Here's How You Should Cool Down Hot Coffee, According To Science

When you go through a drive-thru or pick up coffee from your favorite cafe, chances are you likely won't want to wait until the hot drink cools off enough to take your first sip. While some might brave scorching the roof of their mouth, while others tentatively monitor their cup of joe until it is cool enough to drink, there is actually a fast and scientifically proven way of cooling the coffee more efficiently. But to get to that answer, one coffee aficionado at Wired had to go through quite a few experiments and testing to determine that method.

In a test to find the best way to cool your burning-hot coffee, Wired used three different common means for cooling down the beverage to find out which one was the best according to physics. The methods included a simple coffee cup with a regular lid and no stopper, a coffee cup without a lid, and a coffee cup with a regular lid while blowing over the hole.

According to Wired, you should always remove the lid from your hot coffee to help it cool down at the fastest rate possible. As the publication explains — and in great scientific detail — when the lid is removed from your coffee cup, heat rises. That means that the hottest water in your coffee cup will rise to the top of the cup and evaporate out into the air as a gas. So, when you leave the lid on the coffee cup, even if you blow over it, the hottest water has a lot less surface area to evaporate out to cool the coffee. That's why a lot of it condenses into water again as it reaches and touches the lid on the coffee cup (via HyperPhysics).

As long as you can safely remove your coffee cup's lid without worry of it sloshing out — be it while driving or walking — you can enjoy what's inside a lot sooner than if you leave the lid on. It's a simple hack that will definitely benefit those who just can't wait to drink their hot brew.