How To Pour A Can Of Soda Perfectly Every Time

Until recently, if you asked most folks how to create the perfect pour from a can of soda, they would say you should turn the glass to a 45-degree angle and drain the beverage slowly. This is supposed to help minimize the amount of foam that accumulates at the top, and when the technique is executed correctly, it generally does the job. But these days, there is a better hack to creating the perfect pour that has replaced the 45-degree angle trick for many, and it doesn't involve touching the glass at all.

The concept embodies the axiom "work smarter, not harder." Instead of precariously holding a glass at just the right angle, you want to utilize the tab on the soda can. Open the container and pull the tab so that it is pointing straight up, perpendicular to the can. Start your pour by tilting the can and resting the open tab on the edge of the glass. Then, let go. The can should rest comfortably on top of the glass as the soda comes out, and the amount of fizzy foam is minimal. This works similarly to a hack that lets you pour the perfect beer from a bottle, and for the same reasons — physics and chemistry.

Soda's distinguishing effervescence is produced through the process of carbonation. This involves adding carbon dioxide into the liquid under pressure. When the CO2 dissolves, the fizzy bubbles that make soda enjoyable are created.

Opening the can gives the gas a chance to escape. That is why soda that's been agitated can turn into a misty, syrupy disaster, though tapping on the soda may prevent the extra fizz. The carbon dioxide rushes out with the liquid when it's poured into a glass. Because the gas is lighter than the liquid, it rushes to the top of the drink. It comes into contact with other carbon dioxide molecules and forms bubbles. These bubbles attract more CO2, and before you know it, you have three inches of foam crowning your beverage.

If you use the hack described above, the carbon dioxide doesn't get a chance to accumulate much foam because it's being poured so close to the surface of the glass. The proximity of the can in relation to the glass reduces the force of the pour and discourages the carbon dioxide from producing foam. You have to give it to the future — half a century ago, this hack would have been impossible to pull off.

If you've seen the 1970s version of the classic film The Bad News Bears, you may recall seeing drink containers that opened very differently than they do today. Before stay-on tabs, canned beverages had pull-off tabs that would completely detach from the can once opened. After years of these tops littering streets and sometimes presenting choking hazards, it was time for a change.

The first "Sta-Tabs" emerged in 1975, around the same time the now discontinued TaB soda was enjoying widespread popularity. Falls City Beer was the first business to utilize the revolutionary design, but it wasn't long until many other companies followed suit. There had been a public outcry to do something about the litter and choking hazard pull-off tabs presented, and businesses were quick to address their customers' wishes as soon as the chance presented itself.

The whole reason this contemporary soda-pouring hack works is because of the ability to use the stay-on tab as a stop to keep the can from falling over. Without canned beverages being reinvented not so long ago, we'd be stuck tilting our glasses to an exact angle and hoping for the best. Next time you use this hack to pour your soda, raise your glass to living in the future.