Natural and holistic wellness is all the rage, and with it comes various food and drink trends, one of which is Nitro coffee.

Nitro coffee is a trend I find quite interesting. While “nitro” is nothing new, the whole idea of adding nitrogen to coffee grounds started in 2013.

What Is Nitro Coffee?

Just to be clear, nitro coffee is not ‘iced coffee’. Another name for it is ‘cold brew coffee’ with added nitrogen to kick the taste up a few notches. ‘Cold brew’ refers to how the coffee is brewed. Using large or coarse coffee grounds, they are left to seep in cold water for anywhere from 12 to 16 hours.

Since the water is left at room temperature, the acids in the grounds are not released as they do when coffee is made with hot water. Instead, you are left with a smooth, sweet, deliciously aromatic cup of coffee, so much so that avid coffee lovers tend to forgo the sugar and creamer, and drink this stuff black because of its silkier, slightly sweeter taste.

It’s appealing to people more than traditional hot brewed coffee, which is made by running hot water over the coffee grounds.

The advantage to hot coffee is that it takes a mere 5 minutes at the most to be brewed during which the hot water absorbs the coffee’s flavour and aromas. And that is when you’re not using one of the machines that exist on the market, that can give you a coffee within a few seconds.

One of the disadvantages to hot coffee is that the oils and acids in the coffee grounds are only soluble at high temperatures. This is why black coffee usually has a bitter taste, which people try to camouflage by adding sugar and cream. Coffee in and of itself has some anti-inflammatory properties, but if you can add sugar and cream, you start to kick the inflammation up a notch.

Nitro coffee is more smooth, sweet, aromatic, also creamy. More often than not, it is served right from a stout faucet (which is the longer, pointy faucet used to serve beers).

These types of faucets require nitrogen due to their high serving pressure. Moreover, since the pressure can reach up to 240 kPa (kilopascal); stout faucets are equipped with a restrictor (“agitator”) plate on the inside.

It is this plate, combined with the nitrogen, which is insoluble in water, that gives beers, or in this case coffee, that rich, smooth, creamy texture. It has a frothy, bubbly head on top that feels thick and velvety.

Another trick that the restrictor plate can do is make the liquid flow smoothly onto the sides of the glass, like a cascading waterfall. This gives it a great look, but also augments the foamy, thick taste of the brew.

How To Drink Nitro Coffee?

You have several choices when it comes to serving your cold brew. Remember that it can be stored for up to 2 weeks without sacrificing its original taste.

Over ice

Fill your glass with ice. Pour the concentrated cold brew to only about 1/3 of the cup (if you prefer a bolder version, fill it to about ½ of the cup). You can dilute your cold brew with soy-milk, almond milk or even water. As usual, I’d recommend foregoing at all dairy.

Hot

Even though it may sound like a contradiction in terms, drinking cold brew coffee hot is completely different from just drinking hot coffee. All you have to do is heat up some water, fill 1/3 of your glass with the cold brew concentrate. Pour hot water.

Straight from the faucet.

Forgo sugar.

Forgo cream.

One of the considerations as far as health and diet go is that with Nitro Coffee you may be able to avoid adding milk and sugar, since it is naturally creamy, saving you inflammatory foods and also potentially thousands of calories a year.

Just a word to the wise, with nitro coffee you don’t need to wait for the caffeine rush to hit you. It is strong and you will feel the caffeine pumping through your veins faster than traditional coffee.

It could be because there is a boost in the coffee-to-water ratio, or it could be the nitrogen helping quicken the absorption process.

If you’re interested in cold-brewing your own coffee, start small. You can use a mason jar, a bucket, or a Toddy® Maker, which is known for its low acidic coffee concentrate since it, extracts the oils and bitter acids.

Benefits Of Nitro Coffee

1. May boost your metabolism

Just like hot coffee, cold brew coffee contains caffeine, which has been shown to increase your resting metabolic rate by up to 11%. 

2. May lift your mood

3. May lower your risk of heart disease

4. May lower your risk of type 2 diabetes

5. May reduce your risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease

6. May be easier on your stomach than hot coffee

7. May help you live longer

8. Similar caffeine content to hot coffee

9. Very easy to make

Nitro Coffee And Your Hormones

There are a few studies on nitro coffee that have found drinking a cup stimulates your nervous system which then sends signals to your body to start breaking down fat. When you drink nitro coffee, your blood levels of the hormone Epinephrine also increases.