Hot or cold tea: which is better?

Hot or cold tea: which is better?

Hot VS Cold: How to brew tea to get the most benefit?

Can't imagine your day without a cup of tea? We also! But did you think that the way you brew tea directly affects immunity: it can destroy the amount of antioxidants, raise or lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of stomach cancer. In this article, we analyze the scientific arguments about how it is better to drink tea: cold or hot

Structure of the article:

• types of tea

• nutritional value of tea

• the effect of hot tea on mental health

• tea and metabolism

• the risks of hot tea

• coldbrew tea - a cold method of brewing tea

• sources

How to drink tea depends on the type of tea. Example:

• Black Tea

• Green tea

• Matcha green tea

• White tea

• Oolong

• Puerh

• The so-called "herbal tea"

If we are talking about hot tea, there are a number of studies that confirm the benefits of hot tea (hot brew) regardless of its type. How so?

Traditionally, we brew tea in this format: we take leaves, fill them with water, then the leaves are removed and we drink what is traditionally called tea. In fact, we do not consume the tea leaves themselves, and therefore receive only a small benefit from the nutritional properties that are in the leaves themselves. Exception: matcha tea, because in this case we use the ground tea leaves, and therefore the benefits of the product are maximum. We wrote more about what matcha is in this article

So, for example, a 30-ml cup of tea contains almost no calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber

Accordingly, the vitamins and minerals in traditional tea will be in very low concentrations, but will vary depending on the type of tea you consume.

It is also worth taking into account the sugar or other sweeteners that you add (or not) to the tea, because this changes the KBJU of the drink.

Hot tea - useful or not?

Despite the fact that some sources say that the temperature of the tea is unimportant, this is refuted by scientific research. Hot drinks, including tea, have a positive effect on mental health.

Mental health

The concept of psychological "warmth" is a positive feeling and trust in another person. When you feel that a person has good intentions towards you, we call it "warmth".

In one study, where participants were asked to briefly hold a cup of hot or cold coffee before rating a stranger on how "warm they felt" toward them, the temperature of the drink significantly affected their perceptions. Those who briefly held a cup of warm coffee tended to rate the stranger as significantly more trustworthy.

Weight control

Studies that have tested the effects of drinking hot tea have found that it can be beneficial for weight management. People who regularly drank hot tea had smaller waist circumferences and lower body mass index (BMI). The reason for this is the effect of hot tea on the metabolism, which it accelerates.

Potential risks of hot tea

Unfortunately, studies have also shown at least one serious health risk from hot tea. In particular, the link between esophageal cancer and hot tea.

Esophageal cancer

A study in Iran involving more than 50,000 participants found that people who drank two to three cups of hot black tea a day were twice as likely to develop esophageal cancer. Those at greatest risk were those who drank tea at a temperature of 140˚ F (60˚ C) or higher.

It is risky to drink tea that has just been brewed, and as you understood, it is not only about burns of the oral cavity. Allow the tea to cool for at least 5 minutes before drinking. If you like to add milk to your tea, this will also help to lower the temperature of the drink.

The cold method of brewing tea is coldbrew tea

If the previous paragraph confused you, you can think about switching to coldbrew tea. There are a number of studies that have shown that steeping tea in cold water provides the same antioxidant and nutritional benefits in most cases. Vniatok - white tea. It has increased antioxidant properties if soaked in cold water instead of hot. That is, if you are thinking about coldbrew tea - choose white tea to get the maximum benefit.

 Sources:

 Cancer Research UK: “Headlines saying 'hot tea causes esophageal cancer' miss crucial details.”
 
ESHA Research, Inc., Salem, Oregon: “Tea, brewed w/tap water.”

 European Journal of Nutrition: “Tea Consumption is Inversely Associated with Weight Status and Other Markers for Metabolic Syndrome in US Adults.”

 Food Chemistry: “Hot vs. cold water steeping of different teas: Do they affect antioxidant activity?”

 Journal of Food Composition and Analysis: “Antioxidant activity of different white teas: Comparison of hot and cold tea infusions.”

 NHS: “Drinking Very Hot Tea Linked With Risk of 1 Type of Oesophageal Cancer.”

 Science: “Experiencing Physical Warmth Promotes Interpersonal Warmth.”