In 2016, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified beverages consumed at very high temperatures, defined as drinks over 65°C, as 'probably carcinogenic to the human oesophagus'32. It is the temperature, rather than the drinks themselves, that appears to be responsible. 65°C is significantly hotter than the temperature at which most people can comfortably drink coffee without scalding their mouth and tongue; coffee is typically drunk at temperatures below 60°C32,33.
- When IARC assessed evidence for a link between oesophageal cancer and coffee specifically, it found insufficient evidence of an association32
