[Drinking] Drink temperature

[Is it PotG?]

Whether it be an ice cold lager beer or a piping hot cup of tea...warm beer and tepid tea are a no no.
Is this purely psychological or is there science involved?

 

[Whoislloydy]

Cold coffee I like iced coffee, but a coffee that's just sat there and gone cold as a huge no.

 

[Guinness Boy]

2 minute job.

Let me ChatGPT that for you.

The temperature of drinks matters for scientific, sensory, and psychological reasons—each influencing how we experience taste, aroma, refreshment, and even digestion. Here’s a breakdown:

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Scientific Reasons​

1. Molecular Volatility:
   • Warmer drinks release more aromatic compounds, making smells (which are closely tied to taste) stronger.
   • That’s why hot coffee or tea smells more intense than iced versions.
2. Taste Perception Changes:
   • Sweetness and bitterness are affected by temperature. Cold temperatures can mute sweetness and enhance bitterness in some drinks (like beer or coffee).
   • Warm drinks might taste sweeter and smoother.

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Sensory Experience​

1. Texture & Mouthfeel:
   • Temperature affects how thick or thin a drink feels. For example, milk feels richer when warm, thinner when cold.
2. Carbonation:
   • Cold drinks hold carbonation better. That’s why soda or beer goes flat faster when warm.
3. Expected Flavor Profiles:
   • Our brains are trained to expect certain drinks at certain temperatures. Warm orange juice feels wrong, and so does cold tomato soup.

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Psychological & Cultural Factors​

1. Contextual Comfort:
   • We reach for cold drinks when hot, and warm drinks when cold. This ties into cultural and physical comfort.
2. Health & Digestion:
   • Some traditions (like Traditional Chinese Medicine or Ayurveda) promote warm drinks for digestion.
   • Cold drinks might slow digestion slightly by constricting blood vessels in the stomach lining.

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Example Comparisons:​

Drink	Cold	Hot
Coffee	Bitter, less aromatic	Rich, aromatic
Beer	Crisp, refreshing	Flat, odd
Tea	Mild, muted flavor	Bold, complex
Water	Refreshing, thirst-quenching	Soothing (if warm)

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If you tell me the type of drink you're thinking about, I can explain specifically why its temperature matters!

 

[GT49er]

Whether it be an ice cold lager beer or a piping hot cup of tea...warm beer and tepid tea are a no no.
Is this purely psychological or is there science involved?

Warm beer is fine (although I am something of a heretic because I keep my beer in the fridge: McEwan's Champion - very cold? Can't be beat!)

Tepid tea is just your penance for ignoring it while it was still hot.

 

[Weststander]

Tea or coffee …. I don’t mind at any temp.

Lager …. I don’t care that much for the hops taste in itself which seems stronger when warm, but ice cold its the perfect drink, especially in hot weather. The closing scene here sums up its beauty

 

[The Clamp]

Can’t drink ice cold beer. Prefer it just below room temperature.

Don’t like any ice cold drinks really. Gives me bad reflux which is incredibly bad for you and very uncomfortable.

I love getting the sweet spot with tea. Still hot but cool enough to take a decent gulp.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

It depends what I'm doing. Sitting around indoors, hot tea and coffee, but not scalding. Alcoholic beverages, cold but not icy.
if I'm working on something, the tea or coffee is usually cold when I get to drink it

 

[Brovion]

Whether it be an ice cold lager beer or a piping hot cup of tea...warm beer and tepid tea are a no no.
Is this purely psychological or is there science involved?

Oooh, I'm going to take issue with you on 'warm beer', as you have to define 'warm'. Lagers etc, yes, got to be ice cold, but I hate it when pubs serve the likes of Harveys that seem to have come from a freezer. (And yes, I'm sure that's a whole debate as to which temperature specific beers should be served at). You can have the same argument about wine as well - and warm Coca Cola is undrinkable.

Agree about the tea.

 

[ROSM]

Cold coffee I like iced coffee, but a coffee that's just sat there and gone cold as a huge no.

I love cold coffee

As to the wider point, drink temp is usually driven by the ambient temp. I only really drink colder alcohol like lager and cider in warm weather. Ale all year round. Red wine most of the year but white /rose in summer.

Ironically I prefer hot coffee in hot weather I.e. abroad. Think it must be the chai /India thing in my mind where drinking it seems to cool you down

Don't drink tea much if at all now

Have started drinking cacao which has to be warm

 

[Blue&WhiteSea]

 

[Peteinblack]

Warm beer is fine (although I am something of a heretic because I keep my beer in the fridge: McEwan's Champion - very cold? Can't be beat!)

Tepid tea is just your penance for ignoring it while it was still hot.

 

[5Ways Gull]

Prefer lager ice cold, darker beers e.g. keg bitter or porter/stout just below room temperature.
Think a quality lager can still have complex flavours at a low temperature, e.g. Pilsner Urqell, but I find darker beers lose their flavour when too cold.
I think this is more down to my personal taste rather than any scientific reason, I
don't really like beer with food but know lots of people who do.