the bottle, your drink is inside (like a regular bottle) and chilled. When you're done, you're left with no more waste than what you would have if you had consumed a regular bottle of soda.
One more thing you probably won't be allowed to pass through tunnels, bridges, or the border with
@Telp
Probably because they already have issues with idiots opening bottles directly by their eyes...more pressure = more lawsuits. Ever looked at a bottle by the Dr. Pepper/7-Up company? I doubt that disclaimer was anything less than court ordered.
Oh just brill timing Coke. Giving us cold Sprite just in time for winter.
Fabulous. Cant wait to be freezing both inside and out.
At least you'll have the extra mass of cancer to keep you warm.
Super-cold beer sucks. A good brew needs to be about 42 - 45 F to be palatable.
Oh wait, we're talking US beers- 'k then, do what you gotta do.
Dude, The guy who has the patent and the agreement with Coca-cola to develop this self chilled soda is my old High School Chem teacher. He said that his method hasn't been used yet because it causes cancer in like 1 in 3 million people or something like that.
This never ends well...
http://www.aaronneathery.com/comixpg/narbstrips/NarbStrips.htm
I bet Al Gore would like it...
DRINK SPRITE IT WILL HELP FIGHT AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING!!!
If what the others are saying about carbon release as the cooling mechanism is true, then that means more greenhouse gases, and that means al gore = :(
i wonder if they came up with this idea after watching that video of people instantly freezing beer by tapping it on the table after chilling it for several hours
Better "news" than the iphone
That's how they make Bud
It has nothing to do with oxygen hitting the liquid. It's the lowering of the pressure that causes it.
And my school district just signed a million dollar contract with Pepsi to replace all the Coke machines.
Darn
AS IF TO BE, PLEASURE FOR ME, THAT WHICH IS A TREE.
Sweet!
Finally, self-chilling drinks. I thought they would make it like those self-heating coffee drinks they (used to(?)) sell, you know with the button on the bottom you push, though.
"Ice cold beer"? Philistines.
A good Belgian ale is best around 45-55 F, depending on what type is.
Sounds like a new lime product from an alcohol company.
Am I the only one that has seen the tv show beyond tomorrow? they showed this tech off like two years a go, it cools like a thermos around the beverage but takes 4 minutes or so.
In Japan, I saw self-heating coffee cans that came from vending machines.. Wonder when we'll see that over here in the states as well..
Comment by Robert H. Goretsky of Hoboken, NJ
I asked my mom about this...
[quote]
Yes, but the way it works is not something in the bottle or product. We've developed a piece of cold drink equipment we call SuperChill. It keeps the beverage (has to be a sugar beverage, doesn't work on diet given the lower viscosity, or at least not yet). When you open the bottle, ice crystals begin to form, all through the beverage - it's really cool (no pun intended). I've had this happen with the old fashioned glass bottles that are really cold. We've figured out how to make it happen on purpose and consistently. I love going to our KO Lab, just to get one! Equipment just beginning to go in some markets, think Mexico first. Cool Coke innovation at work!
love, mom
[/quote]
Also, you can find a good description of it and videos of it in action at http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2007/08/14/the-strange-case-of-the-unfreezing-wine/ (it being the process, not sprite itself doing it.
hahaha.
@anyone for this causing cancer
hahahahah, for sure
@anyone relating this to cold beer
totally worth the cancer for constantly cold beer.
but this opens up new opportunites.
beer slushies
beer popsicles
frozen beer cubes
....for your cold beer
hahaha. oh i feel all giddy.
Nothing new Tucher Beer in Germany reveled this same technology for their self-cooling reusable keg at Oktoberfest in 2001.
Causes cancer? I wish people had half a brain... Lets see... What makes carbonated drinks... well, carbonated? CO2. Well, lets see... A substance, that when compressed, and then released, is cold.... CO2 again!!! It really isn't that complicated, the carbonation is injected when you open the bottle, which instantly cools the drink.
What next? You know there have to be chemicals that aren't designed for consumption by humans. Technology may always be convenient, but it is not always good.
let's try it with Dasani...& Pipp-Xtra
Eric..... IF it hurts people then they'd know first,outside the U.S.
Hello Sahil,
First, excuse me for my poor english, I'm french !!! I want to know the exact functionnement of the Sprite super chilled and you speak about an inventor "Dude". Can you give me the exact name of Dude, I want to find the patent of this invention !!! And, what is the problem with the cancer... ? Dude had said something ?
Thank you for response. Have a nice day. Brigitte