To quote the great Mike Ditka, “Coffee is the Number-1 drink in the world. Everyone drinks it, even little kids in Mexico drink it.” And he was right, not only is coffee great, people all around the world drink coffee. Unfortunately, most people end up picking the entirely wrong choice when it comes to the actual order. While coffee is coffee in
the end, choosing hot coffee over iced is a mistake.

Naturally, once your steaming cup of coffee is done, excitement will take over logic as you lunge for your first sip. But, as some kind of cruel joke, coffee drinkers just end up getting their entire mouth burnt. Taste buds are finite. As a society we cannot afford to kill off our taste buds with hot coffee.

When it comes to the taste, sub par is the only appropriate description. While expe- rienced coffee drinkers are accustomed to the taste, people drinking hot coffee for the first time share one thing in common: their reaction. A shiver, a recoil and closed eyes combined with a look of disgust demonstrate how hot coffee can taste to those that have not killed their taste buds with the scorching liquid.

Admittedly, hot coffee proves to be a great hand warmer during the winter and comes in handy when battling the temperature.
For iced coffee, the pros should be enough to convert any dedicated hot coffee drinker.

We’ve all been told to enjoy the little things in life and that is exactly what iced coffee gives us the opportunity to do. The vastly superior cups are another reason iced coffee trumps hot. Clear cups allow everyone to see the aesthetic of coffee mixing with the other ingredients forming an intricate cloud.

Most importantly, coffee served iced wins in the flavor category. The biggest argument against is that ice, “compromises the integrity of the bean.” However, the bean is whatever you make it. The term compromise actually becomes obsolete, because if you want coffee, that is exactly what you are getting. Even though the melted ice may end up diluting the drink, the amount of coffee in the drink remains the same. In the end, the ice is a fac- tor that helps the coffee from being overpow- ering, preventing someone like a first-time coffee drinker from recoiling in disgust.

Now, if you have been a committed hot coffee drinker, you may be nervous to switch. Thankfully, the options only increase. Every drink you can order hot is also available iced. Then, there is also the option of frappucinos. These beverages are in a separate family, but are still made with ice.

Perhaps the best thing about iced coffee is that it can be consumed at all hours, day and night. When you wake up, the cool liquid has a refreshing taste. In the middle of the day, it is the perfect pick-me-up. Lastly, coffee at night allows you to end the day with joy.

Iced coffee versus hot coffee will be debat- ed until the end of time, but in the end, cof- fee is something everyone can get behind. As Mike Ditka also says, “Coffee is the lifeblood that fuels the dreams of champions.”