The Merits of 42-Degree Drinking Water
A case for “a little above freezing, no ice.”
We have two Brita water filters in the Chu-Do household. One lives in the fridge door, and the other on the kitchen counter. For all our agreements on fundamental values, life philosophies, politics, religion, and the proper orientation of a toilet paper roll, we differ on one irreconcilable issue: the ideal temperature of drinking water.
From the title of this story, you can probably guess that my Brita pitcher is the one chillin’ in the fridge. So, why is 42 degrees the ideal temperature for drinking water?
First, drinking water should deliver that wonderfully pleasurable cool sense of refreshment as it hits your warm and muggy mouth and throat. Some people, myself included, love hot water, especially in tea. It’s a fine preference. But I think that most of the time when we drink water, it’s to quench thirst. For that purpose, cold water is the winner more of the time. Given that far more restaurants serve, as a default, ice water than warm or hot water, I think I’m not alone here.
The way restaurants serve water is hardly ideal, however. Most restaurants serve glasses of water at 32 degrees and swarming with ice cubes. Without a straw, it’s really actually quite difficult to drink water that’s full of ice cubes, as they bump and jostle around your lips, preventing water from steadily flowing into your mouth.
You might say, Wait a minute! I thought we were just talking about temperature here. So why all this talk about ice cubes? Fair point. Let’s now imagine a glass of water at 32 degrees, this time with no ice. Thirty-two-degree water gives most of us brain freeze if we drink too fast. You have to sip 32-degree water. Patience is overrated, I say.
And that brings me to the second criterion of the perfect drinking water temperature. It should allow you to drink freely and as fast as you like. Water a temperature of 42 degrees runs essentially no risk of brain freeze, giving you the option of sipping or gulping to your heart’s desire.
Given these criteria, I have decided — no, discovered — that 42-degree drinking water is the perfect balance. It’s perfectly refreshing, and as cool as possible without running the risk of brain freeze if you drink too fast. If you ask me, it’s perfection in a glass.
