Does a latte cool faster than a cappuccino? (part 2)

There is a simple way to settle this friendly argument about the cooling rates of different coffees, and it doesn’t involve complex parameters such as conduction coefficients and latent heat, says one reader

11 January 2023

Milk coffee is a combination of equal parts espresso, steamed milk and milk froth. — BOY_ANUPONG/Getty Images

Please help settle a friendly argument about coffee. Does a latte cool faster than a cappuccino, all else being equal (initial temperature, volume, etc.)? My friend thinks the foam on a cappuccino will insulate it better, but I reckon this effect is offset by the cappuccino having a smaller volume of hot milk. (continued)

Paul Whiteley
Bittaford, Devon, UK

This is an ideal question to demonstrate why empiricism beats theoretical musing. The way this query was answered previously (10 December 2022) was in terms of heat absorption, evaporative cooling, conduction coefficients, latent heat etc. (though the answer missed out…