Bad Weather Survival Guide for Coffee Lovers

The temperature is dropping, the coffee is coming.

Winter is starting to show its teeth this year, with repeated waves of bad weather – and from the looks of it, the snowy days are upon us. In the fog, the low temperatures, the rains and the sleet, we can find a valuable ally: coffee!

Our favorite habit is truly a glove in winter: who can imagine anything better for the cold than a mug of steaming coffee? We gathered do's and don'ts, facts and tips and made a little bad weather survival guide for coffee lovers!



Bad Weather Survival Guide for Coffee Lovers

Hot coffee in the cold hydrates: Despite what is sometimes heard about the relationship between coffee and dehydration (something that has been accepted very persistently as a myth) the truth is that when temperatures drop below 10 degrees Celsius, hot liquids such as is coffee, they help a lot in the proper hydration of the body. Coffee (or tea) does not "warm" us, in the sense that beyond the momentary relief it does not cause an increase in our body temperature, but it keeps our body hydrated and strong.

Coffee helps to shield the immune system: Along with the cold and staying in closed spaces, respiratory viruses usually come. Coffee, containing a multitude of beneficial ingredients for the human body, is proven to help stimulate the immune system, something especially useful in the winter months. It is understood, of course, that this is not a panacea and that hygiene conditions and related precautions must be observed reverently, but it remains a useful boost.

Can we keep drinking coffee when we're sick: A hot drink certainly helps us feel better when we're sick – so why not a coffee? With the exception of gastrointestinal viruses (especially if they cause diarrhea and vomiting) there is no winter virus for which coffee is contraindicated. A cup of hot coffee can be as soothing as a cup of hot tea, plus it's clear and invigorating. Be careful not to overdo it, because good sleep also helps recovery.

An Irish Coffee will warm us up, but in moderation: If there's one coffee that can be claimed as 'winter', it's none other than Irish Coffee: is there anything better for the cold than hot coffee with Irish whiskey? The truth is that all alcoholic coffees of this type are ideal allies for the cold weather, as long as we treat them as... drinks and not as coffees. We drink in moderation and responsibly, we avoid driving, and we don't treat the cold as an excuse to drink more.

Watch the calories: Many times, coffees marketed as winter are caloric bombs, as they are loaded with syrups, whipped cream, sugar, chocolate and everything else imaginable. By drinking such a "coffee", we get the calories we would get from a piece of galaktoburek. It's not bad to indulge once in a while, but the cold does not justify daily coffees - blockbusters. A hot coffee, with or without milk, with a drop of alcohol now and then, is the same and more wintery.

Spices flavor coffee and heat it up: Not a few coffee cultures use spices to flavor their coffee. Beyond the winter, cozy feeling, and wonderful aromas, a few spices in the coffee help to create a feeling of warmth. Cinnamon like in Mexico, cardamom like in the Arab countries, ginger like in Asia, even if it has a real cold, cocoa and hot pepper, from the heart of Central America. Winter is an opportunity to make our coffee different and a little spicier.



We are not afraid of bad weather and their imaginative names – with a mug of hot coffee in hand, we can face the cold and the snow.