Coffee is hot. Good coffee is brewed at 200°F. People want coffee, good coffee, and they know it will be hot, know (from experience!) they must wait for it to cool down or they’ll burn themselves on it.
Ya know, sometimes people want things which are dangerous. They know it’s dangerous. It’s not useful/desirable if it’s not dangerous. No surprise that a few people out of millions subsequently get hurt.
Yup. True. Part of the brewing process (with good coffee anyay) is basically a continuation of the roasting process. During the roasting process certain chemical reactions occur within the bean as it roasts. It is this process that produces caffeine. Raw coffee beans do not contain caffeine. As one continues to roast a bean, you will eventually reach a point where this reaction ends, and continued roasting will actually begin to break the caffeine molecules down. (Espresso can actually less caffeine than a lighter roast might have).
I roast my coffee for taste, and very seldom will I roast a bean as much as you commonly get at Starbucks and elsewhere.
From what I understand, the process of brewing finishes off this process and the hot water also brings out additional flavors from the grinds. You can't properly brew coffee with 120° water.