Lightly carbonated with natural sweetness, less acidity, a caffeine boost, and a great mouthfeel, nitro cold brew will be your go-to coffee this summer. This coffee is all the rage right now! A few tweaks to traditional cold brew coffee make this super popular coffee shop drink easy to prepare at home.
Is that a stout? NO! It's coffee!! Wild right
So what's the point, you're asking. Why go through all this trouble to make coffee? Well let me tell you just a few tidbits about why this hipster coffee is oh so crave-worthy:
- slightly more caffeinated than traditional cold brew
- the cold brew process makes the coffee less acidic
- naturally sweet-tasting
- nitrogen changes the texture of the coffee
- thick and creamy tastes almost like a strong coffee dessert!
Are you ready to put together your new coffee addition?
How to make Nitro Cold Brew
We're going to saddle up and do this just like we're making regular cold brew coffee, except we're going to brew it with just a touch more water so that it's ready to go and doesn't need to be diluted.
You'll need:
- coarse ground coffee beans
- cold or room temp water (filtered, optional) - we live in the city and have great filtered tap water so I just use that.
For 'equipment' you need something to strain the coffee grounds, I love using reusable cheesecloth (I use this one). It's a fine material and I love that you just rinse it out, wash it, and use it again.
TIP: To achieve a thick, foamy 'head' on your nitro coffee a paper strainer/filter is recommended. It will filter more oils out of the coffee, which will help build a foamier pour.
You will need a whipped cream canister or a soda dispenser. A soda dispenser will be a little easier to pour the coffee thanks to the spout design, but if you already have a whipped cream canister on hand there's no reason to buy the extra equipment.
Once the coffee is brewed and strained, just add it to the canister, add the nitrogen cartridge, give it a shake, and pour into the glass. Let the coffee settle before sipping. This will give the nitrogen time to settle while also building that creamy head on top.
Do you drink it black?
You're supposed to. The point of going through these extra steps is to naturally change the flavor of the coffee without adding anything to it. Try it and if you don't like it black, add your milk and sweeteners before sealing the canister.
Can you reuse the nitrogen canisters?
Unfortunately, no. Once you seal the dispenser and add the cartridge that's it. If you unseal the dispenser, you'll need to add a new cartridge.
Can I use cold brew concentrate?
Yes! You can brew a standard recipe for cold brew coffee and just add water before pouring into the soda dispenser or whipped cream canister. This is a great quick option especially if you're just curious and not used to typically drinking black coffee.
Feel free to experiment with the brew! Add some vanilla or caramel to the coffee before it goes into the dispenser if you love flavorings in your coffee.
Be sure to tell me your favorite way to drink nitro cold brew in the comments! If you made this recipe, please give it a star rating right below in the recipe card!
Nitro Cold Brew
Equipment
- fine cheesecloth to strain
- soda siphon or whipped cream canister
- nitrogen chargers
Ingredients
- 4 ounces coffee (coarsely ground)
- 5 cups cold water (filtered is best)
Instructions
- Prep. Grind the beans to a coarse size grind. The grounds should resemble kosher salt.
- Brew. Combine the coffee grounds and cold filtered water in a large container. Let sit for 12 to 16 hours. Strain through a paper filter or a fine-mesh cheesecloth (see notes). Because nitro coffee is brewed to be ready to use it is a slightly different ratio than traditional cold brew coffee, it does not need to be diluted.
- Bubble. In a soda dispenser - or a whipped cream canister - add the cold brew coffee. Seal and add the nitrogen cartridge. Give the cannister a shake. Turn it upside down and release it into a glass with the dispenser tip at the bottom of the glass. Let the coffee settle and the creamy foam head form before sipping.
Notes
- You can experiment with flavors by adding vanilla or other extracts to the coffee before sealing the dispenser.
- If you're in a rush, you can substitute cold brew concentrate and use slightly less water when you dilute it. I typically prefer the ratio of 2 parts concentrate, 1 part water for my cold brew concentrate.
- If you need to speed up the brewing process you can substitute hot water for cold water, then brew for 6 to 8 hours but this make extract some acidity from the beans.
- I love these reusable cloth cheesecloths (affiliate link). If you plan to make a lot of cold brew, they're 100% worth the small cost.
- The soda siphons (aff link) can be pretty pricey, so a whipped cream canister (aff link) can get the job done and can be used for other recipes.
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