# Why do people drink hot liquids when it's not cold out? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 9, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217 "2004-04-09T20:27:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/1 "2004-04-09T20:27:01Z")
I can understand the desire for caffeine, and soothing warmth when it’s cold, but scalding hot coffe on a hot summer day sounds repulsive to me. I’m sure coffee and tea don’t taste very good cold, but why steaming hot? Is this a carry over from when drinks had to be boiled so they didn’t kill you? I’d prefer an explaination about why this started, but any insight on why we still do it today would also be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/2 "2004-04-09T20:31:25Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > I’m sure coffee and tea don’t taste very good cold, but why steaming hot? Tea not tasting good cold? Never had a glass of sweet iced tea on a hot day, have you? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/3 "2004-04-09T20:31:45Z")
Actually, tea tastes **very** good cold (he typed while sipping his _iced tea_.) Iced coffee ain’t too bad either. Even on a hot morning, I like a fresh-brewed cup of tea to get me going, and the wife can’t function without a liter or three of hot coffee. It tastes good that way, and it isn’t needed to cool you off. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/4 "2004-04-09T20:39:35Z")
Reminds me of a Cheers episode where Cliff was explaining how drinking cold beer on a winter day helps balance out your body temperature with the outside temperature. When asked why you drink it when it’s hot outside, he sputtered “What the hell else are you going to do with it?” ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/5 "2004-04-09T20:42:53Z")
> [@brianjedi](#): > > Tea not tasting good cold? Never had a glass of sweet iced tea on a hot day, have you? Iced tea you say, what is this concoction? I’ve never heard of it. Next you’ll be saying that people enjoy frozen coffee drinks. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/6 "2004-04-09T20:46:23Z")
Hot coffee doesn’t make me any warmer, regardless of the weather. Holding a glass of hot coffee does, though. Same, but opposite, for iced tea. I wonder if anyone has ever tested if drinking hot (or cold) liquids actually changes your body temp? Has Cecil? Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![caray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@caray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caray)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/7 "2004-04-09T20:49:45Z")
I have heard (although it could be a myth) that drinking a warm or hot beverage on a hot day will actually cool you off. I do think most people just like their coffee (or tea) the way the usually drink it. I’m not crazy about iced coffee or tea, but I like hot coffee. Now if it is a particularly hot day and I’m really thirsty, I’m going to go for the ice water, not the coffee. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/8 "2004-04-09T21:05:36Z")
Well, there is this thing called air conditioning. When I’m enjoying my hot cup of coffee or chai in the summer, nine times out of ten, I’m drinking it in an air conditioned (read: cool) environment, like my car or house or office. It’s kind of new, though, so it’s possible it hasn’t made it’s way to wherever dnooman lives. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/9 "2004-04-09T21:08:54Z")
> [@caray](#): > > I have heard (although it could be a myth) that drinking a warm or hot beverage on a hot day will actually cool you off. > > I do think most people just like their coffee (or tea) the way the usually drink it. I’m not crazy about iced coffee or tea, but I like hot coffee. Now if it is a particularly hot day and I’m really thirsty, I’m going to go for the ice water, not the coffee. It makes you sweat, is the reason I heard. Could be. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/10 "2004-04-09T21:18:13Z")
I don’t drink coffee, but I do drink a cup of hot tea once a day. I’ve found that cold tea doesn’t taste very good, though I do normally wait for the tea to cool down a little before I drink it. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/11 "2004-04-09T21:24:39Z")
Do you eat hamburgers and hotdogs off the grill at summer picnics? Hot food during the summer? That’s as crazy as drinking hot beverages! ---
**Author:** ![legion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/838e76/32.png) [@legion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legion)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/12 "2004-04-09T21:50:51Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > … I’d prefer an explanation about why this started, but any insight on why we still do it today would also be appreciated. I asked an expert who has 70+ years of experience of drinking scalding hot tea in the UK, India, New Zealand and Australia. She said that drinking hot drinks in warm weather raises your body temperature beyond it’s prevailing environmental level for the 10 minutes it take to drink the drink, but you will enjoy about 20 minutes of pleasant cooling while your body cools back down. She also went into a long diatribe about how I haven’t called her for two weeks and all I want to talk about is her tea drinking habits and thank god my Father never lived to see his son treat his Mother like this! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![noname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/13 "2004-04-09T22:43:40Z")
IIRC, its not the temperature of the drink, but the content of the drink that matters. Both tea and coffee contain caffeine in varying quantities, which acts as a relaxant, even on a hot day. Hence the need for a cuppa. In fact, tes in an air conditioned room is no good. (The explanation comes to you courtesy of an avid tea drinker.) ---
**Author:** ![legion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/838e76/32.png) [@legion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legion)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/14 "2004-04-10T00:48:22Z")
> [@noname](#): > > IIRC, its not the temperature of the drink, but the content of the drink that matters. Both tea and coffee contain caffeine in varying quantities, which acts as a relaxant, even on a hot day. Hence the need for a cuppa. > In fact, tes in an air conditioned room is no good. > (The explanation comes to you courtesy of an avid tea drinker.) Bollocks. It’s got fuck all to do with caffine or relaxants. Drink a hot glass of WATER on a hot day and you will feel the diff. Or are you calling my Mum a liar? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/15 "2004-04-10T01:18:31Z")
> [@noname](#): > > IIRC, its not the temperature of the drink, but the content of the drink that matters. Both tea and coffee contain caffeine in varying quantities, which acts as a relaxant, even on a hot day. Hence the need for a cuppa. > In fact, tes in an air conditioned room is no good. > (The explanation comes to you courtesy of an avid tea drinker.) Uh…since when is caffeine a relaxant anyway? ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/16 "2004-04-10T01:18:36Z")
> [@noname](#): > > IIRC, its not the temperature of the drink, but the content of the drink that matters. Both tea and coffee contain caffeine in varying quantities, which acts as a relaxant, even on a hot day. Hence the need for a cuppa. > In fact, tes in an air conditioned room is no good. > (The explanation comes to you courtesy of an avid tea drinker.) Caffeine is not a relaxant; it is a stimulant. > **[How Caffeine Works](https://science.howstuffworks.com/caffeine1.htm)** > > What is caffeine, exactly? Whether you get it from coffee, tea or soda, caffeine has important health effects. Learn what caffeine is on this page. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/17 "2004-04-10T01:24:28Z")
I do because I like the taste and the caffene. Sometimes drinking it in the heat is a bit much but I want it anyway ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/18 "2004-04-10T02:12:48Z")
I guess if you’re desperate enough for caffeine, you’ll relax when you first get some in you, at least until it takes effect. Sort of the same way waaaaay back smoking was assumed to be relaxing because if you were really tense and wanted a smoke and had one, you’d feel better. Never mind that you’d been tense because you’d started withdrawing from the nicotine. :rolleyes: Cold tea or coffee are awful. Iced is different. Iced tea is the national drink of Texas, and not that awful sweetened stuff you get elsewhere in the South. (I’d dispute Texas being part of the South based on that alone.) Iced coffee is pretty good as well. The difference is that with the iced stuff, it starts hot and then you cool it down fast, so it hasn’t been sitting around for hours and hasn’t quit tasting good. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/19 "2004-04-10T04:23:52Z")
Thanks **legion** , and those who actually took my question seriously. [This](http://www.abqjournal.com/cook/88177food07-26-00.htm) site seems to support your mums theory. Thanks for the input. ---
**Author:** ![noname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217/20 "2004-04-10T13:13:18Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > Thanks **legion** , and those who actually took my question seriously. [This](http://www.abqjournal.com/cook/88177food07-26-00.htm) site seems to support your mums theory. Thanks for the input. I am not totall convinced with this theory. If what is said were true, then a hot glass of water would be a better choice, since water is readily absorbed in th blood stream, and go about its business of cooling sooner than tea or coffee. caffaine definately has a role to play in the cooling, since it stimulates(i stand coffected) the brain into feeling alert after the fatigue that the heat reults. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-drink-hot-liquids-when-its-not-cold-out/239217.md?page=2)