Nothing brings me more joy than heating up a steaming mug of coffee and smelling the strong scent fill the air. Sadly, hot coffee is too high-maintenance for me to truly enjoy. 

At first, it’s boiling hot, and I would prefer not to scald my tongue by drinking it immediately. Once it cools down a bit, it’s the perfect temperature and reaches peak deliciousness — for a fleeting couple of minutes. If I make the mistake of waiting too long, it cools to room temperature, which just isn’t very nice. 

I wish there were some solution to my problem, but the closest alternative is drinking iced coffee, which usually stays at its intended temperature for longer. But nothing will ever beat a cup of hot black coffee, so alas, I’ll just continue to suffer with this almost always imperfect drink.