How do you take your tea?

Why is that people are willing to pay extra for an iced coffee, yet they complain if their hot coffee is served cold? Shouldn't they feel like they got a deal?

Does the same thing happen with iced tea? If so, the complainers might actually have a reason for complaining, because hot tea contains more catechins -- disease-fighting antioxidants linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer -- than iced (or just cold) tea.

Brewing the leaves in steaming water releases these catechins, and they tend to become less and less potent as time passes and the water temperature cools. Don't worry, though, they stick around for a few hours, so it's not necessary to down your spot of tea while it's boiling hot in order to obtain the health benefits.

And, on a separate but very related note, try adding a squeeze of lemon to your tea. Research shows that consuming vitamin C with tea greatly impacts the body's ability to absorb catechins.