Why Is Everyone on TikTok Ditching Their Morning Coffee for a Cup of Hot Water?
I am a coffee-loving food editor. I often lull myself to sleep at night thinking about the promise of that first sip of glorious iced coffee I’ll be able to take in the morning. My routine is sacred, built on muscle memory and caffeine: grind, brew, sip repeat. Or at least it was, until my TikTok FYP staged an intervention. Sometime around mid-December 2025, my feed stopped showing me pasta hacks and restaurant gossip and instead began asking a pointed question: Why on earth are you doing this to your digestion?
The culprit is a surge of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) content gaining traction on the social platform, led by TikTok creator @sherryxiiruii, an Asian-American woman whose calm, explanatory videos about everyday TCM practices quietly went viral right before the holidays. In one of her most popular videos, pinned to the top of her TikTok page, she explains that according to TCM, starting your day with hot water is far gentler on your system than coffee (especially the iced variety, my personal favorite), and can even help improve your digestion. The message landed like a warm slap. Suddenly, thousands of TikTok users were posting videos of themselves bravely sipping hot water at 7 am, staring into the middle distance, and reporting back.
If you’ve spent any time online this winter, you’ve likely seen the ripple effects. Hot water mornings. Congee breakfasts. Thick socks and slippers worn with a level of seriousness usually reserved for orthopedic shoes. All of it framed not as a “wellness trend,” but as a return to practices that have existed for thousands of years.
What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?
TCM is not a cleanse, a challenge, or some kind of 30-day detox. It’s a holistic medicine system that dates back over 5,000 years and is built around the idea of balance. In TCM, health depends on the smooth flow of qi (life energy) throughthe body and the balance of yin and yang. Cold and heat matter. Seasons matter. Digestion is foundational, and shocking it first thing in the morning with caffeine and ice is, according to TCM, not doing it any favors.
Hence the hot water. Warmth is believed to support the spleen and stomach, which, in TCM, are central to digestion and energy production. Cold beverages, especially in the morning, are thought to slow everything down. Coffee isn’t forbidden, but it’s considered drying and stimulating, something to approach with intention, rather than dependency.
TCM Practices Have Found a New Audience on TikTok
Alongside hot water, a growing number of TikTok users are experimenting with other wintertime TCM practices. Congee, a rice porridge that’s been eaten since at least the Zhou Dynasty back in c. 1000 BCE (according to the Book of Rites where congee was first mentioned as a dish for the elderly and sick), is getting a revival as a breakfast option that’s easy to digest and deeply comforting, especially during the cold winter months. Wearing slippers or thick socks at home is framed not as cozy-core, but as essential for keeping the body warm and protecting circulation. Going to bed earlier. Avoiding cold salads in winter. Drinking ginger or red date tea instead of oced matcha. None of it is revolutionary, and that’s the point.
If you’re curious about exploring TCM beyond what’s popular on TikTok, there are a few low-stakes places to start. Pay attention to temperature, especially during the winter months. Favor warm drinks and foods over cold ones, opt for cooked veggies instead of raw. Notice how your body responds to caffeine rather than assuming it’s a necessity. And if you want to go deeper, seek out alicensed TCM practitioner in your area rather than relying solely on social media summaries. There’s also a ton of books to dive into on the topic, with Heal Yourself with Traditional Chinese Medicine and The Five Elements Cookbook being two popular options on Amazon.
As for me, I’m still deep in my iced coffee addiction, but I have long been an advocate for soup for breakfast, so I do plan on making my first batch of congee this weekend. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll try to squeeze in one cup of hot lemon water before I guzzle down my usual 12 ounces of iced coffee.