Tea, or soft drinks, or water for refreshment? Hot, warm or cold? I don’t know if it makes a difference in practice, just preference in the moment.
For me, warm tea when cold, usually in the evenings. I try to stay away from the caffeind. Cool drinks when it is hot. On the trail, I usually don’t want to take the time to hassle with such as tea. All I need is just water, no matter what temperature…wet. I enjoy a cold iced drink on a hot day, but on the trail, it doesn’t seem to matter. Even the warm water, is wet and matches my temp.
At camp, tea is a treat, but later at night, it only creates the hassle of getting up out of the tent, and wandering around in the dark and often cold in the middle of the night. So, if it is comfortable enough to be naked, the temp in the mug doesn’t seem to be an issue.
When I am very thirsty on a hot day, I crave cold soda. I used to crave beer. When we got back from Romero and it was nearing 100 the other day, the water left in the car was HOT! I craved and bee lined to a fast food place for an iced soda, with mild caffiend. I saw a Mountain Dew, lemonade/ prickly pear thing called spike. We got two as a slushy. I have no idea what weird chemical concoction was in there with the sugar, but I figured once couldn’t hurt much. DF got an immediate brain freeze in our shared gluttonous state. I lucked out. I drank the whole thing and finished the other half of hers. It was cool and refreshing, so was the air-conditioner in the car.
Anybody have any science on this? The military must have some definitive study. I think that hydration is necessary, but the liquid’s temp becomes body temp in no time, once ingested. There is an initial jolt from the contrast, but....
Jbee
