Have you ever thought about how long it takes you to drink something? I have (hence this post)!
Obviously drinking speeds can be quite adjustable. If you have a glass of water and are told to drink it as fast as possible you can probably put it back in very short order. Also, with the same glass of water, you might be apt to drink it faster if you are thirsty having just come off some physical labor or exercises, versus if you just had a glass but didn’t feel any particular thirst.
But there is more.
Some drinks are generally deemed “sipping” drinks. Hot beverages and wine are both great examples. It isn’t that you can’t take a big ol’ gulp of coffee or merlot, it is more that that is just not the generally accepted proper way of drinking. Hot beverages the sipping drinking is obviously a product of caution to avoid mouth burning. For wine? I imagine it is to encourage more awareness of the flavors and characteristics. Sip drinking, I suspect, slows down the overall drinking speed.
Then there is also the situation of drinking, specifically socially or alone. I suspect, quite unscientifically, that people drink beverages (whatever they may be) faster in social context than they do on their own. Why? Because taking a drink is an acceptable break in conversation and filler action while listening. Alone one might be able to nurse a drink for quite a while, whereas in a group the act of drinking is kind of habitual and occurs with more frequency.
In regards to my own personal drinking speeds? I very often feel thirsty and so drink water with a lot of frequency and quite quickly. On the other hand, I often drink tea or coffee (predominantly decaf now) at work, and have found that, as a rule, it takes me about an hour to get through one mug-full. Obviously I could drink it faster, but because I am working and only take sips intermittently it seems like an hour is about the bare minimum amount of time I have to get through a cup of coffee or tea. I think I used to drink beer and mixed drinks a lot faster than I do now, but I also think that I used to drink them for different reasons (to get drunk versus to just enjoy a beverage). Other drinks I seem to consume at various speeds.
So what does this all mean? You got me, I really don’t know, just popped into my head.
Happy drinking folks!
