Styrene cups are an environmental no-no and Starbucks' cup sleeves are not much better.

Use specialised fingerless gloves (link) with heat resistant pads to protect fingers from the hot cup.

This way, the scalding hot coffee that my coffee shop usually serves would cool to below skin-peeling temperature before it gets drunk.
-- FloridaManatee, Apr 01 2003

Fingers-Only Glove http://www.halfbake...ingers-Only_20Glove
Urania's idea [FloridaManatee, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Actually, polystyrene cups are less ecologically damaging than paper ones, with or without cardboard sleeves. (The paper-making process is very harmful to the environment, compared to the polystyrene process, which more than offsets the fact that the polystyrene cups will be around until we develop that plastic-eating mutant bacteria.)

Not sure about polystyrene finger guards.

The true eco-friendly solution, which all coffee shops, including StarBucks, will accommodate, is to bring your own porcelain mug for the coffee. And let a very old-fashioned handle protect your delicate skin.
-- DrCurry, Apr 02 2003


I think the text of the idea holds a much more elegant solution.

It's well known that consuming alcohol causes increased rate of heat loss. Thus adding alcohol to the coffee will cause it to cool. The trick is to cool it below skin-peeling temperature before it gets drunk. <boom><tish>.
-- egbert, Apr 02 2003



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