Hot Tea vs. Iced Tea: Which is Better?

Tea is a popular beverage in Vietnam and is recognized by many experts worldwide as a healthy drink. Tea contains many antioxidants that help boost the immune system, aid in weight loss, and prevent cancer.

When it comes to drinking tea, people often have the habit of either drinking it hot or cold. So, which type of tea offers more benefits?

Regarding the taste of tea: Cold beverages are usually less flavorful compared to when they are warm and create a refreshing, cooling sensation. If you want to fully enjoy the rich flavor of tea, you should choose hot tea. Although it is brewed with the same formula, ice will dilute the original tea.

Regarding the aroma: Hot tea releases more aroma as it steams. Cold tea is still aromatic but less fragrant. If you are concerned about the scent, hot tea is the choice for you. Moreover, when drinking hot tea, you can inhale the fragrance. So, this is very suitable for cold days.

Caffeine level: If you want less caffeine, you should drink iced tea, and vice versa because when you drink iced tea, you have diluted the tea more. Hot tea has a higher caffeine content because hot water extracts caffeine in a shorter time. Iced tea needs time to diffuse caffeine – a factor that helps you stay awake and focused. The amount of caffeine you consume during the day also depends on the number of cups of tea you drink, not whether it’s cold or hot.

Health benefits: Research has shown that refrigerated tea over a long period of time can provide more health benefits than soaking leaves in hot water. However, this difference is not significant.

Depending on the weather: We should drink hot tea when it’s cold to keep warm, and drink iced tea when it’s warm to cool the body and quench thirst.

Hydration: Iced tea, which is less concentrated, will have a higher water content. Therefore, it is great if you want to supplement water. Hot tea is more concentrated, sometimes making you thirstier.

Weight loss support: If you are on a weight loss journey, hot tea is a good choice. Hot tea helps break down fat, control appetite, and suppress hunger. Hot tea also contains fewer calories, so it will not affect your weight loss goals. However, if you drink it cold, you need to burn more calories inside your body to warm up the cold water, so the impact on weight loss lies in the quantity of tea you drink, not whether it’s cold or hot.

Antioxidant properties: Normally, when food is boiled, the nutrients are reduced, but in the case of tea, the difference is not significant. Both iced and hot tea contain the same amount of antioxidants, but the intake depends on the concentration of the tea you drink.

Therefore, whether to drink iced or hot tea often depends on personal preference and the season. In winter, you should drink hot tea instead of iced tea to avoid sore throat or irritation. However, you should not drink tea that is too hot, as it can be harmful to your esophagus. The esophagus is at risk of cancer when regularly consuming hot food and drinks over 65 degrees Celsius.

One thing to note when drinking iced tea is to pay attention to the ice to see if it is clean because sometimes the ice can be contaminated and cause digestive disorders or even dangerous bacterial infections.

Although tea has many health benefits, you should be careful not to drink too much tea and avoid drinking it near bedtime as it can make it difficult for you to sleep or have restless sleep.