What Is Nitro Cold Brew

Nitro cold brew is cold brew coffee infused with nitrogen gas and poured from a tap. The nitrogen creates a cascade of tiny bubbles that give the coffee a thick, creamy mouthfeel and a visual pour that looks like a glass of Guinness settling. No milk, no cream, no sugar. The texture comes entirely from the gas.

How It Works

Cold brew concentrate is kegged and pressurized with nitrogen gas, the same process used for nitrogenous stouts in brewing. The coffee is poured through a restrictor plate that forces the liquid through tiny holes, infusing it with cascading micro-bubbles. Nitrogen is an inert gas with no flavor. It does not change what the coffee tastes like, only how it feels. The sweetness perception increases slightly because the creamy texture mimics the effect of added cream. Many people who normally add milk to their coffee drink nitro black.

How to Drink It

Nitro cold brew is served without ice. Ice disrupts the nitrogen cascade and dilutes the texture that is the entire point of the drink. If your nitro arrives with ice in it, the shop does not understand their own product. Do not stir it. Let the cascade settle. Drink it cold, from the top down, through the head. It is a summer drink, a mid-afternoon drink. Coffee that drinks like a treat without any added sweetness. Find a shop serving nitro near you.

Keep reading: Cold Brew vs. Iced Coffee, What Is an Americano, Specialty vs. Chain Coffee.