{"id":1659,"date":"2026-09-27T12:58:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T11:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iceology.pt\/?p=1659"},"modified":"2026-09-27T12:58:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T11:58:20","slug":"porque-o-gelo-grande-derrete-devagar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iceology.pt\/en\/porque-o-gelo-grande-derrete-devagar\/","title":{"rendered":"Why large ice melts more slowly"},"content":{"rendered":"

Put 100 g of crushed ice in one glass and 100 g as a single cube in another. The first turns to water in minutes; the second is still there long after. Why, if the weight is the same?<\/p>\n

1. Contact surface<\/h2>\n

Ice melts from the surface, where it takes heat from the drink and the air. When we break a block into smaller pieces, we create much more surface. A 5 cm cube has 150 cm\u00b2 of surface; the same volume split into 1 cm cubes has 750 cm\u00b2 \u2014 five times more area melting at once.<\/p>\n

2. Shape matters<\/h2>\n

For the same volume, a sphere has the least surface. That is why spheres are so popular for spirits on ice.<\/p>\n

3. Density and clarity<\/h2>\n

Cloudy ice has micro air bubbles and internal cracks. In contact with a warmer drink, those cracks open, the ice cracks and splits \u2014 and every new fragment is more surface to melt. Dense, clear ice stays whole.<\/p>\n

4. Starting temperature<\/h2>\n

Well-frozen ice (at \u221218 \u00b0C) takes longer to start melting than ice that is already \u201cwet\u201d at 0 \u00b0C. Keeping ice in the freezer until service makes a difference.<\/p>\n

What this means in the glass<\/h2>\n