Dunkin' Donuts Sued Over Hot Cider Spill

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

And people actually think that Starbucks is popular because of the temperature at which it serves its coffee? <eye roll>

I thought they just serve iced coffees with a lot of sugar, whip cream and good flavors. I've never had a hot coffee there.

 

[Kirito]

you have to ask who hands out driving licenses to people like this,maybe there should be a drive through test aspect when applying for a licence. when buying hot liquids from a drive through do you a) place them in the cupholder b) place between your legs c) hand hot beverage to young child in baby seat d) balance on head

I would buy one of those liquid-holding backpacks made for hiking and just sip coffee through the straws.

 

[Cearbhall]

Why should Dunkin Donuts lessen the temperature of their hot coffee or their hot cider just because a woman is too stupid to comprehend the cup she just reached for at the drive-thru and felt the heat against her hand, shouldn't be stored between her legs!

Because there's no reason to make it that hot. It's reckless to serve a drink that's been heated to the point that it causes third-degree burns.

Now, it's possible that the temperature was fine and that the fault is all hers, but most places have a policy about how hot drinks should be.

 

[gnomon]

Average brewing temperature of coffee is about 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Average brewing temperature of tea is about 160 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit depending upon the type of tea.

I'm sure hot apple cider is brought to a temperature of between 160 to 180 degrees before serving.

I believe that all hot drinks such as tea, coffee, cider, etc. are served at temperatures ranging from 160 to 180 degrees. Recommended drinking temperature is about 140 degrees.

Amount of time it takes 140 degree water to scald human flesh to the third degree. About five seconds.

Temperature of the steam from a bag of microwaved popcorn. 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Maximum allowable shower temperature. 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Just for some context. We routinely put food and liquid in our mouths at a higher temperature we know would burn us after just a few minutes in a shower.

Just some numbers for those making absolute claims about the responsibility or the recklessness of those serving such drinks.

 

[Hetta]

I thought they just serve iced coffees with a lot of sugar, whip cream and good flavors. I've never had a hot coffee there.

And I only ever drink hot coffee from Starbucks - never iced.

 

[Joykins]

She was paid huge money and because of that McDonald's decided to basically mock idiots by putting a warning that the contents of a coffee cup are hot on the coffee cup. This then presents the warning that insures no future liability for idiots who evidently drink coffee but never before knew it was hot.

The other thing McDonalds did as a result of that lawsuit was lower the temperature of its coffee to something reasonable. There is no need to heat a beverage to the point where it would injure your mouth when it is served.

 

[Joykins]

you have to ask who hands out driving licenses to people like this,maybe there should be a drive through test aspect when applying for a licence. when buying hot liquids from a drive through do you

a) place them in the cupholder
b) place between your legs
c) hand hot beverage to young child in baby seat
d) balance on head

The only realistic choice is b unless the car actually has a cup holder. Many older cars do not. And even so that is no guarantee that it won't spill on you.

 

[Joykins]

I believe that all hot drinks such as tea, coffee, cider, etc. are served at temperatures ranging from 160 to 180 degrees. Recommended drinking temperature is about 140 degrees.

Now how long does it take to cool from 160 to 180 down to 140 in a styrofoam cup? How about one of those cardboard cups that burn your hands if you try to hold them?

Amount of time it takes 140 degree water to scald human flesh to the third degree. About five seconds.

I'd think that would kind of cut back on the enjoyment of drinking it then with the 3rd degree mouth burns?

 

[iluvatar5150]

Part of the reason for having coffee and tea that hot is because they dont' brew properly at cooler temperatures.

Cider does not have this issue. Cider is made at room temperature; heating it only enhances the flavor to a degree - serving it hot enough to burn you like this is insane.

But she kind of deserves it for getting cider at Dunkin Donuts. Their cider is terrible.

 

[gnomon]

Now how long does it take to cool from 160 to 180 down to 140 in a styrofoam cup? How about one of those cardboard cups that burn your hands if you try to hold them?



I'd think that would kind of cut back on the enjoyment of drinking it then with the 3rd degree mouth burns?

Ever watched fire walkers. They walk on fire hot enough to cause significant burn damage to the feet. Yet, when done properly, they do not get burned. It's due to heat transference and other factors that keep the feet from getting burned.

It's quite likely that the act of drinking coffee, at about the 135-140 degree mark, doesn't result in burns because of the saliva in the mouth absorbing heat and the short amount of time the liquid is in the mouth. The mucus lining in the esophagus probably helps as well. But I'm just guessing.

I'm not going to state either way about the MacDonalds case because I don't know the exact temperature it was served to her and we do know that she spilled the coffee before being able to add in either cream or sugar which cools the coffee significantly.

I'm just presenting facts that contradict what many people making statements seem to believe about the brewing and serving temperatures of hot drinks. Which is that they are brewed and served at temperatures that will damage the skin and can do so severely. This is nothing new.

There is no need to heat a beverage to the point where it would injure your mouth when it is served.

Millions of coffee and tea drinkers would disagree. That's also why, traditionally, the act of drinking these beverages is preceded by a process that helps cool it before consumption. Such as adding in other products and stirring. But all of them are indeed served at scalding temperatures.

The hotter the liquid the faster it cools. However, adding in cold cream or milk lowers the overall temperature of the system so that while it will be cooler than a cup of black coffee it will lose temperature at a slower rate. I believe the same is true for adding sugar but I haven't seen the numbers.

Fun stuff.

 

[iluvatar5150]

The hotter the liquid the faster it cools. However, adding in cold cream or milk lowers the overall temperature of the system so that while it will be cooler than a cup of black coffee it will lose temperature at a slower rate. I believe the same is true for adding sugar but I haven't seen the numbers.

The hotter liquid may drop in temperature at a faster rate than a cooler liquid, but it'll never go lower than the cooler liquid without some other force acting on it.

 

[gnomon]

The hotter liquid may drop in temperature at a faster rate than a cooler liquid, but it'll never go lower than the cooler liquid without some other force acting on it.

That's true. Just pointing out that the right time to add cream is immediately after pouring your coffee. That way it brings the temperature down closer to a drinkable level but cools slower thus staying a warm cup of coffee longer. Doesn't add anything to the woman who burned herself with cider.

 

[cow451]

What a stupid woman.

I guess if I wanted to sacrifice my crotch because I desperately needed money I'd do the same thing she did.

Please do so. I want you to get rich. I'll even pay for the cider.

 

[durangodawood]

Welcome to America, where personal responsibility is thrown out the window in the name of the almighty dollar. You have zero common sense? No worries, you can sue for not having any.

How is it my "personal responsibility" if some other driver crashes into me because they just spilled boiling hot coffee in their lap???

 

[Kirito]

How is it my "personal responsibility" if some other driver crashes into me because they just spilled boiling hot coffee in their lap???

To bear part of the responsibility, you'd have to assume the risk of being run over, perhaps by jaywalking. In the case at hand, the woman certainly did assume risk, making her partially liable. However, your comparison is accurate in that the woman's injuries were a result of actions other than her own.

 

[Forest Wolf]

.... There is no need to heat a beverage to the point where it would injure your mouth when it is served.

Has anyone here ever brewed coffee at home? Since hot apple cider isn't a usual fare. Hot beverages will hurt your mouth when served hot.

That's why it's called hot coffee. Hot apple cider. A hot meal for goodness sake. Something fresh out of the oven isn't immediately able to be popped into your mouth after cooking at 400 degree's for an hour and more.

The extent to which this woman's irresponsibility is being defended by those who act as if they've never had a hot beverage is surprising.

 

[Joykins]

Has anyone here ever brewed coffee at home? Since hot apple cider isn't a usual fare. Hot beverages will hurt your mouth when served hot.

That's why it's called hot coffee. Hot apple cider. A hot meal for goodness sake. Something fresh out of the oven isn't immediately able to be popped into your mouth after cooking at 400 degree's for an hour and more.

The extent to which this woman's irresponsibility is being defended by those who act as if they've never had a hot beverage is surprising.

But we're not talking about home or office or eat-in restaurant brewing, where presumably you have a table or counter to work with your coffee. We'r'e talking about handing a 180 degree drink in a flimsy cup out a window into a car which may or may not have a cup holder. In cars without cup holders, any processing of the coffee to bring down the temperature (stirring, cream, ice cubes--which my husband uses for that purpose) is going to require opening that cup on your lap.

Which, incidentally is one of the reasons I get ice coffee when I'm on the go like that. Messing with a scalding beverage in your car is just not worth it.

 

[ToddNotTodd]

Has anyone here ever brewed coffee at home? Since hot apple cider isn't a usual fare. Hot beverages will hurt your mouth when served hot.

That's why it's called hot coffee. Hot apple cider. A hot meal for goodness sake. Something fresh out of the oven isn't immediately able to be popped into your mouth after cooking at 400 degree's for an hour and more.

The extent to which this woman's irresponsibility is being defended by those who act as if they've never had a hot beverage is surprising.

Simple solution. Serve hot beverages from two different pots. One for normal, good natured people served at a temperature that you can drink as soon as you receive it, and one served Really hot for criminally insane commie idiots with too much time on their hands...