You know...just checking your safety...

In the interest of keeping you folks safe, I want to point out there appears to be a bit of a snafu with a product that I've endorsed (with reservations) in my classes and via the blog. Seems the the Wolfgang Puck Self-Heating Lattes are having a few problems.

There are reports of the cans underheating, overheating, leaking, spoiling the coffee, and even exploding. The company that makes the can is feuding with the company the markets the can who is fighting with the namesake who licenses the Puck name.

I've used the cans in class to show the possibilities of exothermic reactions, and I've never had a problem. The instructions are, admittedly, not terribly intuitive, but they're printed clearly enough. The coffee tastes kind of icky, but that's not the fault of the can. They're overpriced for the amount of coffee you get, but again - that's not an engineering flaw.

All in all, I think they're a neat product, and I plan to keep using them in class - perhaps even buying up a bunch from Kroger before they disappear. The safety thing gives me a little pause, however...

All in all, hmmm...

• Another version of the story with different details
• The Puck Latte website