Adding a cold liquid to a hot liquid makes it cooler. This obviously affects the taste of your coffee, so if you like your black coffee, you may need to opt for another way to bring it to the temperature of your choice. One way to do this is to get into a “coffee joulie,” which absorbs heat and then slowly releases it to keep your drink hot longer. “Piping hot coffee” shouts the sign in flashing neon in the oversized corner windows of the café. We`ve all seen signs like this, but if you`re like me, you`re wondering if “hot” is really the best temperature for coffee. On that fateful February 27, 1992, Stella Liebeck was sitting in the passenger seat of a parked vehicle when she slammed the lid of her McDonald`s café and intended to add cream and sugar, according to Poole Law Group. Liebeck accidentally spilled the coffee on his lap, which, under normal circumstances, would have caused temporary discomfort and possibly embarrassment, but no serious injury. But in this case, the coffee was heated to a completely dangerous temperature between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit, only about 25 degrees below the boiling point of water. Liebeck`s thighs suffered third-degree burns so severe that she needed skin grafts.
She was initially willing to settle for paying her medical bills and lost wages, and only filed a punitive civil lawsuit when McDonald`s offered compensation of just $100, according to Consumer Attorneys Of California (CAOC). While many people scoff at those who are hurt by hot coffee, the reality is that coffee served at temperatures of 190 degrees is more than hot enough to cause severe burns. In fact, Starbucks` serving temperature of 190 degrees can cause third-degree burns in seconds (remember that water boils at 212 degrees, so this coffee is not too far from boiling). In contrast, the coffee machines that most consumers use at home produce coffee between 135 and 150 degrees – a much more suitable temperature for drinking the drink. To emphasize the sweet and bitter notes of coffee (and mask its acidity), a higher serving temperature is necessary, but go too high and you will weaken your ability to really taste your delicious brew. Perhaps the only concrete fact we can glean from all this is that as long as your coffee is neither warm nor boiling, the right serving temperature for you depends on your unique taste preferences. Or you can resort to this research study to find the temperature with the best balance between taste and burn safety, titled “Optimizing Temperature Calculation for Serving Hot Drinks” (7): Thermometer – We don`t expect you to put a thermometer in every hot beverage you pour. With a wide selection of unique and heat-sensitive cups available online to take the guesswork out of business for you, you don`t have to. Whether your favorite cup models have a temperature gauge or a cute image that changes, it will let you know when your coffee is ready to drink.
Mistakes can be forgiven when it is clear that they were made without the knowledge that could have stopped them. But in the case of Stella Liebeck, this was far from the truth. According to the CAOC, McDonald`s used an instruction manual that required coffee to be stored at a temperature between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, the company had already been the subject of several similar infringement complaints, but had not taken any steps to lower the temperature of coffee served in restaurants, or at least to ensure that customers knew that drinks would initially be too hot for safety. The best temperature to serve coffee – According to a study that allowed consumers to mix hot and cold coffees, the average temperature at which people preferred their coffee was around 140°F/60°C. Your individual palette can determine how much you should enjoy your coffee: hot water is needed to extract the aromas, solids and oils from the coffee grounds, the elements that make the drink effective. Brewing coffee with water between 195 and 205°F/90-96°C is ideal because warmer temperatures can burn the soil and create an unpleasant burnt taste. Each cooler and the resulting drink can be extracted too little and not to your liking. Cold coffee is better for you if you like a brutal shock to wake you up. Cold coffee or hot coffee to stay awake? Read our article to learn more. While some people consider hot coffee lawsuits and other types of product liability frivolous, the reality is that they serve to protect consumers from dangerous or defective products. While the verdict in this case has just been rendered, the bottom line could be that Starbucks decides to either lower the temperature of its coffee or find a better way to ensure that its lids do not bounce or leak to better protect its customers from burns caused by hot coffee.
For some, 120-140°F is the perfect beach to drink coffee. These opponents of “hot” coffee argue that it is difficult to taste the subtle flavors of coffee at temperatures above 150°F. They believe it`s only at 120–140°F that the (otherwise overshadowed) notes of sweetness and acidity (6) shine. Coffee is a wonderful thing and is enjoyed by many in the world in different ways. The temperature at which it is brewed and served can change the taste, but no one wants to enjoy a hot cup of coffee if there is a risk of getting burned with it. So how hot should it be? They suggest serving coffee anywhere in the 155-175°F range and recommend leaning further down the ladder with better quality coffee beans. This assumption – lower temperatures are better for higher quality coffees – fits well with what we already know: using temperature to reveal or mask the aromas of a coffee. QUESTION: Can you tell me what the right temperature is to serve coffee? Thank you! ANSWER: Coffee is best served at a temperature between 155°F and 175°F (70°C to 80°C). Most people prefer it high-end, at about 175º F.Do remember the legal battle MacDonalds lost when a customer scalded herself after spilling some of her coffee? At the time, MacDonald`s manual for his staff stated that coffee should be served at “195 to 205 degrees and stored at 180 to 190 degrees for optimal taste.” As they found out when they lost the case, it was too hot. You won`t go wrong at 175°F. That said, some coffee experts like to drink their coffee at much lower temperatures. George Howell of George Howell Coffee, who has been sourcing and tasting specialty coffee since the 1970s, likes to drink his coffee at a temperature closer to 130°F.
To you and me, it would look like lukewarm coffee. But according to him, it is at this temperature that many of coffee`s most subtle flavors are revealed. What he says makes sense, because when you think of coffee, which is really hot, almost hot enough to burn your tongue, you really don`t have much taste. So there is a sliding scale here. At the hottest end of the scale, at about 175°F, we feel the satisfaction of having a nice cup of hot coffee. At the lower end of the scale, at 150°F and below, we get less of this “Joe`s hot cup” experience, but we taste some of coffee`s more subtle flavors. An approach to coffee serving temperature might look like this: For your regular cup of coffee, go for 175°F, but if you want to buy really good coffee beans and really try coffee and experience all its flavors and qualities, serve it at 150°F or lower. Of course, if you choose the second option, you should also pay close attention to how you grind the beans and prepare the coffee.