/oss/taxonomy/term/3533/all en /oss/article/did-you-know/drink-hot-drinks-hot-weather-cool-down-faster <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em> <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/old-wives-tales-and-truths-2-0/"><em>The Skeptical Inquirer.</em></a></p> <hr /> <p>Nothing pairs better with hot summer weather than an ice-cold drink, right? Well, as the old saying goes, a hot drink on a hot day will cool you down faster.</p> Fri, 07 Jul 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9563 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/hot-cocoas-black-sludge <p>If you've made hot cocoa with powder, you've probably experienced the dark sludge at the bottom of the cup. This chocolate goop seems unavoidable, despite being absolutely certain that you dissolved all the powder when you first stirred your drink. For years I thought I was just a bad stirrer, but it turns out that the sludge actually forms as the drink cools down. As the hot cocoa cools, the solubility of the hot chocolate powder is reduced. This means that the amount of powder you can dissolve in a mug full of water or milk is lessened.</p> Tue, 10 Oct 2017 18:01:10 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 4255 at /oss