Will Iced Coffee Keep You as Energized as Hot Coffee?

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, right alongside tea and beer, for some very good reasons. Coffee is delicious and can keep you energized during any kind of day. More importantly, coffee is extremely versatile with countless combinations of beans, brewing techniques, and additional ingredients.

Among these numerous varieties is a popular choice known as iced coffee – the ultimate summer coffee for many. It’s a cold refreshing beverage with all the benefits of regular hot coffee, but to what extent? Does iced coffee still have the same effect as hot coffee? Let’s find out.

Caffeine Content

It is the caffeine content of coffee that prevents you from feeling tired and sluggish. Now, some of you might be wondering if your favorite iced coffee will keep you as awake as a normal hot cup of joe. Luckily, many of you will be happy to find out that some variations of iced coffee actually have way more caffeine than your average cup of coffee. Turns out, it’s all about the brewing method.

If the iced coffee you are drinking is just regular hot coffee with some ice cubes in it, then you might be disappointed. While the caffeine content should be the same it may not be due to the ice often watering down the drink. But just between us, the difference isn’t anything to write home about.

On the other hand, a cold brew coffee will almost always have a high concentration of caffeine. This is because most cold brews are steeped for many hours at a time before being served. Sometimes cold brew is so concentrated that you have to dilute it with water.

Taste

Most of us can agree that iced coffee and hot coffee taste pretty similar during the first sip. But, you may notice the similarities dwindling as you continue to drink your coffee. Turns out, that several factors go into determining the taste of your coffee.

The first main reason is the temperature of the coffee, which creates an almost placebo effect on us while we drink. Most coffee drinkers will tell you that ice coffee is often much stronger and bitter-tasting than hot coffee, but this isn’t typically the case. Instead, we perceive ice coffee to be stronger in taste because it can sit in our mouths longer than hot coffee.

Melted ice cubes are the second major reason for the difference in taste as they dilute the coffee with water. This dilution is not enough to be very noticeable at first, but after a while, you will notice your coffee becoming more bland and watery.

Health Effects

We all know that too much caffeine can wreak havoc on our bodies by leaving us shaky, anxious, and nauseous. However, this risk is relatively low when ingesting caffeine in small doses. So don’t worry, both hot and iced coffee are safe as long as you keep it under four or five cups a day.

Also, here is a fact that might make any coffee enthusiast’s day: coffee has proven to have tons of health benefits! For instance, did you know that coffee can help fend off heart failure?