Coffee is no longer classified as a carcinogen. But there is some evidence that drinking really hot beverages — regardless of what’s in them—might cause esophageal cancer. But the drinks have to be rather scorching. From the 2016 IARC ( International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization) decision that removed coffee from the list of possible carcinogens:

“The Working Group found no conclusive evidence for a carcinogenic effect of drinking coffee. However, the experts did find that drinking very hot beverages probably causes cancer of the oesophagus in humans. No conclusive evidence was found for drinking maté at temperatures that are not very hot.”

“These results suggest that drinking very hot beverages is one probable cause of oesophageal cancer and that it is the temperature, rather than the drinks themselves, that appears to be responsible,” said IARC Director Christopher Wild.

How hot? About 158 degrees Fahrenheit. The Mr. Coffee website says coffee is best served between 120 and 140 degrees. The National Coffee Association concurs.

Your tongue is a pretty good guide to the proper temperature. As I’ve learned too many times, it’s important to test the temp with the tongue before gulping, to save the throat a painful, nothing-you-can-do-about it moment.

Meantime, a chemical called acrylamide, which occurs in the roasting process, has been in the news the past couple years. But there is no conclusive proof that this chemical, in coffee, is raising the risk of cancer. Likely more research will be done, but I wouldn’t expect it to cause a total U-turn in the current thinking on the overall benefits vs. risks of coffee.