How Does a Koozie Keep Your Drink Cold?
Do koozies actually work to keep drinks cool? Let's find out.
On hot summer days, who doesn't love the refreshment of an ice-cold beverage? Cold drinks are a must when you're doing yard work, at the beach, or at the tailgate, but ensuring your drinks stay cold can be challenging: this is where koozies come into play. In this piece, we'll thoroughly answer the questions, "what is a koozie?" and "how do koozies work?".
What's the point of a koozie, and where did they originate?
Koozies are insulating sleeves, generally made from foam or fabric, used to keep bottles and cans from getting warm. Also referred to as can coolers, huggers, or sleeves, koozies originated in Australia in the 1970s. They were first called stubby holders, referring to the Australian slang term for a bottle of beer. The concept came from British tea cozies, knit, sweater-like covers used to keep teapots from losing heat. During the 1980s, the term koozie was coined by the San Antonio company Radio Cap Corporation, and over the following decades, foam koozies became the norm to keep drinks cold. These days, many brands and different types of koozies exist. But what does a koozie do, and how do koozies keep drinks cold? Let's investigate how koozies work.
What does a koozie do?
Koozies serve several purposes, but the main one is to keep your drink from getting warm. How do koozies keep drinks from getting warm? Most people would think the koozie insulates the can from the warmth of the air or your hand, but those are actually not the primary factors that warm up your drink! Scientists at the University of Washington have determined that koozies keep your drink warm by preventing condensation from building up on the outside of the can or bottle. Cool beverages naturally accumulate condensation droplets on their outer surface on hot days. It turns out that those drops are the main factor in warming up your drink, as they form a water blanket that progressively warms your drink more and more. Koozies absorb this condensation and prevent that water blanket from forming, thus, keeping your drink cool. That also means cold drinks get warm quicker in humid environments than in dry ones. Koozies also keep your hands from warming your drink or getting cold and prevent condensation rings from forming on tables– bonuses for their use.
Insulated can coolers and advancements in koozie technology
Since their rise to the mainstream in the late 1900s, humans have taken the koozie design to a new level. Some koozies have slotted bottoms, allowing the koozie to fold flat and be stored in pockets or purses. Novelty koozies have burst onto the scene; there are koozies shaped like jerseys for sporting events and koozies with attached bottle openers or pop sockets. The shapes have been specialized, whether for bottles or cans, and there are new designs to fit the slim cans popularized by hard seltzers. The most exciting innovation in can cooling technology has to be the advent of the vacuum-insulated can cooler! Generally made from stainless steel, these can coolers are the latest and greatest in keeping a drink cold. They prevent condensation from forming, but they do much more than that! Vacuum-insulated can coolers feature two walls separated by a small space; the air is sucked out of that space to create a vacuum. Heat transfer happens when molecules with different temperatures interact with one another. By creating a vacuum layer between the drink's surface and the outer surface of the can cooler, very few air molecules are present between the walls to transfer the outside heat into your drink, and therefore your drink stays exceptionally cool.
Koozies and can coolers can be an excellent way to promote your business or organization! Logotech has the best insulated koozie options, all available to be printed with your custom branding. If you're interested in custom can coolers, create an account with Logotech, send us your logo and which koozie or can cooler you're interested in, and an account manager will reach out with a free digital sample!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do vacuum-insulated can coolers or foam koozies keep drinks cooler?
A: Vacuum-insulated can coolers keep drinks cold for longer than foam koozies. The vacuum insulation provides an extra barrier against heat while still eliminating condensation.
Q: What materials are koozies made of?
A: Koozies are commonly made from a foam or polyester material. Metal can coolers are generally made with stainless steel.
Q: What is a good temperature for koozies?
A: Koozies are great in any weather! On hot days, especially with high humidity, koozies are ideal for keeping a drink from getting cold. On cold days, you can drop your can in a koozie to keep your hands from getting cold while you drink! Generally, when it's 60° Fahrenheit and above, use a koozie to stop the formation of condensation.
