According to a study on caffeine and cortisol levels: "Caffeine increases cortisol secretion in people at rest or undergoing mental stress.
adding coffee to your system when your cortisol levels are high will have less of an effect than if you were to add it when your body's cortisol levels are low
take advantage of your natural energy source before adding in an artificial one. This can allow you to have more energy for a longer span of time.
Since your cortisol levels are highest in the first three hours of your day, it's best to drink your coffee right after this window closes.
The same study also found that after a period of caffeine abstinence, drinking caffeine in this window produced "a robust increase in cortisol across the test day
For those folks who religiously rise and grind every day, sadly, you may not benefit as much from delaying your daily caffeination.