How many hot beverages do you drink a day?

[Calizzy]

I was never a coffee drinker until a few years ago. I started drinking decaf coffee about 5 years ago. Recently I have added Harney and Sons Paris tea. Last winter I drank either a cup of decaf coffee or a cup of black tea every day. This season I have been wanting 2 a day. I'm wondering- am I becoming addicted to hot drinks? Even if I am, is that a problem? How many hot drinks do you have per day? How many is too many? In the tea, I put 1 or 2 sugar cubes and some 1% milk. In the coffee I use sugar and 1/2 and 1/2. My concern is not so much the cream and sugar content, more just feeling like I can't go a day without. 

[fairfarmhand]

When it's cold, usually 2 coffee in the morning, a cappuccino around lunchtime, and often hot herbal tea before bed. 

Have you thought about herbal teas with no caffeine? For me it's as much the warmth and coziness of a cuppa as it is the caffeine.  I use stevia in my coffee.

[Indigo Blue]

Maybe two unsweetened herbal teas in a small 10 oz Yeti so it stays hot. 

[Catwoman]

I drink hot drinks all day long and most of them are caffeinated with sugar. I use milk in my tea and I use half-and-half in my coffee. I use my milk frother for cappuccinos and lattes.

I have never actually counted how many cups of tea and coffee I drink during the day, but I would say at least five or more in total. 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Catwoman

[Indigo Blue]

1 minute ago, Catwoman said:

I drink hot drinks all day long and most of them are caffeinated with sugar. I use milk in my tea and I use half-and-half in my coffee.

I have never actually counted how many cups of tea and coffee I drink during the day, but I would say at least five or more in total.

So that’s about 40 oz per day in coffee/tea? How much more do you drink other than that? Like, say, water or other? I struggle to stay hydrated. 

[regentrude]

2 cups of coffee in the morning,  every day.

In winter, a cup of tea early in the afternoon and a mug of herbal tea in the evening. 

I don't see why hot beverages would be a problem.  It's the most efficient way of heating the body.

Eta: I  need my morning coffee to ward off migraines,  but the tea is just for the ritual. I have no issue with needing the morning coffee; why not.

Edited November 1, 2023 by regentrude

[Catwoman]

Just now, Indigo Blue said:

So that’s about 40 oz per day in coffee/tea? How much more do you drink other than that? Like, say, water or other? I struggle to stay hydrated. 

Oh, it’s way more than 40 oz per day because I use BIG mugs! 😂

I drink around 3 bottles of bottled water a day, too — more in hot weather when I want more cold drinks. 

I don’t actively plan out my hydration, so I don’t keep exact track of anything

[Miss Tick]

I probably drink 5 or 6. Generally they are all without sweetener or creamer or any kind, which makes it easier on my conscience to indulge. The first 2 or 3 are half-caff coffee, the rest are usually black tea. Although this week will see a few hot apple ciders. When I was homeschooling my dc would sometimes laugh at me for just drinking plain hot water from the microwave. Hey! It keeps my hands and my belly warm! 😀

[Arcadia]

I drink around 6 cups of coffee per day, probably drank close to 18oz when I wake up and get everyone ready for school/work. I tend to drink hot chocolate for supper because I feel cold. DS18 is as scared of cold as me so he drinks warm ginger tea, chamomile  tea, chrysanthemum tea and the occasional cup of coffee. He is more of a tea drinker but likes a warm cup of coffee latte to warm himself occasionally. We sometimes drink cups of miso soup as supper. 

[Catwoman]

2 minutes ago, regentrude said:

2 cups of coffee in the morning,  every day.

In winter, a cup of tea early in the afternoon and a mug of herbal tea in the evening. 

I don't see why hot beverages would be a problem.  It's the most efficient way of heating the body.

I agree. It’s not like hot drinks are addictive in any kind of harmful way.

If she was concerned about caffeine, it would be different, but Calizzy seems to mainly drink decaf. 

[gardenmom5]

normally, zero

sometimes I'll have a cup of peppermint tea.
or yogi's throat comfort.  yum.

[kirstenhill]

For me, a minimum of 1 a day year round (cup of coffee or homemade latte in the morning).  During the cold months, 2-3 per day - usually extra cups of hot tea, and sometimes a second cup of coffee.

[ScoutTN]

1-2 cups of coffee in the morning. Always.

1-2 cups of hot tea later in the day in the winter. Often, not always.
 

[Spryte]

3 cups in the morning (our cups are not huge — maybe 5-6 oz each).

1-2 in the early afternoon or if friends come for coffee.

Occasional larger mug of tea at night.

I don’t see why hot drinks would be a problem — it’s more about what’s in the cup, I would think.

[Pawz4me]

26 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

So that’s about 40 oz per day in coffee/tea? How much more do you drink other than that? Like, say, water or other? I struggle to stay hydrated. 

Coffee and tea are hydrating. It's a myth that caffeine causes dehydration. There's a ton of info to back that up, but here's one study.

I drink about 50 ounces of coffee a day (1/3 decaf, 2/3 full caff) plus several cups of water. Mostly I drink coffee just because I like it so much, and if I'm being totally truthful because it helps me maintain my weight by keeping me somewhat full and satisfying the hand-to-mouth need. And I'll just throw this out FWIW--I've never had a UTI. My female relatives are amazed and think I won some sort of genetic lottery in that regard. And maybe I did. But I do think how much I drink has something to do with it. 

[Laura Corin]

Five large mugs of tea: two caffeinated, the rest decaff.  The mug is about 400ml, so that's 2 litres of tea.

Edited November 1, 2023 by Laura Corin

[Ali in OR]

Usually 1 drink--my morning mocha which is 1.25 cups heated milk with a Starbuck's Via instant coffee mixed in and a scant 2 Tbs Torani sugar free dark chocolate sauce. It is good for my mental health for sure! There will be days when there is a cup of tea in the afternoon or evening, but not many.

Edited November 1, 2023 by Ali in OR

[stephanier.1765]

None, probably because I live in Florida. I've never like tea or coffee so it's a good thing I don't live in the northern states. But I don't see why hot drinks in particular would be bad. Maybe if it was a lot of caffeine that was interrupting your sleep but other than that I think your okay with whatever you want.

 

[alysee]

I drink 2-3 cups. Coffee or tea is my go-to but usually it's coffee with cream and stevia.

[Indigo Blue]

52 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

Oh, it’s way more than 40 oz per day because I use BIG mugs! 😂

I drink around 3 bottles of bottled water a day, too — more in hot weather when I want more cold drinks. 

I don’t actively plan out my hydration, so I don’t keep exact track of anything

I think that’s plenty. Maybe I should try to drink more hot drinks all day like that. 

[Indigo Blue]

25 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Coffee and tea are hydrating. It's a myth that caffeine causes dehydration. There's a ton of info to back that up, but here's one study.

I drink about 50 ounces of coffee a day (1/3 decaf, 2/3 full caff) plus several cups of water. Mostly I drink coffee just because I like it so much, and if I'm being totally truthful because it helps me maintain my weight by keeping me somewhat full and satisfying the hand-to-mouth need. And I'll just throw this out FWIW--I've never had a UTI. My female relatives are amazed and think I won some sort of genetic lottery in that regard. And maybe I did. But I do think how much I drink has something to do with it. 

Hmmm… I didn’t know caffeine was considered to be dehydrating. I would drink it if I could. It makes me feel amazing. If I did, I would count that as part of my daily hydration. I wouldn’t think about that so much if I didn’t drink so little during the day. I can go and go and realize I’ve had nothing to drink because I don’t feel thirsty. 

[Boymama5]

During the summer 1-3, during the winter 2-4. Typically 1-2 cups of coffee with stevia and 2 tbsp of creamer. Then the other 1-2 is tea with stevia.  
I also drive water throughout the day but warm drinks in the winter are just needed and comforting!

[Clarita]

All day long in the winter time, but I realized I just want a warm drink. So I do substitute most of the caffeinated tea drink for warm water. Occasionally chicken soup because honestly that's what I really want.

[marbel]

What is your actual concern? It doesn't sound like it's caffeine since you drink decaf. Is is the temperature itself - hot drink vs cold? 

Typically I drink 1-2 cups of hot coffee in the morning (probably 8-10 ounce mugs). In cold weather, I'll have an afternoon cup or two of coffee or tea - tea could be herbal or black, caf or decaf, depends on what I want and what we have.  Some evenings I'll have another hot tea, if after dinner it's always decaf or herbal/no caffeine.  Sometimes I add some whisky to it. (In hot weather I drink iced coffee all day.)

My morning coffee has half and half or heavy cream, and about 2 teaspoons (give or take) of unsweetened cocoa powder. I use a milk frother to incorporate the cocoa. No sugar except on a very rare occasion or if I'm in a cafe that has exceptionally good mocha lattes (meaning low on sugar, high on bitterness). 

I know this is way more than the question asked.

What I'm really curious is: what is the concern? Caffeine, temperature of the drink, or just general addiction? 

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by marbel

[Malory]

7 minutes ago, marbel said:

What I'm really curious is: what is the concern? Caffeine, temperature of the drink, or just general addiction? 

I've burned the roof of my mouth and my throat more than a few times from sipping practically boiling water. I must have developed a "callused" mouth now as I can tolerate super hot liquid.

[Jaybee]

I drink decaf coffee and/or tea off and on most of the day. Sometimes I put some 2% or coconut milk in the coffee, sometimes I put stevia in the tea. But mostly I just like drinking something warm in the winter.

[Harriet Vane]

I have a cup of tea in the morning, and I also have one most afternoons. Sometimes there is caffeine and often there is not. Sometimes I might have an herbal tisane in the evening. I don't think there needs to be any concern about hot drinks throughout the day unless you are worried about caffeine content--and if you are, then choose decaf.

[Spryte]

23 minutes ago, Malory said:

I've burned the roof of my mouth and my throat more than a few times from sipping practically boiling water. I must have developed a "callused" mouth now as I can tolerate super hot liquid.

Pro tip for those people like us (callused mouths 🤣) who might not yet know — if you must go to Starbucks, you can order drinks “extra hot.” 

[Pam in CT]

3 cups of full strength coffee over the course of most mornings.  Just black, no cream or sweetener.

I cut off caffeine at 11a, but like pp I really like the *emotion* of hot beverages, so I drink mint or ginger or various other herb teas, or hot water with lemon, or in a pinch just plain hot water, into the afternoon and evening, particularly in the colder short-daylight months. For me the physical feeling of my hand curled around a steaming mug is deeply soothing and relaxing, it doesn't much matter what's in the mug.

[Catwoman]

25 minutes ago, Pam in CT said:

3 cups of full strength coffee over the course of most mornings.  Just black, no cream or sweetener.

I cut off caffeine at 11a, but like pp I really like the *emotion* of hot beverages, so I drink mint or ginger or various other herb teas, or hot water with lemon, or in a pinch just plain hot water, into the afternoon and evening, particularly in the colder short-daylight months. For me the physical feeling of my hand curled around a steaming mug is deeply soothing and relaxing, it doesn't much matter what's in the mug.

I feel the same way about the steaming mug! I wish I liked more of the herbal teas, but I have tried so many and can never seem to find one that I like enough to drink more than occasionally. I also don't like decaf "regular" tea because it always seems too weak, so I end up drinking a LOT of caffeinated drinks every day. Fortunately, they don't seem to affect my sleep, but it would be nice to have more hot drinks that I like, just for some variety.

[Melissa in Australia]

Zero

I only drink room temperature water. 

[Wheres Toto]

I'm not sure why the temperature of the drinks would be a problem.  I'd worry about caffeine or sugar or something but not temperature.

I drink two 24 ounce cups of tea in the morning.  I make a very strongly brewed pot of tea using one black teabag and one green teabag for my 2 cups.

In the winter, I may have another cup of either hot cocoa or tea in the evening or during the day.  I now have a Keurig at work and I bought some good hot cocoa flavors so it may go up once the air is cold enough to counteract my menopausal running warm.  

I drink about three 24 ounce bottles of water/cold drinks a day.  I mix in an Emergen-C Immune for my first 24 ounces at work, then when I drink that down half-way or so, I add more water.    Water with dinner, water until bedtime. 

[KSera]

2 hours ago, Malory said:

I've burned the roof of my mouth and my throat more than a few times from sipping practically boiling water. I must have developed a "callused" mouth now as I can tolerate super hot liquid.

 

12 minutes ago, Wheres Toto said:

I'm not sure why the temperature of the drinks would be a problem.  I'd worry about caffeine or sugar or something but not temperature.

There's actually research showing a correlation between drinking piping hot beverages frequently and esophageal cancer. The nature of the research means confounding factors can't be ruled out, but it's concerning enough that I don't drink mine boiling hot.

[4kidlets4me]

Every morning I have 2-3 cups of coffee with a splash of cashew milk no sweetener.

In the fall/winter I also have 4-6 cups of herbal "tea", bone broth, water with lemon, hot apple cider, hot chocolate etc. I live where it's cold and gloomy all winter and I am always cold so I like a hot steamy mug of something all day long. There is no caffeine in any of my afternoon/evening drinks unless I have hot chocolate. Depending on what I'm drinking there might be some honey in there too. 

[Malory]

43 minutes ago, KSera said:

There's actually research showing a correlation between drinking piping hot beverages frequently and esophageal cancer. The nature of the research means confounding factors can't be ruled out, but it's concerning enough that I don't drink mine boiling hot.

Yikes! Thank you. You've scared me enough towards changing this potentially harmful habit. 

[Carrie12345]

1-2. I’d drink a whole pot of coffee if my tachycardia and anxiety would let me anymore!

[Chelli]

Zero

I've never liked hot drinks or hot soups (I love soup, but I just want it warm) for that matter. 

[KungFuPanda]

2-4, up to 6 in cold weather. I don’t like coffee, but I drink black tea with milk and sugar, plain green tea, herbals, hot water with lemon juice and honey, and cocoa. 
 

Currently I’m working through a sea salt cocoa from Trader Joe’s that’s going to be a whole problem. 

[Arcadia]

1 hour ago, KSera said:

There's actually research showing a correlation between drinking piping hot beverages frequently and esophageal cancer. The nature of the research means confounding factors can't be ruled out, but it's concerning enough that I don't drink mine boiling hot.

 

23 minutes ago, Malory said:

Yikes! Thank you. You've scared me enough towards changing this potentially harmful habit. 

Hot food too. I heard about the studies when I was a kid.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22296354/#:~:text=Conclusion%3A This study found hot,larger sample size are warranted.

“Results: Those who consumed hot and very hot beverages demonstrated significantly increased risk of esophageal cancer (OR=4.13, 95% CI: 2.13-8.05; OR=8.55, 95% CI: 3.67-20.9, respectively), related to increasing temperature. A high frequency of barbecued and fried food was also revealed to elevate risk of esophageal cancer (OR=3.44, 95% CI: 1.12-8.34, p for trend 0.034; OR=2.39, 95% CI: 1.25-6.32, p for trend 0.035). Furthermore, we found evidence for an association with a fast eating habit in our Chinese (OR=4.76, 95% CI: 2.12-7.74).

Conclusion: This study found hot beverage and high-temperature cooking methods might greatly increase the risk of esophageal cancer. Further studies in Chinese populations with larger sample size are warranted.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2773211/

“In conclusion, there was little evidence for an association between EC risk and amount of tea or coffee consumed but the results suggest an increased risk of EC associated with higher drinking temperature. Amount, duration, and temperature of maté intake were all associated with higher EC risk, but number of the studies that investigated these associations was limited. For other hot foods and drinks, there was some evidence showing increased risk with higher temperature. Overall, the available results strongly suggest that high-temperature beverage drinking increases the risk of EC. Future studies will require standardized strategies that allow for combining data, and results should be reported by histological subtypes of EC.”

[Lynn in al]

Today 4.  It's cold here today.  Normally 2

[MercyA]

2 cups of coffee a day. Not really a tea drinker unless it's Throat Coat when I'm sick. 

I never drank any hot beverages until I was in my 30's, with the exception of hot chocolate once or twice a year.

[Grace Hopper]

5 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

When it's cold, usually 2 coffee in the morning, a cappuccino around lunchtime, and often hot herbal tea before bed. 

Have you thought about herbal teas with no caffeine? For me it's as much the warmth and coziness of a cuppa as it is the caffeine.  I use stevia in my coffee.

I have about the same schedule, maybe 4 a day when it’s cold out. My midday cup comes after lunch, maybe 2 pm. All decaf, unless I’m out for a morning coffee; only a chamomile or calming tea in the evening. 
 

If I’m working solidly in my studio on a cold day, I could literally drink coffee all day long, that’s why I make pour overs instead of by the pot, it takes thought to not just finish a pot. Something I’ve started doing is just drinking hot water. It’s warm and comforting and easy with an electric kettle. Some people like it with a little squeeze of lemon (but my GI tract disagrees🙄). It’s not as satisfying as a creamy cup of coffee but I’ve gotten used to it and enjoy not tossing and turning all night from late day caffeine. 
 

eta - sometimes my afternoon hot drink is a cup of chicken bone broth 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Grace Hopper

[Wheres Toto]

2 hours ago, KSera said:

 

There's actually research showing a correlation between drinking piping hot beverages frequently and esophageal cancer. The nature of the research means confounding factors can't be ruled out, but it's concerning enough that I don't drink mine boiling hot.

Yikes, I did not know that.   I also don't drink mine really hot.  I usually add a few ice cubes to my tea so it cools down enough to drink comfortably.  

[forty-two]

1 hour ago, MercyA said:

I never drank any hot beverages until I was in my 30's, with the exception of hot chocolate once or twice a year.

Ditto, except I was in my 40s.  I started drinking coffee last December, and I have one smallish coffee (~9oz) a day.  Took a bit to get used to drinking hot drinks, but now I find it comforting.  Last summer I experimented with iced coffee, but every sip just reminded me that coffee was supposed to be *hot*, so I had hot coffee even when it was hitting 110s.

[Lecka]

Three a day, minimum.  I quit drinking some stronger black teas because I did realize I was adding too much sugar.  Now I (as a rule) do not add sugar at home.  
 

I like lots of sugar, and I have it when I’m out, but that’s not very often.  
 

I like green tea (of various kinds) and some herbal teas without sugar.  I do also drink diet sodas.  
 

Edit:  I don’t like coffee

Edited November 1, 2023 by Lecka

[SKL]

I generally always have a cup of coffee at my side for sipping.  How much I end up drinking in a day depends on many things.  It could be as few as 2 cups (once I even forgot to drink any at all), or as much as 8 or 10 probably.  I don't count them.  😛  I think I drink more on days when I have to work despite being sleep deprived.

My coffee is one of the few luxuries I allow myself without limits.  Luckily, I am genetically wired to be able to drink more coffee without ill effects.

I never add sugar to coffee, but I add 0% milk.

I like tea, but I feel like tea is for relaxed times, and I hardly ever feel that relaxed, LOL.  Coffee feels like a work drink.  Also, tea seems to stain my teeth more.  When I do drink tea, my favorite is Salsda orange pekoe ... probably because this is what my parents had in the house when I was growing up.  🙂

Edited November 1, 2023 by SKL

[Faith-manor]

I claim the 5th!

[Bambam]

0. When it is really cold out and I might have to go out, I might make a hot chocolate - or pick one up. Otherwise, I don't like hot beverages. If I do get a hot chocolate from somewhere, I specify Kids Temp. I cannot stand the smell nor taste of coffee. 

[Catwoman]

7 hours ago, KSera said:

 

There's actually research showing a correlation between drinking piping hot beverages frequently and esophageal cancer. The nature of the research means confounding factors can't be ruled out, but it's concerning enough that I don't drink mine boiling hot.

How hot are we talking here?

I drink my coffee and tea hot, but because I add a lot of milk to tea and half & half to coffee, so my hot drinks aren't exactly scalding hot, and I'm wondering if you know what temperature is supposed to be the danger point. 

I know my dh can comfortably eat and drink things that would burn my mouth, so I know people have different tolerances.

 

[YaelAldrich]

In the fall and winter, all day long hot water. Coffee for me is a treat, limited to after fancy dinners and trip breakfasts (or multiple minimal sleep days). Although now that I'm not homecoming anymore I'm much more dehydrated. 🤨

Once in a while I'll drink a tisane and more rarely hot black tea.

Summertime, it's water, seltzer, and for a treat when I'm in the South half sweet tea.