Like the fabled “better mousetrap,” inventors have long pursued the self-chilling can.
It now appears Mitchell Joseph’s dream is at hand—literally. Marketers at 7-Eleven, Inc. are testing their Fizzics Cold Brew Coffee at 15 Los Angeles locations. The test involves the latest evolution of a concept perfected by Joseph decades ago. His prototype aluminum can was remarkable, it cooled beer in a flash but unfortunately, it relied on HFC-134a—a greenhouse gas 1,400 times as potent as carbon dioxide—making it illegal under EPA regulations.
Miller Beer introduced the Tempra self-cooling can in 2006 but its “natural desiccant driven water gel coated evaporator and heat-sink” technology was simply too costly to catch on.
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After 25 years of experiments Mitchell at last found a way to use commonly available CO (subscript) 2 instead of refrigerants. The patented 500 ml ChillCan found limited use in the UK.
Joseph told the Daily Mail at the time: “what could be more convenient than a drink which cools down when you want it, rather than having to carry an ice box to the beach.”
Six years later he perfected the design, using a patented MicroCool process and CO2 in a fully recyclable aluminum can. The cans are filled with sparkling cold brew in three flavors – regular, French vanilla, and caramel. Made with 100 percent Arabica beans and all-natural flavors, each 8.4-ounce has only 50 calories, 10 grams of sugar, and less than 80 mg of caffeine.