When Is Hot Coffee Too Hot? What to Know About the Health Risks

Like many people, you may start your day with a hot cup of coffee. It’s comforting, gives you an energizing caffeine boost, and provides antioxidants that are good for you. But if it’s too hot, it may pose a health risk.

“You’ve probably taken a sip of extra-hot coffee and immediately noticed the changes in your mouth,” says Brintha Vasagar, MD, MPH, a family physician in Milwaukee. Your tongue may feel burned, for instance, and the skin of your soft palate might peel.

“If that hot liquid makes it to your throat or esophagus without cooling, it can cause those same changes and inflammation to your cells,” Dr. Vasagar says. Here’s how that can affect your health.

Higher temperatures can cause long- and short-term health consequences.

Mouth and Throat Burns

“This shows up as a burning or stinging sensation, redness, blistering or peeling of the mucosa, and pain with swallowing,” Dr. Kethu says. Hot liquids can also potentially harm the pain nerves in the esophagus.

Esophageal Cancer Risk

Repeatedly drinking very hot coffee can damage cells and increase your risk for esophageal cancer, Vasagar says.

“The leading explanation is that repeated thermal injury forces the [esophageal] lining to keep regenerating cells, which promotes cancer over time,” Kethu says. “Importantly, the risk is tied to temperature, not coffee itself; coffee at a reasonable temperature is not considered a cause, and some studies even suggest it may be protective.”

There are a number of things you can do if you make this common mistake, Vasagar and Kethu say.

• Sip cool but not ice-cold water (ice could potentially worsen a tissue injury)
• Gargle with salt water
• Take an over-the-counter pain reliever
• Stick to bland foods for a few days, avoiding anything spicy or acidic
• Avoid hot foods and beverages for a few days
• Take an over-the-counter pain reliever

“Most injuries will heal on their own within a week,” Vasagar says.

Symptoms that last longer warrant a trip to the doctor. Also seek medical care if you have severe pain, blisters, or difficulty eating or drinking, she adds.

Go to the emergency room if you have trouble breathing or experience mouth or throat swelling, fever, or extensive blistering, Kethu says.

You can test the temperature of your coffee using a digital thermometer, or you can brew your coffee with a machine that lets you set the temperature.

What about once you’ve poured yourself a cup? “A practical rule: If it’s too hot to hold a comfortable sip in your mouth, it’s too hot to swallow,” Kethu says.

As anyone who drinks coffee knows, a little milk or cream in the cup can help bring the temperature down. So can waiting a few minutes to let coffee cool, difficult as that may be.