I pay for convenience all the time, to a degree where I feel like I’m being a wasteful person sometimes. But cooling down a hot beverage feels like something I would hate myself for not figuring out how to do for free.

If you usually make a kind of coffee where you dilute a concentrate (americano, aeropress…) you probably would have already thought of diluting with cooler water. Assuming you don’t want to play around with ratios I think your best bet is using the mugs you have and just making the coffee cooler before you pour it in.

Maybe make it in a chilled receptacle? Like if it’s a pour over or a pod coffee where you make it in a container and pour it into your mug. Glass might break though. Maybe.

Maybe have iced coffee? Or drop a solitary smaller ice cube into the coffee, if you don’t mind the dilution?

Maybe try drinking the hot coffee at your destination as the intentional routine instead?

Why am I now invested in this all of a sudden? I think I would personally drop a small ice cube in or pour a tiny bit of cold water or leave the mug in the fridge overnight if we’re talking like it’s still devil’s piss hot by midday