So, it seems that the weather has just turned bitterly cold!

We fully accept that we’ve had a fantastically hot summer, so don’t think we’re complaining here.

Despite that we’re still holding out for that extra heatwave here at Takeaway Packaging HQ, which, apparently, is just around the corner…

Anyway, while the usual morning rounds of tea and coffee were being served up earlier this week, a conversation started up about the warming effects of a nice cuppa, brew, whatever you call a hot drink in your area.

It wasn’t long before this was bitterly contested debate and a curveball was thrown right into the mix along the lines of:

“Well if that’s true, how come hot drinks cool you down when you’re too hot!?”

Now, we like a bit of healthy debate, as does the next person, but what we like even more is mythbusting!

So is it true that hot drinks cool you down?

Well we did some research, and here’s what we found…

Allegedly, hot liquids kickstart your sweat glands, and it’s this trigger that causes our bodies to cool down.

Usually, scientific studies and journals will conclude, not-so-surprisingly, that cold drinks lower your core temperature, more than hot drinks, and you should opt for cold when feeling hot.

What is certain, however, is how important sweating is as a means to stay cool.

One angle of thought, purported by the University of Ottawa’s School of Human Kinetics, is that there are temperature-sensing receptors in the throat and on your tongue that can trigger sweating.

When detecting hot liquid, these receptors trigger the body’s natural cooling response.

In this respect, the hot liquid will contribute towards your body’s cooling mechanism and you’ll enter into a state of cool down, so yes, hot liquids will help to cool you down.

The important point to note here is whether your sweat will evaporate once produced.

If you’re in a particularly hot and humid environment, i.e. where the sweat won’t evaporate, then a hot drink won’t do the trick.

The reason being that sweat is a release of heat and if it’s being produced regardless, then the hot drink will have no additional impact and you’re better off sipping on something cold.

You are ‘cooler’ once you have sweated and the sweat has evaporated – wearing airy, breathable clothes will cater for this.

So, if you’re a bit hot, then drinking a hot cup of tea may serve you well in your quest to cool down.

But if you’re really hot, and there’s no chance of your sweat evaporating, then it’s not going to do anything.

So, in conclusion, it depends.

Iced coffee anyone?

Ultimately whether it’s hot or cold, sweltering or frozen, the drinks on offer year round don’t have to follow the normal conventions of the changing seasons.

A dynamic offering of drinks to enjoy in or to take away will keep customers coming back for more!

You could even try a completely contrarian approach and turn your seasonal offering completely on its head!

Get in touch today to chat about the many takeaway drinks businesses we’ve been helping, doing things a little different is bound to get you talked about!