The Paper Towel Trick For Decarbonating A Drink If You Hate The Bubbles

If you want to avoid wearing your favorite soda, you tap on the can to prevent it from fizzing over. But what if you don't want any bubbles at all tickling your tongue once it is opened? Some folks aren't fans of the carbonation of the sweet drink, and decarbonating the beverage before it gets sipped is the only way they can enjoy it. There are a few ways to accomplish this, but perhaps the simplest method involves something most folks usually have at-hand in their kitchen.

A humble paper towel can decarbonate even the dirtiest soda faster than you can drink it. The technique works by taking a sheet of the absorbent material and folding it over a couple of times. It shouldn't be folded too tightly, as you want all those rough spots on the paper towel to be as exposed as possible. After folding, dip the paper towel into your beverage and hold it there for a few seconds.

As the paper towel submerges in the fizzy beverage, you will begin to see carbonated bubbles rising toward it like moths to a flame. Remove it and take a sip of the drink. If it still tickles, repeat the process again, during which you should notice fewer bubbles rising to meet the paper towel. It really doesn't get any easier when you want to decarbonate a soda. The process works just about every time due to something called nucleation points on the paper.

This trick may not work as well with a smoother paper towel because all those little divots and deviations on the surface of a sheet of Brawny are luring out the carbon dioxide that makes a drink fizzy. When you perfectly pour a can of soda, you will notice that bubbles are immediately trying to escape from a specific location inside the glass. The reason that spot, in particular, has carbon dioxide bubbles rising to the surface is because there is some kind of imperfection there, otherwise known as a nucleation point.

When you stick a paper towel with plenty of rough spots into a fizzy refreshment, the CO₂ sees those nucleation points as a means of escape. Although one sheet might not be enough to fully decarbonate your drink, it shouldn't take more than a couple to tame your beverage. This trick isn't just for soda, either, as nearly any effervescent drink can be decarbonated using this same hack. However, this might not be something you do everywhere you want to flatten a beverage. Dipping a paper towel into your drink may be considered crass depending on where you are.