Why do coffee shops brew their stuff so hot?

[johnjohn320]

Yeah, I know: coffee's supposed to be hot. But, and maybe it's just me, it seems like if I get a latte at Starbucks, Caribou, Peet's, etc, I have to wait 20 mins before I can even slurp at it. It's just ungodly hot. Coffee from at a restaurant, or fresh from a friend's coffee maker, seems hot but not to such an extreme and painful degree. Am I missing something?

[first world problems]

 

[Cappuccino]

hmmmmm.. starbucks *_*

 

[Ns1]

iced coffee > you

I basically pound away a third of my 20oz iced coffee before your hot coffee has cooled down enough to be palatable.

 

[mmntech]

I read somewhere that the hotter coffee is kept, the longer it will last between batches. That was the crux of the infamous hot coffee lawsuit against McDonald's.

 

[johnjohn320]

iced coffee > you

I basically pound away a third of my 20oz iced coffee before your hot coffee has cooled down enough to be palatable.

Yeah, I tend to order iced at these places for this reason.

 

[brainhulk]

Restaurant coffee has been sitting around while Starbucks is freshly brewed with pressurized hot water?

 

[child of wonder]

Because 190F is supposed to be the optimal temperature for the water to extract oils from the beans.

 

[phucheneh]

All coffee is too hot for me. Whether it's a cheap consumer-grade coffee pot, an expensive one, a restaraunt-grade one, a single serving machine...it's meant to come out at, what, like 190 freaking degrees?

A 6-8oz cup of coffee always gets 2-3 ice cubes before I drink it. Brings it down to 'hot' instead of 'lava.'

 

[Rakehellion]

it seems like if I get a latte at Starbucks, Caribou, Peet's, etc, I have to wait 20 mins before I can even slurp at it.

Because some people have to drive 20 minutes to work before they can drink their coffee.

 

[rudeguy]

All coffee is too hot for me. Whether it's a cheap consumer-grade coffee pot, an expensive one, a restaraunt-grade one, a single serving machine...it's meant to come out at, what, like 190 freaking degrees?

A 6-8oz cup of coffee always gets 2-3 ice cubes before I drink it. Brings it down to 'hot' instead of 'lava.'

I go with cream to take the hot off.

I prefer my coffee at a bit above room temp. I have a cup in front of me that might be 150 right now. I'll drink it in a few minutes when it cools off a bit more.

 

[johnjohn320]

Because some people have to drive 20 minutes to work before they can drink their coffee.

Haha, I highly doubt that that's their reasoning.

 

[Cappuccino]

Anyone tried SlushyCoffee?

 

[zerocool84]

Haha, I highly doubt that that's their reasoning.

That reason cost McDonald's millions.

 

[johnjohn320]

That reason cost McDonald's millions.

Touche...

 

[mizzou]

I like my pour over method, coffee is very agreeable in temperature by the time I'm finally ready to fucking drink the thing

 

[stlc8tr]

That reason cost McDonald's millions.

https://www.caoc.org/?pg=facts

Liebeck’s case was far from an isolated event. McDonald’s had received more than 700 previous reports of injury from its coffee, including reports of third-degree burns, and had paid settlements in some cases.

Mrs. Liebeck offered to settle the case for $20,000 to cover her medical expenses and lost income. But McDonald’s never offered more than $800, so the case went to trial. The jury found Mrs. Liebeck to be partially at fault for her injuries, reducing the compensation for her injuries accordingly. But the jury’s punitive damages award made headlines — upset by McDonald’s unwillingness to correct a policy despite hundreds of people suffering injuries, they awarded Liebeck the equivalent of two days’ worth of revenue from coffee sales for the restaurant chain. That wasn’t, however, the end of it. The original punitive damage award was ultimately reduced by more than 80 percent by the judge. And, to avoid what likely would have been years of appeals, Mrs. Liebeck and McDonald’s later reached a confidential settlement.

 

[dabuddha]

Yeah, I know: coffee's supposed to be hot. But, and maybe it's just me, it seems like if I get a latte at Starbucks, Caribou, Peet's, etc, I have to wait 20 mins before I can even slurp at it. It's just ungodly hot. Coffee from at a restaurant, or fresh from a friend's coffee maker, seems hot but not to such an extreme and painful degree. Am I missing something?

[first world problems]

Most people don't drink their drinks at the coffeeshop and tend to drink it at their destination

 

[BikeJunkie]

I use cheap Folgers crystals and this kettle. I heat to 175F, which is warm enough to dissolve the crystals but not so hot I can't immediately start drinking it. Bonus points because I only have to wait a minute or two for coffee.

 

[sdifox]

Yeah, I know: coffee's supposed to be hot. But, and maybe it's just me, it seems like if I get a latte at Starbucks, Caribou, Peet's, etc, I have to wait 20 mins before I can even slurp at it. It's just ungodly hot. Coffee from at a restaurant, or fresh from a friend's coffee maker, seems hot but not to such an extreme and painful degree. Am I missing something?

[first world problems]

...

latte comes from an espresso machine, where they steam the milk and force hot water through coffee ground.

Pot coffee, it drips for a while, then you add cold milk to it.. humm.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Even worse are the "party-sized" coffee makers that are brought out at parties, school events, etc. I swear every one I've ever had coffee out of was as close to boiling as physically possible.

Scorching the skin off of the roof of my mouth and my tongue is not what I consider a good time.

 

[Jeraden]

Why would I get a coffee at a drive thru if I wasn't going to drink it until I reached my destination? I'd just get a coffee at work then if I wanted to wait that long.

 

[SandEagle]

is it weird that i can start drinking coffee and tea as soon as it is served hot? i don't wait for it to cool down. i read awhile back that you can get esophogus cancer if you drink tea or coffee to hot. not sure if this is true though.

 

[Newell Steamer]

It's like why do the English want scalding hot water for their tea - they add milk and spend a good hour jabbing over it.

Coffee is not a slam and gulp. You should sit down and sit/drink it slowly.

If you want to pound some coffee and go, then order iced coffee.

 

[preslove]

It's just you, op. Stop being a fucking pussy. McDonald's used to have their coffee at a much higher temp...

That reason cost McDonald's millions.

Nope, it was to preserve the coffee for longer, and it was kept at a temp higher than anyone does now.

 

[mikeymikec]

Probably the same reason that most bread isn't fully baked. It takes too long to do properly, and that gets in the way of doing business.