You’ve probably heard about the lawsuits against McDonald’s and Starbucks by customers who were burnt by hot coffee spilt on them. And you may also be concerned about other risks in drinking very hot coffee or tea.
With these in mind, you may have wondered how hot are Starbucks coffee and other drinks. Here’s what we found.
Key Takeaways
How Hot Is Starbucks Coffee In 2022?
Starbucks coffee is served at temperatures between 150 and 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot tea is steeped in hot water from the coffee brewer, so it comes at a higher temperature of 200 F. You can ask for ice cubes to bring your tea to a drinkable temperature. Kids’ drinks are served at 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you have more questions like how to get Starbucks coffee extra hot, and how to keep your coffee hot, read on. We have the answers below.
What Temperature Is Starbucks Coffee Served At?
Starbucks coffee is served at temperatures between 150 and 170 degrees Fahrenheit, which is in line with the industry standard.
If you find it more comfortable to drink coffee at slightly lower temperatures, you can ask for coffee at kids’ temperature, which is served at around 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can also ask for extra hot coffee at Starbucks, if you plan to wait a while before drinking it.
If you want your coffee extra hot, which means a temperature of about 180 degrees Fahrenheit, you can make a special request to the barista.
The barista will steam the milk a little longer, so it does not lower the temperature of your coffee.
The extra hot temperature will keep your coffee hot until you are ready to drink it.
How Hot Is Starbucks Tea?
Starbucks gets the hot water to steep their hot tea from the coffee brewers, so it has a temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is right for brewing coffee but a little too hot for tea.
This high temperature is also the reason why the tea cup the barista hands you is always double-cupped, to prevent burns.
Another disadvantage of using very hot water for steeping tea is that it can make the taste quite bitter.
You can avoid the bitter taste and also bring your tea to drinking temperature by asking the barista to add a couple of ice cubes to your cup.
How Hot Are Starbucks Hot Chocolate And Other Hot Drinks?
Starbucks hot chocolate and other hot drinks like spiced fruit drinks and steamers are also served at temperatures around 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
How Hot Should Coffee Be Served?
Is there a right temperature for serving coffee? If it’s too hot, there is a risk that the coffee will burn your mouth when you drink it.
Also, coffee experts believe that it tastes better at slightly lower temperatures. So if you want to get the full taste and flavor of your coffee, and don’t want to burn your mouth, what is the ideal temperature for your coffee?
The National Coffee Association of the USA suggests a serving temperature of 180 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit for coffee, but that is on the high side.
Coffee experts believe that at such high temperatures, you can’t really taste the coffee. To get the full flavor, it’s best to serve coffee at a temperature somewhere between 155 to 175 F.
If your coffee is made from really good quality beans, you’ll be able to taste them better at the lower end of that range of temperatures.
How To Keep Your Starbucks Coffee Hot
Coffee purists will tell you that it is better to keep your coffee hot than to reheat it, because reheating destroys the flavor. So for those times when you need to keep your coffee hot for a while, here are some things to try.
If you’re going to wait a while before drinking your coffee, the best way to keep your Starbucks coffee hot is to ask the barista to make it extra hot.
When you start out with an extra hot coffee, it will be at just the right temperature when you’re ready to start drinking it.
Another good way to keep your coffee hot is to bring along your insulated travel mug and ask the barista to use it for your order of hot coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
This will keep your coffee hot for hours, and Starbucks will even give you a small discount of 10 cents for using your mug instead of one of their single use cups.
To know more about Starbucks, you can also read our posts on why does Starbucks coffee tastes burnt, where does Starbucks get their coffee beans, and what Starbucks drink has the most caffeine.
Conclusion
Starbucks’ hot coffee is served at temperatures between 155 and 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
While this is the industry standard, people who prefer to drink their coffee at slightly lower temperatures can order their coffee at kids’ temperature, which is 130 F.
Starbucks’ hot tea is steeped in water at 200F. If this temperature is too hot, you can ask for a few ice cubes to add to your cup.