Everything About Slurpees!
If you have ever had a Slurpee, you know the euphoria and satisfaction it brings.
Only available at 7-Eleven, it is the ultimate drink that cures your thirst and rejuvenates your soul.Thank
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How many Slurpees do I Slurp?
Starting January 2004, and ending December 31st, 2004, I recorded every Slurpee that I had, which included price, flavour, and size. In my Slurpee Log I have all the details for you to read. I have also completed my Slurpee Stats for this year. Here is a summary of the Slurpee I have consumed:
Number of Slurpees Slurped 324000
Amount of Slurpees Slurped:
~200L
Total cost value of Slurpees Slurped: $359.16
Highest consumed flavour Pepsi
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Tips for 7-Eleven
Every Slurpee addict has had a dream or two about the perfect 7-Eleven.... with dozens of perfect-consistancy Slurpee taps, filled with every flavour imaginable. Realistically, there are some things that would make our local 7-Eleven store even better. In The Perfect 7-Eleven: Tips For 7-Eleven, nini lists a range of ideas and suggestions that would make our everyday visit to 7-Eleven even more special.
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What is a Slurpee?
A Slurpee is a frozen beverage sold by 7-Eleven that is nothing less than an elixor for life. Okay, so it might now let you have eternal life, but it makes reality tolerable. It is a magical and delicious mixture that's also addicting, and loved by many.
Why is it better than other slush's around?
Becuase it just is! It's not even worth comparing to such mediocure alternatives such as FROSTERS (yuck!). The main difference is the product. Slurpees have a taste and texture unlike other slushes. They aren't as icy, or "chunky" as others, making them more SLURPABLE and making them better at quenching your thirst. Thus, they rarely develop "ice caps." That is, the syrup does not filter to the bottom, leaving a thick slab of flavourless ice on the top.
Also, Slurpees have an advantage over all others when it comes to flavours. Few competitors have BOTH Pepsi and Coke brand flavours. You are then left with a vast amount of possible flavours to pick from, which are always changing. Pepsi and Coke are always a choice, while the rest of the 2-6 flavours are other flavours. Two are always a flavour of the month, meaning that you should be able to go to any 7-Eleven and get that flavour for an entire month: one is a pepsi brand (e.g. Crush Cream Soda), and the other is a coke brand (e.g. Barq's Rootbeer).
Of course the only way you will ever know that Slurpees are the best is to try one yourself. Trust me, you will never go back to any of that other stuff ever again.
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Breaking News From NASA
It has long been believed that the centre of our own Milky Way Galaxy harvests a gigantic black hole. NASA was shocked when this picture was taken by the HUBBLE Space Telescope earlier this week. It is raising a lot of questions, while confirming what Slurpee addicts have known for years....
Last Updated: December 31th, 2004
Slurpee™ is a trademark of 7-Eleven, Inc. This site and it's creator is not affiliated in any way with 7-eleven Inc. However, I would love to be! If you are from 7-Eleven, please contact me if this is a possibility.
Canadians purchase over 30 million Slurpees every year
The average Slurpee drinker age is 29 years
Manitoba is the "Slurpee Capital" of the world for the fifth year in a row (2003)! The 7-Eleven stores in Manitoba sell an average of 8,300 Slurpee drinks per store each month, compared to the national monthly rate of 5,900 and provincial rate of 7,200,which makes this Province the world leader in Slurpee sales.
The top five Slurpee cities are:
1. Winnipeg
2. Calgary
3. Regina
4. Detroit
5. Edmonton
The frozen carbonated beverage was first invented in 1959 by a Kansas hamburger stand owner. Using an automobile air conditioner, he created a sophisticated piece of equipment that would freeze a carbonated soft drink and serve it in a sherbet-like form that could be sipped through a straw.
To get that uniquely Slurpee consistency, each Slurpee machine has a compact refrigeration system that mixes syrup, carbon dioxide and water under pressure in a freezing chamber.
Slurpees are served at -3C (or 28F)
7-Eleven(r) began selling Slurpee, then called Icee, in its stores in the United States in 1965
7-Eleven introduced the Slurpee to Canada in 1969
The first 7-Eleven in Canada was opened in Calgary, Alberta
The Slurpee name was created in May 1967 during a brainstorming session of the Stanford Agency, 7-Eleven stores' in-house agency. While drinking the product through a straw, agency director Bob Stanford commented that it made a "slurp" sound coming through the straw
To capitalize on the popularity of the Slurpee beverage, 7-Eleven began introducing Slurpee collectors cups in 1972. Through the years, special Slurpee cups have featured monsters, rock 'n' roll stars and endangered species. 7-Eleven also offered surprise Slurpee cups with false bottoms, free prizes and peel-off game pieces.
The company made its own Slurpee syrup until 1988, when it signed an exclusive contract with The Coca-Cola Company to make all Slurpee syrup for corporate 7-Eleven stores.
The makers of the syrup for the market of frozen carbonated beverages include the Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola companies
The most popular size is the clear Strata cup (795 mL)
In Canada, the most popular flavours are Coke and Pepsi. The most popular untraditional flavour is Watermelon.
In the US, Minute Maid Wild Cherry, banana, blue raspberry, and kiwi strawberry are among the best sellers.
7-Eleven introduced the first food extensions of the Slurpee line during the summer of 1998: Slurpee Liquid Filled Bubble Gum and Slurpee Ice frozen treat.
A see-through Slurpee Strata cup was introduced in 1998 allowed customers to layer their favorite Slurpee flavors and see their creative concoctions. Added as a seasonal item in summer of 1998, the Strata cup was such a hit with customers, it quickly became a mainstay in the Slurpee cup line-up. (This is what someone from 7-Eleven sent me. This confooozes me becuase I clearly remember getting the clear cup during the slurpee alert days of 1996....)
7-Eleven introduced a second Slurpee cup during the summer of 1998. The Slurpee Splitz-O(tm) cup is divided down the middle so customers could enjoy two separate flavors in one cup.
Since its introduction in 1965, more than 6 billion Slurpee drinks have been sold, just about enough for every person on the planet to have slurped. Thats that is also enough to circle the Earth almost eight times!
Today, more than 11 million Slurpee drinks are consumed every month. [I do not know if this is for the US only, or it's a world total...]
Prime Slurpee time is 4-11 p.m. -- when half of all Slurpees are purchased
Competition for the Slurpee includes the Froster, Glacial Freeze, Icee's, Slush puppies, Squishies, Cold Sucks, and Thirst Busters.
Is there a difference between American Slurpees and Canadian Slurpees? Yes! According to 7-Eleven, the Canadian product is heavier and wetter, the difference being that the American product is injected with air and is therefore drier. This is why you can feel that itch in the back of the throat when you drink it--that's the air bubbles. The American stores have been using Cornelius equipment where as in Canada we have been using Taylor for years . Although both machines perform for their specific markets, they do create different products.
Brain freeze is something that many people can relate to. I am fortunate to say that I have never experienced the pain of brain freeze, despite my frequent consumption of the ice cold Slurpee drink.
Brain freeze is an intense stabbing headache-like pain that occurs after consuming something cold, and it affects about 30 percent of the population.
Your brain DOES NOT acyually freeze. NO damage is caused by brainfreeze.
7-Eleven registered the term "brainfreeze" in 1994 to communicate the painful joy of drinking a frozen Slurpee beverage.
Brainfreeze is also known as an "Ice Cream Headache", and "Frozen Brain Syndrome"
Simply put, Brainfreeze occurs when the Slurpee (or anything cold) touches the roof of your mouth, the collection of nerves in the roof of your mouth (called the spheno-palantine ganglion) go into a spasm (a spasm is like a cramp). These nerves tell the brain blood vessels to get bigger or "dilate". When our brain's blood vessels get big, we get headaches.
So, the best way to avoid getting brainfreeze is to keep the Slurpee from the roof of your mouth.
The pain of brainfreeze begins a few seconds after the rapid ingestion of cold foods or beverages (such as ice cream or slurpees or yellow snow)and peaks in 30-60 seconds, and can last up to 5 minutes.
The Phenemenon is further explained in an article by Joseph Hulihan :
The pain is usually located in the midfrontal area, but can be unilateral in the temporal, frontal, or retro-orbital region.
It is a stabbing or aching type of pain that recedes 10-20 seconds after its onset. Rarely, it can persist for two to five minutes
Some Studies suggest that brainfreeze is more common in people who experience migraines. Raskin and Knittle found this to be the case, with brainfreeze occurring in 93% of migraine sufferers and in only 31% of controls
Other studies found that it's more common in people without migraines. These inconsistencies may be due to differences in subject selection–the subjects of the first study were drawn from a hospital population, whereas the controls in the second were student volunteers.
Ice cream headache has been studied as an example of referred pain. Experimenting on himself, Smith found that:
Ipsilateral temporal and orbital pain developed 20-30 seconds later after crushed iced was placed on the palette.
Bilateral pain occurred when the stimulus was applied in the midline
The headache could be elicited only in hot weather
Attempts to reproduce the pain during the winter were unsuccessful, even with use of a cold stimulus of the same temperature.
Bird et al found a similar relation with respect to site of application of the cold substance and ipsilateral occurrence of the resultant pain
Some of their subjects also experienced an associated toothache.
Raskin has suggested that ice cream headache may represent a model of migraine, in that both encompass disordered thresholds to sensory stimuli.
No treatment is usually required, and sufferers rarely seek medical attention.
An odd idea or two....
Some people actually enjoy brainfreeze. I've been told that it can take away a headache.
Believe it or not, but some people also find it orgasmic... seriously.
Tips for alleviating brainfreeze
To relieve the pain of brainfreeze, try pressing your tongue onto the roof of your mouth. For some reason, this works (Submitted)
Try Holding your breath during a brainfreeze, For some reason, this makes it go away faster. (submitted)
Try taking a sip or two of a warm beverage, such as hot water, hot chocolate, or even coffee, when the brainfreeze hits. This seems to get rid of the pain quickly for some people. (submitted)
A good cure for really bad brain freezes: Close your eyes and press your fingers GENTLY on your eyes so that your fingertips are resting between your eyeball and browbone. Breathe deeply. Wait calmly for the brainfreeze to pass. (submitted)
7-Up Green
Mountain Dew
Mellow Yellow
Banana
Orange-Pineapple
Orange
Pineapple
Sprite
7-Up
7-Up Tropical
Sour Peach
Sour Apple
Grapermelon
Fruit Punch
Citrus Splash
Bruisin' Berry
Tropicana Twister Berry
Candy Cane
Sour Strawberry
Bruisin' Berry Grape
Strawberry Banana
Dr. Pepper
Rootbeer
Grapefruit
Licorice
Pina Colada
Vanilla Coke
Lime
Blue Raspberry
Blue Bubblegum
Strawberry
Red Cherry
Black Cherry
Black Pina Colada
Cream Soda
7-Up Ice
Mountain Dew LiveWire
Pepsi Blue
Sierra Mist Shrek-a-licious
Orange Cream
Wild Cherry Pepsi
Margarita
Watermelon
Tropical Punch
Grape
Iced Tea
Mocha Chocolate
Pepsi
Coke
Strawberry-Kiwi
Code Red
Mountain Dew Blue Lightning
Green Apple
Blue VAnilla
Raspberry Crystal Light
Advocado [Submitted; I've never seen it]
Sobe Citrus
Diet Pepsi
Banana Split
Sprite Ice
Tropicana Berry
Opps.... Did I miss a flavour? If so, please email me!
Generic Nutritional Information: (795mL/28oz Slurpee)
calories: 206 to 255
carbohydrates: 54-65 grams
Fat: none
Protein: none
(Note: Nutritional value of any Slurpee depends on the flavour, as well as the consistancy)
Nutritional Information For a Pepsi Slurpee: (8oz Slurpee)
calories: 100
carbohydrates: 28 grams
Sugar: 27 grams
Fat: none
Protein: none
Nutritional Information For a Coke Slurpee: (355mL/12Oz Slurpee)
Calories: 177
Carbohydrate: 48g
Caffeine: 56mg
Sugar: 34g
Fat: none
Nutritional Information For a Sprite Slurpee: (454mL/16Oz Slurpee/Yellow Cup)
Calories: 220
Carbohydrate: 60g
Sodium: 50g
Fat: none
Diet Pepsi (8 Oz)
Calories: None
Fat: None
Sugar: 2 grams
Sodium: 25 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 2 grams of carbohydrates.
(Diet Pepsi is sweetened by tagatose)
Sugar-Free Slurpee
Nutritional Information: (Per 12Oz/355mL serving)
Calories: 4 per 1 ounce serving
Fat: None
Sodium: 80 mg
Sugars: 0 grams
Sugar Alcohol: 2 grams
Protein 2 grams
(Flavours includes Crystal Light Lemonade, Passion Kiwi Fruit, Raspberry Iced Tea, and Peach Tea)
Why don't syrupy slurpees freeze (solid) when you put them in the freezer???
This is a question that I once had. So one day, I set out to find an explanation to this phenomena...The explanation comes from the sugar content of the Slurpee. Obviously, a syrupy Slurpee has way more sugar than, say, a Slurpee with a watery or icy consistancy. The sugar actually reduces the freezing point of the Slurpee, much like salt does, so it needs to be cooled to a lower-than-normal temperature in order to freeze solid.
You can test this by yourself with a simple experiment.
Materials
Two identical cups
Water
Sugar (brown sugar works best, but any sugar will do)
Thermometer (not necessary)
Method
1. Fill each cup with 1 cup (250mL) of water. Make sure that the water is the same temperature .
2. Add sugar by spoonfuls into one of the cups and mix thoroughly. Continue to add sugar until no more can dissolve in the water (it is now saturated).
3. Place both cups into the freezer for 2 or more hours.
4. Observe what happens. Which one solidifies first?
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Why don't Slurpees freeze solid when they're in the Slurpee machine?
Slurpees are cooled to about -15C in the machine, which may cause you to wonder how or why the Slurpee inside doesn't freeze into an ice cube. The answer is quite simple. The constant stirring inside the machine prevents the Slurpee inside from freezing solid, and allows for the Slurpee to maintain a drinkable consistancy. The Slurpee do freeze; as the water cools, it crystallizes, but the constant motion prevents it from becoming one big ice chunk.
This also explains why your Slurpee freezes solid when you put it in your freezer: there's nothing to prevent it from doing so (unless, of course, you somehow mix it constantly while it's in there)
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How do Slurpee Machines work?
Ever wonder how Slurpee machines create delicious Slurpees? Well, me too. This is my own personal explanation of how the Slurpee Machine works:
The machine draws up water and mixes it with the Slurpee syrup inserted inside the machine. The mixture is cooled and constantly stirred, and the water starts to crystallize. With time, this mixture becomes thicker as more of the water freezes into ice crystals.
Then VOILA, the Slurpee is ready!
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Slurpee Calorimetry
How much energy does it take to create a Slurpee? Hmmmm....
The equations:
Q = mcT AND Q = mL
Where Q is heat energy, c is the specific heat capacity, m is mass, T is temperature, and L is the latent heat.
To solve
Q = mL + mcT [you change states and cool to -3C]
Let m = 1kg (or 1 litre), c (ice) = 2000 J/(kg C°), T (final) = -3C, L (fusion) = 335000 J/Kg
Thus,
Q = (1 Kg) • (335000 J/Kg) + (1 Kg) • (2000 J/(kg C°)) • (0C- -3C)
Q = 335000J + (-6000J)
Q = 329000J = 329 KJ = 3.29*10^2 KJ of energy to freeze 1 litre of Slurpee
Notes:
The heat of capacity used in this equation is not equal to the heat capacity of Slurpee. This is becuase Slurpee is a mixture of sugar AND water, which would actually make the heat capacity less than that of water (sugar alters the stucture of the H2O molecule, making the freezing point lower).
Also, I assumed that the water used was already at the 0C. That is, this is how much energy it takes to freeze 1 litre of water from 0C to -3C. If you assume that the water is warmer when added, then the amount of energy needed will increase.
I hope that I did not make any errors in my calculation. If you see any errors, please email me and let me know :)
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Have any ideas for Slurpee Science? Send them to me, and I might just add it to this page!
Gotta save the Slurpee!
Once upon a time, when I was in grade eight or nine, my sister and I went along our way to the 7-Eleven. It was in the middle of winter, and in the mid-evening when we started the fifteen minute walk to the store. It was also rather slippery out, as the layers of unshoveled snow on the ground had become compacted into ice. After I had my one litre cup filled, she picked out a Pepsi, and we were soon on our track back home. Unfortunely, with the lack of grips on my boots, combined with my clutziness and the icy sidewalks, the inevitable happened. I slipped, falling backwards and right onto my back, my feet flying through the air above me. With my sister laughing and looking down at me, I noticed that I hadn't spilled my Slurpee. In fact, it was perfectly upright, without any of it missing, still in my hands, despite its lacking of a lid.
Slurpee Alert Day
Do you remember Slurpee Alert Days? It was the Summer of 1995 (I think), and I looked forward to seeing the balloons outside of the store, and the big sign: 'Buy One Get One Free!' My friend DeeDee and I decided to go for a Slurpee, and when we got there we were excited to see that it was that special day. We took a clear cup each and filled them high...and then we became greedy. What if, instead of paying half the price for our Slurpees, we get two each? We left with a Slurpee in both hands, trying to keep up with them as they rapidly melted in the summer heat. By the time we got home, our Slurpees melted beyond repair--a greenish brown chunck of ice floating in bluish green sugar water. Yum. I think we learned our lesson.
Too much orange!
It was the summer before grade seven, and almost everyday my friend and I went to 7-Eleven for a Slurpee. When we arrived at the 7-Eleven, we were happy to see that they had orange. DeeDee filled her cup with mostly orange Slurpee, despite my warnings that too much orange isn't a good idea. I, too, put orange in my cup, but only in thin layers. When we got back home I told her to put her Slurpe in the freezer, becuase I had noticed that the orange was particularily syrupy, but it was too good to wait. She drank nearly the whole litre of Orange Slurpee before the cramps came. She curled up on th |
