Why drinking hot coffee might be better for your body, even during the summer
Every summer morning, the urge to down a tall glass of iced coffee right after waking up would hit me like a train. Iced coffee was not just a beverage I enjoyed; it had become a part of who I was. I'd find myself reaching for multiple glasses of ice-cold coffee throughout the day, thinking it would help me keep cool. But for some reason, last summer, that effect didn't last as much as the unsettling restlessness I was getting from all the caffeine. It started making me jittery all over. I was left feeling dehydrated and my caffeine consumption had reached alarmingly high rates. So I cut back on the amount and returned to my trusty cup of hot coffee in summer.
Why hot coffee can feel more satisfying than iced coffee
“Hot coffee is easier to digest, supports circulation and aligns better with the body’s natural digestive fire,” says Payal Kothari, a Mumbai-based gut health nutritionist, author of The Gut and founder of GutAvatar. “Iced coffee, on the other hand, can slow digestion and constrict blood vessels, particularly in individuals with sensitive guts, bloating or sluggish metabolism.” Which explained why my beloved iced coffee didn't feel as harmless as it looked. It was cold, convenient and Instagram-friendly, but my stomach seemed to have other opinions.
We're more likely to sip hot coffee slowly, but are quick to guzzle down iced coffee. According to Luke Coutinho, an integrative lifestyle expert, this is the real challenge. “Coffee is a physiological stimulant and can irritate digestion in sensitive individuals, especially when consumed the wrong way.” Slower sips can help not only keep your gut happy, but also with high-stress levels and anxiety that some of us might experience when consuming caffeine.
How does hot coffee help us function better?
“Cold brew is usually steeped for longer and may have a higher caffeine content,” explains Coutinho. “Because it tastes smoother and less bitter, many people drink more of it without realising how much caffeine they are consuming. This can aggravate anxiety, jitters, acidity, dehydration and poor sleep in some people."
"Hot coffee tends to offer a more balanced and sustained energy release. The warmth improves blood flow and supports nervous system activation without shocking the system,” adds Kothari. “From a functional medicine lens, warm fluids signal the body to 'wake up gently,' supporting focus, clarity and metabolic efficiency, especially when consumed in the morning.”
How hot coffee can help cool us down
My strangest discovery, however, was that hot coffee didn’t make summer feel worse. In some ways, it made the heat feel easier to sit with. As a child, it always amazed me to see my parents drink garam chai in the intolerable Indian heat. Turns out, desis had it right.
“When we consume something hot, it leads to vasodilation of blood vessels, which is the expansion of the blood vessels and that leads to dissipation of the heat. Our skin's blood vessels dilate and heat dissipates. This is the usual way by which our body cools off in the summer,” explains Dr Prashant Makhija, neurologist at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai. “It sounds counterintuitive, but hot drinks can actually help regulate body temperature,” adds Nmami Agarwal, a Delhi-based nutritionist and founder of Nmami Life. “Warm beverages trigger a mild sweating response, which promotes natural cooling as sweat evaporates.”
Of course, this is not a breakup letter to iced coffee. It's more of a boundary-setting exercise. Iced coffee isn't inherently bad, as per Coutinho. “Many iced coffees today are loaded with sugar, syrups, whipped cream, artificial sweeteners and processes creamers. A sugar loaded iced coffee behaves very differently from a simple brewed coffee. That combination can affect blood sugar balance, gut health, inflammation, appetite and energy levels,” he elaborates.
“A simple iced coffee without sugar load or additives can absolutely be part of a balanced routine,” according to Agarwal. If you still prefer cold coffee over a steaming hot mug, remember to keep it simple and control the amount you consume.
What is the best way to consume coffee?
“The best way to have coffee is one that supports both energy and metabolic balance, not just a quick caffeine hit,” according to Agarwal. “Freshly brewed warm coffee is better for extraction of antioxidants. Along with that coffee should be timed smartly. Ideally after your first meal or mid-morning, rather than on an empty stomach or alongside meals in order to reduce cortisol spikes and acidity.”
I didn’t give up iced coffee altogether; I simply stopped treating it like hydration and started treating caffeine like something that needed structure. I cut back to one or two cups of hot coffee in summer, had my first cup after breakfast instead of immediately after waking up and swapped the constant refills for water through the day. Slowly, the shaky, over-caffeinated feeling began to fade. I felt less wired, less dehydrated and more evenly energised—proof that, at least for me, the answer wasn’t quitting coffee, but learning how to drink it better.