Five Things You Need to Know About Nitro Coffee

You may not yet feature nitro coffee at your Buffalo- or Rochester-area bar or restaurant – but considering how much it’s trending these days, it might be a great option to offer your customers.

If you’re not familiar with nitro coffee, here are five questions and answers about the emerging brew.

1. What is nitro coffee? First concocted in or around 2013 (depending on who you ask), nitro coffee (a.k.a. “Nitro Cold Brew Coffee” or NCB) is cold brewed coffee infused with nitrogen gas (nitrogen is regularly added to certain types of beers, particularly stouts).
2. What does nitrogen coffee taste like? Nitrogen infused coffee is extremely smooth and low in acidity, with a silky mouth feel (bubbles in a nitrogen infused beverage are much smaller than bubbles in soda, which are produced by carbon dioxide). Most fans of the nitro-brew drink it black with or without ice; although it can be served with sweet cream or syrup, the bubbles give the impression of sweetness, so most people skip the unhealthy add-ins.
3. What should nitrogen coffee look like? Imagine the creamy texture of a Guinness and you have an idea of what a nitro coffee should look like. Much like a properly poured stout, nitrogen coffee gets it signature look from its stream of cascading bubbles.
4. Is nitro coffee healthier than traditional coffee? Although it is the same basic material as your typical morning coffee, the nitrogenation process imparts a sweet, creamy texture to your coffee, which makes the drink seem sweet without the need for sugar. Nitrogen coffee also has a higher caffeine content (since it contains less water), which makes it a great pre-workout drink, and it’s also lower in acid than conventional coffee — good news for people with sensitive stomachs.
5. What do I need to install in my bar or restaurant to serve nitrogen coffee? To produce nitro coffee, you need a source of nitrogen gas (from a replaceable cylinder or onsite bulk loaded set-up) and a properly pressurized and maintained serving system. As with nitro beers, proper set up of your equipment is the key to consistent, excellent pours.

Thinking about offering nitro coffee in your restaurant or bar? We can help you set up and maintain a serving system that gives you perfect pours every time! Contact our experts today to learn more.