Iced tea, iced coffee, blended fraps, those are the popular drinks of summer. But different places have different traditions when it comes to matching the temperature of a drink to the temperature of the weather, and there’s even some logic behind it.
When you start a hot day with a hot drink, it gets your body warmed up before you’re out in the sun and heat—but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Once you start sweating, you start cooling off. On the other hand, when you have a really cold drink, your body starts working to warm you up. That’s good for burning calories, but might not work as well as it seems on a hot day.
Then there’s another factor: most cold drinks tend to be loaded down with sugar and fat. You just can’t make a good blended drink without a bunch of sugar, the texture won’t be right. In general, a lot less sugar goes into warm drinks.
Plus, there are some great hot beverages to pick up your day. Our favorite is our heart healthy Jiaogulan. It’s a caffeine free herbal tea that offers lots of support—it’s known as the tea of life where it’s harvested in Southeast Asia because of it’s association with long life and good health.
Jiaogulan is correlated with better cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure, and is well-associated with heart health (although the mechanisms of why are still being studied, it might have to do with Jiaogulan being rich with flavanoids, antioxidants, and more).
Whether you want to start your morning with something healthier, switch to a caffeine-free pick-me-up in the afternoon, or just find an excuse for more quiet time to de-stress or chat with a friend, make Jiaogulan tea a part of your day.
Share your favorite tea rituals with us in the comments:
