Hot Coffee may be more cooling during a hot day than an iced one!

And yet, the secret to cope with the heatwave can be a hot espresso!

During the summer, most of us are looking for frozen drinks - and if we're coffee enthusiasts, our mind goes straight to a delicious Freddo Espresso, an ice cold Cold Brew or even a classic Greek frappe. However, despite the popularity of frozen coffees in our country, the truth is that a hot drink - in this case, a hot coffee - is actually more refreshing than a coffee that is packed with ice cubes!

György Buzsáki, professor of neurology at New York University Medical School, says: "When I was vacationing in Turkey, visiting one of the dozens of bazaars, a merchant, watching me tired and sweating, invited me for a drink. To my great surprise, instead of an ice-cream refreshment he offered me a steaming Arabic coffee, insisting that it would make me feel better. Miraculously, the sweat disappeared and I felt rejuvenated. Impressed, Professor Buzsáki studied the phenomenon when he returned to his university.

Although it seems strange based on common sense, this phenomenon has a scientific explanation and has to do with how the human body absorbs the external temperatures in comparison with each other and is called allodynia. According to the mechanism of allodynia, the human body can tolerate a warmer temperature more easily if it comes in contact with another hotter, while the same may happen (albeit less loudly) and with cold temperatures.

Returning to the coffee world, if the outside temperature is, for example, 38 ° C, a frozen coffee, although it will temporarily quench us and cool us because of allodynia can make the environment look even hotter than it really is. Instead, a cup of hot coffee can make the outside temperature look more tolerable, thanks to the same mechanism.

Apart from this strange phenomenon of temperature perception, the consumption of hot coffee stimulates the nerves that carry the sensation of temperature from the stomach to the brain, which gives a "signal" to the body to produce more sweat. So, after an initial "shock" in which the sweat glands are actively activated, we feel more cool, as the basic function of sweat secretion is to shed the temperature and cool the human body.

Of course, a number of other factors have to be taken into account, most notably the consumption of each drink: cold coffee is consumed quickly and often on the go, which does not help the body to lower its temperature and rest. Conversely, hot coffee is consumed more slowly, usually in the shade, which enables the human body to relax, regain strength and adapt to external conditions more easily.

This is probably the reason why hot coffee remains popular even in countries with hot climates and hot summers such as Italy or the Arab countries. Although in Italy there are frozen coffee makers such as Shakerato or Granita De Café, it is true that the Italians do not stop to consume hot espressos nor the days of the heat, while in the Arab countries where the temperature can rise too high during the summer, hot coffee and hot tea are the most common drinks during the day.

Our friend who drinks hot espresso during the heatwave is not the "weird" of the company - maybe he has just found a way to face the heat, enjoying a delicious and enjoyable coffee!