Despite being made from same ingredients,both tea are so different than you might think. Both iced tea and hot tea have different benefits.Whichever you prefer,just go for the high quality one.Don’t settle for tea bags, go with lose leaf tea to get all the packed benefits, as most tea bags are made from leftover dust particles.Tea is drank for flavor and relaxation primarily. Don’t just drink a certain tea to get certain benefits,just drink it because you enjoy it or it soothes you.In this post we are discussing how both drinks differ and establish which is the right choice for you; if not both.
Iced Tea
Classic iced tea is made by steeping in hot water and then cooling, or cold brewing tea leaves in water and optionally lemon slices thrown in. After couple of hours or preferably overnight,the tea is filtered to remove the tea residue and lemon slices.Optional sweeter is added to your taste.It is served in ice cubes and garnished with a lemon slice and mint leaves.
Hot Tea
Hot tea is made by steeping tea in hot water,or boiling tea in water.Unlike iced tea,instead of hours it is let steep for a maximum of 5 minutes.It is served and enjoyed hot and steamy.Optional sweetening may be considered.
Differences Between Iced Tea and Hot Tea
Flavor: Generally colder drinks are less flavorful than their warm options.If you want the full tea taste and flavor go hot as iced tea is milder.Despite being made strong iced tea is normally watered down later.
Aromas: Hot tea is more aromatic since the heat activates essential compounds in tea and brings it all out at once, the intensity is what brings out the aroma.The aroma is also circulated out by the steam that rises from your cuppa.Cold tea however is aromatic as well but it is so subtle.If you care too much about aroma,hot tea is your choice here.
Caffeine Levels: If you want lower caffeine levels go for iced tea and if you want higher caffeine levels hot tea is the better choice.Hot tea has a higher level since hot water helps in extraction of caffeine over a shorter period.Iced or cold tea takes time to diffuse out the caffeine.
Brewing Temperatures: This is obvious from the names.Hot tea is made using warm water while iced tea is made from cold water(cold brewed) or initially hot water but then cooled later.Same as for serving; hot tea served hot while iced tea is served cold.
Health Benefits: Research shows cold brewing at a longer duration may have more health benefits than steeping your leaves in hot water.Note that the difference between is small to warrant a choice.
Weather: We drink hot tea when it is cold to help retain temperatures while we drink iced tea on warm weather to cool body temperature and quench as well.
Hydration: The lesser concentrated option means it has a high water ratio,thus good if you wanna hydrate.That will be iced tea for this case.Hot tea is mostly concentrated and ends up making you thirsty sometimes
Weight loss: If you are on a weight loss journey then hot tea is your choice.The hot tea helps in digestion by breaking down fats.Drinking hot tea also helps handle appetites thus suppressing hunger. Hot tea also is low in calories and thus wont work against your goals.
Antioxidant Levels: Heating generally reduces nutrients(by denaturing them) generally, but for the case of tea the difference is there yes, but not that significant.Both Iced and hot teas pack up alot of antioxidants.
Summary
Iced tea is good for you if you wanna twist tea in different flavors.Or if you wanna substitute unhealthy carbonated drinks.There are over 11 variations of iced tea.Iced tea refreshes you while hot tea calms and soothes you.Hot tea can also be twisted but not to the iced tea degree,maybe addition of spices,milk and citrus squeezes.Ultimately the choice of drink comes down to what you prefer or to what you are looking for in the drink.
