How is it better to drink herbal tea: hot or cold?

Did you know that in the heat it is better to drink moderately hot herbal tea, but in the cold, on the contrary, you should not? It would seem a paradox, but there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this.

Hot tea, drunk at the height of a hot day, dilates blood vessels and increases sweating, forcing the body to give off heat more efficiently, i.e. cool down. However, cold drinks in hot weather may give a false signal: “Everything is fine, cool and blissful!” They deceive us, lowering the body temperature very quickly, but for a short time. Sweating is reduced and the cooling effect is negligible.

Well, then when to drink cold herbal tea, and, with ice? If you fancy this option, enjoy ice-cold beverages in a comfortable atmosphere (not hot and not cold), relaxing and not rushing anywhere, for instance, in the shade. Drink slowly – save your throat. And don’t eat hot food with iced tea. This is great for a dessert.

Now let’s clarify the other part of the paradox. Why is it not recommended to warm up with hot drinks in the cold? After all, many people do it! And in vain. Cold constricts blood vessels,while hot food and drinks expand them sharply, and the cardiovascular system experiences an increased load. Sweating in frosty weather is very unhealthy either. Tooth enamel also suffers, becoming covered with microcracks.

Yet, cold in the cold is not healthy either. How to act? Take warm herbal tea with you outside in a thermos. It will both warm, and will not cause an increased load on the natural mechanism of thermoregulation. If you add honey (it goes well with thyme-based herbal mixes, for example, from the Chayane collection), then the body will also get a dose of glucose, which will restore strength and give an additional boost of cheerfulness.

To keep warm, choose herbal teas with “hot” spices like cloves and cinnamon. Even tea at room temperature containing them seems burning!

How about hot tea in winter? It is permissible. When you return home from the cold, get undressed and warmed up a little, that’s when you can sit quietly with a cup of hot herbal mix, feeling the blissful warmth spreading through your body. However, do not forget that too hot tea (above 55º C) should not be drunk in any weather, as it is harmful for the stomach, throat, and tooth enamel.

Moreover, there are a couple of other interesting things. If you add honey, the ideal temperature for the drink is 30-35º C. The fact is that at a higher temperature, honey begins to lose its beneficial properties.

Do not drink too hot herbal tea, which contains ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom. If the drink is burning, the taste of spices simply will not open, it will be lost. These spices themselves are pungent – which gives a special pleasure to the gourmet.

Also keep in mind that bitter tastes are felt more strongly at low temperatures, and sour and tart tastes at high temperatures. So if, for example, herbal tea, because of citrus fruits or berries, seems sour to you, drink it warm or cold, like juice. And if there is strong black tea in the herbal blend, then, most likely, it will be tastier if it is hot.