How about a freshly tapped, cold... coffee? Really cold tapped coffee, also called Nitro Coffee. It is a variant of cold brew that has been established among coffee lovers for several years. In the following sections, we will tell you what Nitro Coffee is in detail and why the new trendy drink tastes so good.
What is Nitro Coffee?
Nitro coffee is based on a cold brew. However, this is not simply brewed
It is not poured in a glass, but rather tapped from a beer tap. This means that the cold brew is mixed with nitrogen during the tapping process. Similar to a cream sprayer. This changes the mouthfeel and the taste of the cold brew. It becomes foamy, creamy and soft. A well-tapped Nitro Coffee also looks like a dark beer with a nice head of foam. This is another reason why Nitro Coffee is often served in a beer glass.
To make a nitro, the extracted cold brew is placed in a pressure-resistant container and mixed with nitrogen. The drink is then served from a tap, similar to a beer tap. This creates the same visual result as a beer. The name Nitro Coffee comes from the English word Nitrogene, which means nothing more than nitrogen.
Where does Nitro Coffee come from?
It's hard to say for sure, but Nitro Coffee definitely originated in the USA. It's already a much bigger hit there than it is here. It probably happened somewhere in Portland, Oregon in the 2010s. Coffee roasters there ran cold brew through a beer tap (the reason for this is unknown) - and Nitro Cold Brew was created. Since then, the cold brewed coffee variant has spread worldwide, and the market for cold brew will continue to grow in the future. Cold brew, and therefore Nitro Coffee, is particularly popular in summer.
Difference to iced coffee?
Basically, iced coffee and nitro coffee are two completely different drinks. Iced coffee is based on hot brewed coffee, while nitro is based on cold brew, i.e. cold extracted coffee. This means that the tastes are different, and the caffeine content is different. Cold brew has a lot more caffeine than iced coffee due to the longer extraction time. Compared to hot brewed coffee, nitro coffee contains less acid and less bitter substances and at the same time has a fruity aroma.
Which coffee to make?
Nitro coffee tastes best when it is made from fruity, chocolatey or nutty cold brew. Light roasts from Rwanda, Ethiopia or Kenya are ideal for this. This always creates a different cup profile for the cold brew and therefore also for the nitro coffee. Of course, you can use any coffee that you like best to make cold brew as a basis for nitro coffee. The easiest way is to choose a good cold brew from our shop and then make your nitro coffee from it.
Make your own Nitro Coffee
Well, making it yourself is a tricky thing. You need a bottle of nitrogen and a dispensing system. Not everyone has one of these at home and it's not entirely safe. But there are methods and ways to do it. For this you need a professional cream dispenser.
- Fill the spray cream bottle with cold brew and load it with two nitrogen capsules
- Shake the spray bottle and spray the Nitro Coffee like cream into a tall glass
- The foam will probably not be as thick as with Nitro machines. However, the mouthfeel, appearance and taste can keep up with the professional Nitro Coffee.
So you could easily enjoy a Nitro Coffee in your favorite café or buy the equipment if you want to make Nitro Coffee more often or in large quantities.
Nitro Coffee – Mixed Cocktails
If you make a Nitro Coffee, you can of course also make mixed drinks from the pure, foamed cold brew. For example, Nitro coffee goes just as well as normal coffee or cold brew in cocktails with gin. Or you can simply sink a scoop of vanilla ice cream into a glass of Nitro Coffee - that would be something like a Nitro Affogato!
If you like fruity drinks, you should know that passion fruit and grapefruit juices go very well with cold brew - and therefore also with nitro. Basically, you can make anything with nitro coffee that you would normally make with coffee... espresso martini, ginger brew with ginger beer or simply on ice and so on. You are also welcome to develop your own recipes.
Nitro Coffee Conclusion
Slowly but surely, summer is getting underway here. This means that cold brew and nitro coffee weather is starting to arrive. Especially since you can also refine it with liquor, ice, a dash of fruit juice or other things. For a decent nitro coffee you "only" need a tap, nitrogen capsules and cold brew. But the good thing is, you can get (almost) all of this from 25GRAMS or get it elsewhere... it's entirely up to you and your decision. Oh, and one more thing, it's not as dangerous as it sounds at first, because nitrogen per se is not poisonous, the only danger comes from the pressure bottles if they are not handled correctly. It sounds dangerous - but "nitro coffee" is just dangerously good.