There is a lot of buzz in the coffee circles about nitro cold brew. You probably saw it in a coffee shop, and initially wondered what was that. That foamy liquid that pours out of a tap is coffee. It looks a bit odd at; first, it looks like a Guinness. The hype around NCB is every bit justified. People buy it in coffee shops because is delicious, it doesn’t need sugar or cream, and it provides the same benefits as cold brew coffee.
What is Nitro Cold Brew Coffee?
Nitro Coffee is cold brew coffee infused with nitrogen. Doesn’t that sound weird and unhealthy? Well, it’s not unusual at all. We get the fizz with other cold drinks Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and carbonated water. The difference is that pops and carbonated water are infused with carbon dioxide.
Nitro coffee is nitrogenated. The infused Nitrogen creates a distinctive texture and taste that just works with coffee. Other nitrogenated drinks are nitro beers. Nitro beers are infused with 70% nitrogen and 30% carbon dioxide. It creates a different taste and feel, (nitro beers a new trend now).
The process of infusing coffee with nitrogen is not simple, and require special equipment. This equipment is expensive, and that’s why you can only get it from a coffee shop.
A Brief History of Nitro Coffee
Nitro coffee is relatively recent on the market, with just about a decade of past. It is not entirely clear when and where exactly nitrogen cold-brew appeared, and there is a little debate over the history. Esquire magazine, however, attribute the earliest nitro coffee to The Queens Kickshaw in New York in 2011. They thought of running cold coffee through the draft system. The draft system came with valves with tiny holes that pump pressurized nitrogen. Coffee passes through this and creates the Nitro Coffee.
Cuvee Coffee also claimed that the idea of Nitro Coffee started with them. They thought of infusing coffee with Nitrogen since 2005. The problem was, they didn’t put the idea into practice. But by 2012, Cuvee Coffee owner, Mike McKim started experimenting with iced coffee. He first started trying to infuse it with carbon dioxide. That resulted in a disgustingly awful cup of cold carbonated coffee. Then he tried the same process with nitrogen, and this resulted in the beautiful texture and fantastic taste that we know today. This experiment gave birth to the first commercialized nitro coffee in a can called Black & Blue.
How Does it Taste Like?
The infused nitrogen affects coffee in two aspects: texture and taste. Nitro coffee has a distinctly creamy texture that resembles frothed milk. It offers a smooth glide with a lingering gentle feel. The taste, however, has nothing to do with cappuccinos or lattes. It is quite sweet without adding any sugar, and it has a sharp, strong punch to it.
Nitro coffee offers the same crisp feel as drinking a draft beer, but it has a silkier texture that swirls around your mouth.
It has an added sweetness while giving you that bubbly frothy finish without the sugar and the milk or cream. Nitro coffee is a wonderful summer indulgence.
How is Nitro Coffee Made?
First of all, you need a draft system. Some people call the draft system, a kegerator. The kegerator comes with the infusion valve, the kegs for storing coffee, and the dispenser. Setting up the kegerator is one thing to make nitro coffee, but the real secret lies still in the coffee. Great nitro coffee is also only as good as the single origin coffee or the blend that you use.
One great way of improving your nitro coffee is by using cold brew coffee. Though you can chill hot brewed coffee, you lose some of the aroma and the taste, when you do. Cold brew coffee retains subtle flavors and aromas from the origin beans, and it doesn’t oxidize as fast as hot coffee. It produces a better crisp to the nitro coffee than chilled hot brewed coffee.
Once you have the cold coffee, you pass it through the draft system and let it infuse with the nitrogen. Then you serve it through the tap or from a dispenser.
The real stuff is infused with 100% pure Nitrogen, but for a cheaper version, you can use air. Air is 78% Nitrogen, and the taste you get with this inexpensive method is pretty close to the real stuff.
Though most people would prefer a pure nitrogen infusion, some baristas or mixologists play with a mix of Nitrogen and carbon dioxide. One example is Cuvee Coffee’s Black & Blue Canned Nitro Coffee. It is a mix of 30% CO2 and 70% Nitrogen.
If you want your nitro coffee to be a bit sweeter, it’s best to add your sugar or sweetener before having it infused. If you’re a latte or cappuccino lover, then you can add milk just before drinking it. But for die-hard fans of black coffee, drink this crispy smooth nitro cup as it is. You’ll never regret it.
Is Nitro Coffee Healthy?
When you infuse nitrogen into your drink, you aren’t creating a chemical reaction. The coffee doesn’t react in any way with the Nitrogen. Coffee exposed to chemical reactions, (with the Oxygen in the air for instance), is changed in a way that eliminates the health benefits of coffee. Your average cup of joe and your cup of nitro coffee have the same health benefits.
Nitro coffee doesn’t need sugar or creamer, as a consequence is lower in calories. One word of caution: you do get a higher dose of caffeine from Nitro Coffee since it is stronger than your average brewed coffee. Depending on the coffee brewing method, you get up 30% more caffeine from a cup of nitro coffee.
Most of the times nitro coffee is made with cold brew coffee. Since cold brew is healthier than the hot brewed coffee, you see the advantage.
The foam created by the infusion of Nitrogen doesn’t make the coffee sweeter, it just accentuates the natural coffee sweetness. The puffed up drink also gives this thin, smooth texture giving you the idea that it is indeed a sweeter drink.
Because is brewed with cold-brew, Nitro coffee is also significantly low in acid. This is very beneficial to those with sensitive stomachs.
Nitro coffee has everything you want in a coffee. It has the health benefits, the caffeine boost, and the awesome leveled up the coffee taste.