Experience report by stern editor Samira Debbeler:
The temperatures are rising, the days are getting longer, the mood is skyrocketing – summer is here. I love this time of year. However, the summer days also have a “dark side” for me: namely warm drinks. There’s really nothing more disgusting than lukewarm beer
The “Frats” cups are double-walled and equipped with a cooling function. There is a liquid between the two walls of the cup that keeps the drink cold without watering it down. “Frats” have a capacity of 300 milliliters – perfect for beer, cocktails and soft drinks. They are available in blue and pink colors. And they are definitely more sustainable than plastic cups.
“We use polypropylene because it’s easy to recycle, reusable and above all dishwasher safe for at least 500 rinse cycles,” says Frederic Redmann, one of the inventors of “Frats”. Cool idea is my first thought. I can immediately think of a number of situations in which the cups would be a real blessing: festivals, garden parties, at beer pong, a funky ball or a picnic in the park. So I take the test.
The cups are delivered in a box – half the size of a shoe box. Unpacked, they end up in the dishwasher. After all, they should be able to endure it. And indeed: the 70°C wash cycle cannot harm the cups. I take them out unharmed after about two hours, put them in the freezer and run into a problem I hadn’t considered.
I have a very small freezer. Even a single frozen pizza can only fit diagonally and squeezed into it. Six cups, each with a capacity of 300 milliliters, are not the problem. However, I have to do without other frozen products. And that unexpectedly changes my cooking and meal plans.
The cups freeze in the freezer for several days. Then they have their grand entrance. My plan: take it out, put it in your bag, strap it on the bike and start cycling. The “Frats” cups are intended to provide a refreshing break from cycling on this sunny day. After about two hours I get the cups out of my pocket and am disappointed. They’re not that cool anymore. Admittedly, the bag is a bit translucent and was in the blazing sun the whole time. I decide to give the cups a second chance and cycle home.
When I get home, I grab two new “Frats” mugs from the freezer. I sit down on my sunny balcony and fill the cups with a spritzer. It takes a few minutes for the spritzer to take on the coldness of the vessel. However, I can’t hold the mug in my hand for long – except maybe with woolen gloves. After a while, the mug becomes uncomfortably cold in your hand.
I use the cup for about two hours. Then he slowly loses the cold. It doesn’t get warm, but the “Frats” mug isn’t really cold anymore either. Theoretically, I could now take a new, cool cup from the freezer. But I switch to a glass with ice cubes. On the one hand because I prefer to drink from glasses, on the other hand because drinks made with ice cubes are even more refreshing than from “Frats” cups.
I can’t imagine using the cups again. The space in my freezer is just too sacred for that. The cups are also not suitable as a trip utensil. However, I imagine “Frats” are perfect for a game of beer pong or flunky ball. Maybe I’ll find an opportunity to test it soon. After all, summer is the perfect time for such outdoor activities.
Field report by stern editor Axel Palm:
It is doubtful whether the game of beer pong will be such a hit. Six cups cost 19.99 euros, i.e. 3.30 euros per cup. Ten cups are needed per team, which corresponds to an investment of around 66 euros. And then the cups also need to be cooled, which with 20 cups takes up a lot of space in the freezer, if you have such a large freezer at all.
As if that weren’t enough effort, there’s also the nature of the “Frats” cups that complicate the task: They are made of hard plastic and do not cushion the ball. Although the thinner and soft cups tend to fall over, harder cups are sub-optional because the table tennis balls are more likely to jump out than in when hitting the edge.
The throw test with three frats cups confirms the impression. Only the very clean throws end up in the cup. Edge hits fly out periodically. Even those that would be hits with the soft cups. And so the game of beer pong can drag on quite a bit.
In my opinion, the 66 euros are better invested in the classic beer pong cups and a rented tap with a keg – at least when a garden party is being celebrated at home. The beer stays cold all evening. The brew may only heat up if you play with absolute anti-throw acrobats – but that’s not the rule. And the Aperol lovers among us will be happy about ice cubes in the summer drink thanks to the space saved in the freezer.
For home use, I found the cups to be okay. I tested you during a longer gaming marathon at the weekend. Yes, they chill beer. I didn’t keep the mug in my hand all the time. After all, I needed them to gamble. But you drink from a plastic cup.
At a garden party or at football, that’s okay. In me, however, the philistine came through who prefers a quick sip from his little stick. This is so small and drunk quickly that nothing gets warm when the beer from the bottle is cold. The frats mugs are really good when they are filled with warm beer. Its cooling capacity is easily enough to cool down the beer in just a few minutes.
Do the lions think the cup is a crazy idea or do they even toast a deal with the founders in the end? The founding trio is offering 25.1 percent of their company shares for 125,000 euros. You can see whether there is a deal on Monday evening in “Die Höhle der Löwen” at 8:15 p.m. on VOX.
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