When it comes to iced versus hot coffee, conversations usually focus on personal taste. But what about health? Do the two versions of coffee affect the human body differently, and are the differences stark enough to warrant permanent changes in your caffeine consumption? To find out, HuffPost spoke with Dr. Majid Basit, a cardiologist with Memorial Hermann in Sugar Land, Texas.
Basit said there isn’t much research on the subject, but he did note one difference: “Hot coffee has been shown to have higher amounts of antioxidants, which may offer health advantages. But more research needs to be done,” he added.
But what if you’re looking to get an extra boost of caffeine? That’s when things get tricky. Caffeine is extremely variable in brewed coffee and depends on a variety of factors, including the beans used. Though a 2020 study by the American Chemical Society found that levels than cold brew methods, it’s important to note that the differences were not big enough to overcome the variables mentioned above.
To recap: An average cup of hot coffee boasts slightly more antioxidants and approximately the same amount of caffeine as its colder counterpart. Overall, studies have not revealed major differences in how the human body reacts to the two forms of java. Hot or cold, coffee seems to generally be good for you.
There is, however, one characteristic of a warm cup of joe that majorly differentiates it from a cold brew, and it doesn’t have anything to do with consumption: the smell of hot coffee.