How to Cool a Hot Drink Quickly

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

Have you ever wanted to drink something but it was too hot? These methods will help bring down the temperature. It is especially good for cooling down tea for people who don't like it too hot.

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:

Transferring Between Cups

1
Take your drink and pour it from one cup to the other cup.
- If your cup goes higher, then more air will go through it, making it colder.
- Don't make your cup go too high, after pouring, it might bounce a few drops and land on your arms. It will burn!
2
Repeat until your drink has cooled down.

Advertisement
3
Once it has cooled down, enjoy your drink.

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:

Ice Cubes

1
Put one or two ice cubes in your hot drink.
2
Stir your drink.
3
Enjoy! The ice should have cooled down your drink.

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:

Milk

1
Trying pouring some milk into your drink.
2
Stir well.

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:

Fanning the Drink

1
Get a fan, and aim the fan at your drink. The cool wind from the fan will cool down your drink.
2
If you do not have a fan, try blowing on your drink, but not too hard.

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:

Blowing and Stirring

1
Blow across the surface of the drink. Form your lips into an "O" shape and gently blow a steady stream of air across the surface of your hot drink. The cool air will reduce the temperature at the surface of the water.
2
Stir your drink with a teaspoon. As you blow, continually stir the drink with a teaspoon. This allows a greater volume of the hot drink to be cooled by the air.
3
Continue until your drink reaches the desired temperature. Although you may feel a little silly doing it, the blowing and stirring method is actually one of the most effective ways to cool a hot drink. In fact, studies have shown that using this method can cool a hot drink by up to 11 degrees per minute!^{[1]
X
Research source}

Method 6

Method 6 of 6:

Ice and Salt

1
Put the drink inside its cup into a closed container.
2
Put some ice sprinkled with salt into the closed container (not into the drink cup).
3
Let sit briefly. Your drink will be cold in a matter of minutes.

Community Q&A

Question

Are there other ways? Also, is it true that I can't have salt and ice in hot chocolate?

Community Answer

Pour into a metal tin and use step 6 before pouring into your cup. You could certainly add a little salt, if you wanted. Adding ice would make your hot cocoa watery, so that's not a good idea.
Question

Will hot water in a metal cup cool down faster or slower than hot water in a plastic cup?

Community Answer

It will cool slower, as the metal in the cup will conduct the heat and keep it warmer longer.
Question

Could I put a hot milk cup in a cold water bowl to let it cool down?

Community Answer

Yes, but make sure the milk does not tip or spill out and no water gets in.