By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.
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Most coffee chains do not publish the temperature they serve at. This page collects the figures that are on the public record, says who stated each one and when, and sets them beside the published time-to-burn tables and two studies on serving temperature co-written by Kenneth Diller of the University of Texas at Austin. Where we found no public figure for a chain, we say so instead of guessing.
Beverly Law is not affiliated with McDonald’s, Starbucks, Dunkin’ or any other company named on this page.
Serving temperatures on the public record
| Chain or setting | Temperature stated | Who said it, and when | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald’s, early 1990s | Brewed at 195 to 205°F, held at 180 to 190°F | McDonald’s operations and training manual, produced to the plaintiff before the 1994 Liebeck trial, as reported by the Wall Street Journal in September 1994 | WSJ via Tampa Bay Times |
| McDonald’s, Albuquerque, early 1990s | Poured at about 180°F | Wall Street Journal, September 1994, in its account of the defense firm’s temperature survey | WSJ via Tampa Bay Times |
| Other Albuquerque restaurants, same survey | None came within about 20°F of McDonald’s | Same law student’s readings, 1994 report | WSJ via Tampa Bay Times |
| Other restaurants, early 1990s | About 160°F | American Museum of Tort Law summary of the Liebeck case | Tort Museum |
| Home coffee makers | Usually 135 to 150°F | Liebeck’s lawyer Kenneth Wagner, quoted by the American Museum of Tort Law | Tort Museum |
| McDonald’s, 2019 | “Held and served ten degrees lower” than before; no exact figure given | Retro Report, citing McDonald’s franchisee handbooks, October 2019 | Retro Report |
| Starbucks stores | No serving temperature published that we could find | In 1994 a Starbucks spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal that coffee “is traditionally a hot beverage and is served hot” | WSJ via Tampa Bay Times |
| Starbucks at-home recipe | Heat milk to 150°F | Starbucks at Home latte art recipe (a home recipe, not a statement about store drinks) | Starbucks at Home |
| Starbucks, Lynwood drive-thru, Aug. 25, 2022 | 190°F (alleged) | The plaintiff’s lawyers in a Los Angeles County Superior Court suit, as reported by the Los Angeles Times; not a finding | LA Times via AOL |
| Starbucks, Garcia case (tea), 2020 | No measured temperature reported | The case was tried on how a cup was secured in the carrier; after the verdict, Garcia’s lawyer Nicholas Rowley spoke of “a scalding hot, 180-degree drink” | CBS Los Angeles |
| Dunkin’ | No serving temperature published that we could find | In 1994 a Dunkin’ Donuts spokesman told the Wall Street Journal the company was studying the Liebeck verdict; coverage of a 2023 franchisee settlement gave no temperature | WSJ via Tampa Bay Times; CNN via ABC17 |
Two things stand out. Of the figures in this table, the only chain figure tested in a courtroom is more than 30 years old, and the most recent Starbucks figure is an allegation in a complaint. In 1994 a National Coffee Association spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that McDonald’s coffee conformed to industry temperature standards (WSJ via Tampa Bay Times). The full Liebeck record is on our McDonald’s hot coffee case page, and the Starbucks verdict is on our Garcia v. Starbucks page.
Brewing temperature and serving temperature are different numbers
Coffee has to be brewed hot to extract flavor. The Specialty Coffee Association and the National Coffee Association of the USA recommend brewing at 195 to 205°F, and the Tea Association of the USA recommends 180 to 190°F for delicate teas such as oolong and white tea, with hotter water for black teas (Abraham and Diller, 2019).
A drink can cool before it is served. John Abraham of the University of St. Thomas and Kenneth Diller of the University of Texas at Austin estimated that coffee brewed at 200°F drops to about 195°F as it leaves the grounds and is still 186 to 191°F when poured into the cup. Their review calls the confusion between brewing and serving temperatures “unnecessary and unsafe” (Abraham and Diller, 2019).
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How fast hot liquid causes a third-degree burn
Below are two published U.S. tables. They come from different publications and differ slightly at 140°F, so we show both and name each.
American Burn Association table (based on Moritz and Henriques, 1947; adult skin) (ABA scald guide):
| Water temperature | Time to a third-degree burn |
|---|---|
| 155°F (68°C) | About 1 second |
| 148°F (64°C) | About 2 seconds |
| 140°F (60°C) | About 5 seconds |
| 133°F (56°C) | About 15 seconds |
| 127°F (52°C) | About 1 minute |
| 124°F (51°C) | About 3 minutes |
| 120°F (48°C) | About 5 minutes |
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission figures (hot water, most adults) (CPSC Publication 5098):
| Water temperature | Exposure that causes third-degree burns |
|---|---|
| 150°F | 2 seconds |
| 140°F | 6 seconds |
| 130°F | 30 seconds |
| 120°F | 5 minutes |
The ABA’s guide says that coffee, tea, hot chocolate and other hot beverages, usually served at 160 to 180°F, cause “almost instantaneous burns that will require surgery” (ABA scald guide). Both tables stop below the temperature of a freshly poured drink. Abraham and Diller add that spills at 180°F are very likely to cause at least mid-dermal burns, which often need medical treatment.
In Liebeck, a doctor testifying for the injured woman told the jury that a third-degree burn takes less than three seconds at 190°F (WSJ via Tampa Bay Times). That was one witness’s testimony; the ABA and CPSC tables are the published references.
What the research says about the temperature people actually want
Brown and Diller (Burns, 2008). Fredericka Brown and Kenneth Diller built a model that weighs scald risk against the temperature coffee drinkers prefer. Using published preference data of 140 ± 15°F, they calculated an optimal drinking temperature of about 136°F (57.8°C) and concluded that lowering the recommended serving temperature of coffee would reduce scald risk and could improve customer satisfaction (PubMed abstract).
Abraham and Diller (Journal of Food Science, 2019). This review gathered six studies of preferred coffee drinking temperatures (Abraham and Diller, 2019):
| Study | Preferred drinking temperature |
|---|---|
| Borchgrevink et al. (1999) | 155°F (68.3°C) |
| Pipatsattayanuwong et al. (2001) | 161.8°F (71.4°C) |
| Lee and Mahoney (2002), as listed in the review | 139.6°F (59.8°C) |
| Brown and Diller (2008) | 136°F (57.8°C) |
| Stokes et al. (2016) | 159.4°F (70.8°C) |
| Dirler et al. (2018) | 145°F (63°C), range 131 to 158°F |
The authors recommend serving coffee and tea at 130 to 160°F (54 to 71°C). They describe three ways a business can get there after brewing: lower the holding temperature, let the drink cool before service, or mix in a cooler liquid such as milk or cooled coffee. Their review also notes:
- In a room, hot drinks typically cool by 20 to 25°F in five minutes.
- A lid roughly doubles the cooling time.
- Coffee brewed at recommended temperatures would be at or near preferred drinking temperatures after about five minutes of cooling.
- Children and older adults face more risk because of thinner skin, slower movement after a spill and smaller body size.
Children and older adults
The ABA’s national data show scalds make up 58 percent of pediatric burn center cases (ABA Burn Incidence Fact Sheet). The CPSC urges people to set home water heaters to 120°F and warns that even at 120°F, five minutes of exposure could cause third-degree burns (CPSC). That figure matters in nursing homes and care facilities, where residents may not be able to move away from hot bath water. See our nursing home abuse section for those claims.
What temperature evidence looks like in a burn claim
A drink’s temperature is rarely measured at the moment of a spill, so the evidence usually comes from the business:
- Brewing and holding settings on the equipment, and the maintenance and calibration records for it
- Written procedures, like the McDonald’s manual produced before the Liebeck trial
- Prior complaints and burn reports, which in Liebeck came from company documents
- The cup, lid, sleeve and carrier, which affect how fast the drink cools and whether it stays in the cup
How a court weighs this evidence depends on the state. California and Washington reduce damages by the injured person’s share of fault, and Texas bars recovery above 50 percent; our burn injury law by state page has the rules and deadlines. For coffee shop and drive-thru spills, see scald burns and our Starbucks burn page.
Talk to a burn injury lawyer
Few spills are measured with a thermometer, so the holding settings, manuals and burn reports have to come from the business itself. If a drink served too hot, or in a cup or lid that failed, burned you or your child in California, Texas or Washington, Beverly Law can ask for those records. Call (310) 552-6959 for a free consultation in English or Spanish. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. You owe no fees or costs unless we win. Our burn injury lawyer page covers the rest of the burn section.
Common questions
What temperature is coffee usually served at?
Research in the journal Burns reports hot beverages are frequently served at 160°F to 185°F. The American Burn Association gives 160°F to 180°F as the usual range.
How hot was McDonald's coffee in the hot coffee case?
McDonald’s manual called for holding coffee at 180 to 190°F, according to the Wall Street Journal’s 1994 coverage of the trial. In 2019, Retro Report said franchisee handbooks now call for ten degrees lower.
How hot is Starbucks coffee?
We found no store serving temperature published by Starbucks. A 2022 Los Angeles lawsuit alleges a Starbucks coffee was 190°F; that is an allegation, not a finding.
How fast can hot coffee cause a third-degree burn?
The American Burn Association’s table shows about one second at 155°F and about five seconds at 140°F for adult skin. Freshly served coffee is usually hotter than either.
What is a safe temperature to serve coffee?
A 2019 review in the Journal of Food Science recommends 130°F to 160°F. The preferred drinking temperatures in the six studies it reviewed ran from 136°F to about 162°F.
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If you or your child was burned because of someone else in California, Texas and Washington, talk to a burn injury attorney. Free, confidential, English or Spanish. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Related pages
Sources
- American Burn Association, Scald Injury Prevention Educator's Guide (copy hosted by childburn.org)
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Publication 5098, Avoiding Tap Water Scalds (cpsc.gov)
- Brown F, Diller KR, "Calculating the optimum temperature for serving hot beverages," Burns 2008;34(5):648-54 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Abraham JP, Diller KR, "A Review of Hot Beverage Temperatures: Satisfying Consumer Preference and Safety," Journal of Fo (foodsci.oregonstate.edu)
- Wall Street Journal (Andrea Gerlin), republished by Tampa Bay Times, Sept. 2, 1994 (tampabay.com)
- American Museum of Tort Law, Liebeck v. McDonald's (tortmuseum.org)
- Public Citizen, Legal Myths: The McDonald's Hot Coffee Case (citizen.org)
- Retro Report, Transcript: The Misunderstood McDonald's Hot Coffee Lawsuit (Oct. 28, 2019) (retroreport.org)
- Starbucks at Home, How to Make Latte Art at Home (athome.starbucks.com)
- Los Angeles Times via AOL, "Near-boiling coffee with a faulty lid left Starbucks customer badly burned, suit says" (aol.com)
- CBS Los Angeles, Garcia v. Starbucks verdict, March 15, 2025 (cbsnews.com)
- CNN via ABC17, Dunkin' franchisee settlement, Oct. 25, 2023 (abc17news.com)
- American Burn Association, Burn Incidence Fact Sheet (ameriburn.org)
Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.