It's summertime in the Philippines and it's just too hot to drink coffee (hot coffee) except for when it's before 9 am. Only someone more insane than I would any drink any kind of coffee other than iced coffee after that hour of the day.

I switched from hot coffee to iced tea and plain ice water when the weather started to become unbearably hot. Lukewarm water, or even chilled water from the dispenser, just doesn't cut it.

Does Hot Coffee Cool You Down?

If you listen and believe some of the old-timers, it does. It really doesn't. It makes you sweat (perspire) and air blowing against the sweat is what cools you down. What happens if you're already sweating? It does nothing for you at all, except make you feel hotter than you already are.

If you're already hot and you drink hot coffee, you're going to sweat profusely. Sweating causes dehydration and sweating profusely can cause you to dehydrate faster than you may realize. That's a dangerous situation to be in, regardless of what you drink.

Iced Tea and Iced Coffee

In some places, iced coffee is preferred over iced tea. The Philippines is not such a place. Iced tea (with lemon) is served in every restaurant I've been to here. Iced coffee is never served (but you can buy it in the stores).

I don't know about anyone else, but iced coffee just doesn't work like iced tea. Iced tea cools me down quick. Perhaps it's because I drink it faster than I can drink ice water. I can't do that with iced coffee and as expensive as iced coffee is, I really wouldn't want to do that anyway.

I still have an iced tea maker sitting in the kitchen that I haven't used even once. I still have jars of instant Nestea in the cabinet and I won't be using the iced tea maker until those jars are empty. I still don't have any teabags either. I'm sure I'll be doing the iced tea making thing when the instant tea runs out. That is, if summer continues to drag on like it did last year.

Iced Tea instead of Ice Water

I have never been able to drink ice water quickly, although my wife can guzzle a glass of it without stopping. I don't know why I'm any different. I can drink iced tea like that, but not ice water.

Ice water would be considered healthier, but if I want to cool down, nothing works better or faster than iced tea. I've tried it with fruit juices and other things and still go back to drinking iced tea.

(Image source: The Myth of Perfection: If You Want to Live, You Have to Grow at Totalpossibility)

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Until very recently, I didn't know about the many kinds of coffee. I knew about the two species commonly used, but I just found out there are many more. How did I find out? I was cruising around Wikipedia and found their article on coffee, that's how. Of course, reading any Wikipedia article has a tendency to make the brain go numb due to all the references, citations, and technical details you have to wade through.

The Two Main Species of Coffee

While I say they're the two main species, that's not really correct. They're just the main species most widely used and thus, more widely distributed.

The most popular of all is the coffea arabica, of which many varieties exist. It originated in Ethiopia many centuries ago and derives its name from Arabia.

The other popular species is coffea robusta. It supposedly has more flavor and is more expensive.

How Coffee is Consumed

When I was young and living in the US, no one ever mentioned anything other than hot, brewed coffee. That's the way it was served in restaurants, fast-food joints, and at home. The reality is that it's only one of many ways coffee is consumed.

Here's a partial list of ways I've seen coffee consumed, or consumed by me:

• Brewed and served hot – traditional American coffee
• Brewed and served cold – iced coffee
• As Espresso
• Chocolate-covered coffee beans
• Coffee Cake
• As a candy ingredient

It's a short list and if I sat here long enough, I'm sure I could think up a few more.

Local Coffee Varieties

While I primarily drink coffee made by NESCAFÉ, there are some other varieties grown where I live, in the Philippines. The coffee used for the NESCAFÉ brand is grown locally and I believe it's an Arabica.

I do not know which local brands are made from the coffea liberica species, but it would be an interesting experience to sample them. Anyway, the plants are grown in the Batangas and Cavite provinces and I hope to someday get a chance to check out the farms.

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