why is tea hotter than instant coffee?

[pfcaulk]

on the one time out of a thousand my hand reaches for the tea bag not the coffee jar. why is that the tea i just made takes ages to reach a drinkable temperature when the instant coffee is drinkable buy the time i get it to my desk?

[BBWCHATT]

Viscosity?

[naz_nomad]

I'd go with the 'more milk' answer too.

[RATTER15]

I think you are both wrong!! I have researched this thoroughly and come to the conclusion that it is because there is less milk in tea

[tommytom]

Instant coffee is freeze dried and makes it colder than tea which is dried in the sun and is thus hotter. Only joking. I think it might have something to do with the oil content in coffee or some such thing that affects the vapour pressure or the coefficient of cooling in Newton's law of cooling. The lower the surface tension of the liquid the easier the liquid evapourates, reducing the heat quicker. Or something like that. I'm looking for a definitive answer but I imagine it is along these lines.