Coffee drinking is a ritual that many of us partake in daily, but it is not without its frustrations and hazards. Too-hot java stings the tongue and singes the throat, but a tepid brew is downright stomach-churning. A clever start-up company called Dave & Dave is using the amazing phase change material to get your coffee to the perfect sipping temperature and keep it there long enough for you to enjoy it.

They’re doing it with Joulies, a set of “magic beans” that you slip into your coffee cup. They get your beverage to the optimal drinking temperature (140 degrees Fahrenheit) much faster than air-cooling alone. Once the temperature is right, the beans release their “stored energy” – the heat absorbed from your hot, hot cuppa – keeping the liquid warm enough to drink for up to several hours, depending on how well your cup or mug is insulated.

The project’s first manufacturing run is being funded through Kickstarter, with different levels of sponsorship earning various levels of rewards. We dig the simplicity of the Joulies and the fact that they’ll make coffee drinking an even more enjoyable morning (and afternoon…and evening) activity, but we are a little troubled by how much precious room they’ll take up in the typical coffee mug – room that would normally be occupied by more delicious coffee.