Tapping a pop can will protect you from getting a face full of froth.
how? easy.
-
If the can is mostly ok, it does release the gas bubbles from the side, thus effectively increasing the air gap between the pop surface and the hole in the can. Air (ok, mostly co2) puffs out, instead of the first few mm of the pop itself.
Your scepticism for this can be easily disproven by testing this on one of those transparent plastic cans that some carbonated fruit juices are sold in.
-
If the can is not ok, i.e. if it is ready to froth, it will be under much more pressure. Tapping a high-pressure can has a distinctly different feel/sound to it, thus warning one that this can is a veritable bomb.
MODERATOR COMMENT (A little housekeeping):
First, welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, MarvinKitFox, we’re glad you’re here. When you start a thread, it’s helpful to other readers to provide a link to the column in question. Yes, it’s on the front page now, but it will soon sink into the Archives, so a link saves searching-time and cuts down on confusion. No biggie, I’ve provided the link here, and you’ll know for next time… and, as I say, welcome!
LINK TO COLUMN IN QUESTION: Will tapping a pop can keep the carbonation from exploding on opening? Plus: why do we tap cigarettes? - The Straight Dope
Second, another new poster, JakobA posted a comment here about tapping cigarettes. The column in question deals with both, and there’s another thread about cigarettes. I’ve separated the two topics into two different threads, so… post here about tapping pop (soda) cans. If you want to comment on tapping cigarettes, post here: Packing Smokes - Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports - Straight Dope Message Board
JakobA, if you wonder what happened to your post, that’s it. No problem, just housekeeping and trying to keep topics together. And, of course, welcome!