From the Word of Wisdom, which they give as their scriptural reference, I found this:

D&C 89
9 And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.

This verse doesn't say anything about coffee, tea, or caffeine. I realize that coffee and tea are usually served hot, but nowadays iced tea and iced coffee drinks are very popular also. Wouldn't those be permitted? I know mormons who will not drink those but will drink soda - why??? I know mormons who will not drink soda at all, and some who will drink only caffeine free soda - why? Nothing there about caffeine.

I have yet to meet a mormon who refrains from eating chocolate. Why??? If caffeine is bad, why eat chocolate? If the Word of Wisdom prohibits hot drinks, why do so many mormons drink hot chocolate while not drinking decaf iced tea or decaf iced coffee?? (I know many who do this.)

I'm asking honestly here.. It seems to me that most, if not all, mormons who do this are following what they're told by people, nont the WoW.
I have to say I'm very disappointed. I feel I'm not getting straight answers, but opinions, and on something that is a question of doctrine which is black and white in the D&C reference I provided. Also, I'm noticing that very few are agreeing with each other...as of now I don't think any mormon here agrees 100% with any other mormon.

I'm sorry, but I can't buy the reasoning that different people "interpret" it differently. I don't see where someone can misinterpret the scripture I posted above. It's pretty straightforward. It's ONLY referring to hot drinks, not addictive substances or anything else.

Furthermore, the "addictive substances" argument is not a good answer, because anything can be addictive to anyone, and one of the most addictive substances is sugar (sucrose, as in cane sugar or corn syrup), yet not one Mormon I have ever known has banned sugar.
SexyBeast (interesting name for a mormon, by the way - I thought modesty was part of the lifestyle??):
Your assertions that tea and coffee lead to anemia are wrong as far as I know - do you have any sources for that? You're confused because tannin (tanic acid) can lead to anemia in large doses. Coffee produces a minimal amount of tannin. Black tea produces tannin only if overbrewed. Green and White tea cannot release tanic acid.

Coffee and tea are both actully very good for people, they are loaded with anti-oxidants. The steam from one cup of coffee contains more antioxidants than 3 oranges. White tea has more anti-oxidants than any other tea, followed by green tea and then black tea. If Caffeine is the problem then drink decaf - all coffees and teas are available as decaf nowadays. Yet mormons still won't have it.

I'm still waiting for a good answer, I hope I will get one, but I'm losing hope.
cadisney, thanks for the answer, BUT it's still lacking...the main thing it's lacking is that YOU say "it's been revealed that hot drinks mean coffee and tea", but I have yet to find that revelation anywhere in Mormon Scriptures. Can you provide me a source where it is recorded that this is a true revelation and is 100% mormon scripture and doctrine? My understanding is that this opinion is simply that, an opinion of a church leader and those who agree with him, but it is NOT revelation nor is it doctrine, nor is it in Mormon scriptures anywhere.

If you can show me where I might be wrong with this, by providing me a source or reference where there was a Revelation that "hot drinks" in the D&C 89 Word of Wisdom means "coffee and tea" that would be very helpful to me in understanding.
cadisney, I do see that you are claiming that the prophets "have the authority to speak for the church" and you're using this to say that interpreting "hot drinks" as "coffee and tea" is revelation which is to be accepted by all members of the church, but if that were the case, then all the horrible things Brigham Young and other prophets said about blacks in the past can't really be explained away as their own personal opinions. You can't have a double standard that way, it isn't logical. I've had it made very clear to me that anything any prophet said that is in the JoD or any non-scripture text is NOT doctrine because the prophet is speaking his own opinion.

So please provide me with doctrine/scripture where there is real REVELATION that "hot drinks" means "coffee and tea". If there isn't, then any non-scripture you give me I have to assume is the prophet's personal opinion, and not speaking for God. It's only fair and logical, as is done regarding BY's sayings on blacks.

It isn't about caffeine, or coffee, etc. In order to feel the Spirit, one must be alert, mind, body, and spirit. having caffeine makes you act a different way then normal, impairing certain senses. Also coffee and tea, iced or not, shouldn't be consumed because of certain chemicals in them that harm the stomach.
I don't know if this is true but, I once heard that when exploring the Titanic they found leather pouches, hard and thick, turns out they were the stomachs of those on the Titanic and they turned that way from all the tea they drank.

It's one area where I agree with LDS. So is salt, sugar, alcohol, drugs (all), tobacco, etc.

However, where I disagree is that therefore people must be made not to use them by setting up rules banning. The individual, with education should be allowed to choose.