Here's The Best Type Of Ice To Use In Your Water Bottle

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When the sun is beating down in the heat of summer, taking a sip of ice-cold water feels like being revitalized at a sparkling desert oasis. Warm water, on the other hand, is about as rejuvenating as a gulp of unrefrigerated beer. Little-known fact: The type of ice you use in your water bottle makes a big difference. To help everyone out there stay hydrated in the most refreshing way, The Takeout reached out to food scientist and food industry consultant Bryan Quoc Le to find out what the best kind of ice is to keep a water bottle chilled all summer long.

Thanks to America's long love of ice, it comes in many forms, so you have a few options when choosing how to cool down a beverage. Le, the author of "150 Food Science Questions Answered" and founder of Mendocino Food Consulting, indicated you don't need to look any further than the common ice cube tray. "Regular or large ice cubes are the most common and effective type of ice to use in a water bottle," Le said. For anyone hoping to show off with a flashy ice choice this might come as a letdown, but Le spelled it out for anyone doubting his sage advice. "Due to their larger size and solid structure, they melt slower than smaller cubes or crushed ice, helping to keep the beverage colder for longer," he said. "Additionally, their size allows the beverage to chill quickly without diluting too fast."

Regular ice might be optimal for keeping water cold longer, but if you need to cool it down in a hurry are regular cubes still the best choice? According to Le, there is a better option. "Bullet ice has a hollow, cylindrical shape that increases its surface area compared to other ice types of similar volume," he said. "This larger surface area allows heat to transfer more quickly from the liquid to the ice, which cools the beverage faster." Just don't count on it staying cold for as long compared to large ice cubes. "Because heat is absorbed more rapidly, bullet ice also melts faster."

Then again, sometimes chilled water isn't enough. Maybe you want to experience that refreshing feeling of gnawing on ice itself. In that case, you'll want to skip bullet ice. "Bullet ice is generally not softer to chew compared to other ice types," Le said. "Its structure is denser and it's larger in size, making it harder and more solid."

Regular ice cubes are similarly dense, so what's a person to do when they want an easy chew? "Nugget ice is a better option for someone looking for ice that is chewable, as it is small and soft," Le explained. "It's made by compressing smaller ice flakes into porous, pellet-like pieces, which results in a much softer texture that is gentle on teeth and fun to chew."