re: cooling rates of coffee, etc. (and you're welcome, Padre Tom, I knew my brilliant ingenuity would not be lost on everyone..*grin*)

since I do not put milk/cream in MY coffee, I do not have that extra cooling effect to deal with, but I DO warm the cup first, and use an electric cup warmer as I drink...and if I feel the need 20 seconds in a microwave restores lost heat quite efficiently....and I'd LOVE to the test results showing just how MUCH heat is lost using my method rather than 'stirring after the fact'. Now if you are in an office, using styrofoam or paper cups, it may skew the results, but perhaps controlled experiments are in order!

any or all of those tricks are, to me, preferable to messy sugar bowls and/or constant spoon washing....but, hey...I'm easy. If you come visit me, you may have a spoon of your own with coffee or tea.