This Genius Tip Keeps Your Coffee Piping-Hot To The Last Drop

Iced coffee is a refreshing beverage full of robust flavor, while cold coffee, or a cup of Joe that was once hot but has become cold over time is ... not. It has a stale flavor that might give your brain a jolt, but is ultimately pretty disappointing. Mug warmers seem like the obvious solution, but prolonged heating can leave coffee tasting oily and burned. Interestingly, the best way to keep things pipin' hot is to warm your creamer before adding it to your mug.

If you think about it, this hack makes total sense. Adding cold milk or cream to your coffee immediately lowers its temperature, causing it to cool more quickly. Warming your creamer of choice (even non-dairy milks can froth up beautifully) before adding it to your coffee prevents this sudden temperature drop, helping keep your morning brew at a higher temperature for longer. Additionally, this hack keeps your coffee tasting delicious, as you don't need an external heat source to keep your cuppa at the perfect temperature.

There's also some interesting science proving that coffee containing milk or cream of any temperature loses heat more slowly than a typical black Americano. The idea is that the milk lightens the coffee's color, causing it to radiate heat more slowly. The thickness of the creamer also helps insulate your brew by reducing both evaporation and heat loss. Adding warm, steamy milk (which is different than cold foam) enhances these effects, ensuring your morning java stays warm for much longer.

Learning how to steam milk for your coffee may add an extra step to your morning routine, but with practice, it'll only take a few minutes. This skill will not only help make home brew more enjoyable, it'll save you money, since fancy café coffees are getting more expensive in 2025. The main thing to avoid during this process is allowing your milk or creamer to boil. Boiling these liquids at high heat destroys some of their proteins and can scorch their natural sugars (lactose) which may cause them to curdle.

Since no one wants cottage cheese in their coffee, it's important to heat your creamer very gently to ensure a rich, luscious beverage. Using a double-boiler is ideal, but you can also use a small saucepan over very low heat. Stir continuously until steam begins to rise and tiny bubbles form around edges of the pan. At this point, you can either pour the creamer into your coffee, or use a handheld milk frother to whip it into a foamy treat.

If you're truly pressed for time, it's not out of line to warm your milk in the microwave — just keep in mind that thick liquids boil over easily in the microwave, so you'll need to warm it in intervals. Start by heating it for about 15 seconds, and check the temperature by holding your hand just above the surface. Once you feel heat radiating upward, it's ready to add to your coffee.