What Is Nitro Coffee?

When I hear the term “nitro coffee,” I immediately assume we’re talking about WCW Monday Nitro coffee. Yep, it sure is cool that there is a coffee made to celebrate the hit, late-1990s professional wrestling tv show, Monday Nitro. I assume there’s also a WWF Monday Night Raw Coffee. Well, it turns out, I’m dumb and that’s not what nitro coffee is. 

Nitro coffee is sort of like cold brew coffee or iced coffee, but different. Is your mind blown yet? So, what is nitro coffee? What is nitro cold brew coffee? How is nitro coffee made? How does nitro coffee work? Let’s get into it. 

What is nitro coffee?

Nitro coffee is coffee made with nitrogen gas. I’m sure many of you assumed that nitro coffee was coffee with nitrogen oxide boosters that could be initiated to make the coffee go faster, much in the way that Dom expertly hits his nitro boosters throughout the Fast & Furious franchise. But, of course that’s not it. It’s nitrogen. 

But what does that mean? What is nitro coffee? Nitro coffee is coffee that has nitrogen gas added in order to create a smooth, almost creamy texture. Nitro coffee is served from a keg by a barista or it can come in a can. There’s nitro beer, as well, like Guinness. It is possible to make hot nitro coffee, but it would have to be made in very small amounts. Cold brew can be made in bulk, so nitro cold brew is way more common. 

How is nitro coffee made?

How do you make this nitro cold brew? First of all, let’s clarify that there is a difference between iced coffee, cold brew, and nitro cold brew. Ice coffee is just regularly brewed coffee poured over ice. You can make it in your plain old drip coffee maker then put it in the fridge. Cold brew is made via a cold water extraction method. Coarse ground coffee beans are soaked in cool water for 12-24 hours. Then, this mix is put through a sieve, a filter, or in something like a french press to separate the coffee from the grounds. This creates a concentrated coffee that has a higher caffeine content than regularly brewed coffee. This concentrated coffee then needs to be mixed with water, or milk, or at least ice to dilute it a bit as cold brew coffee can be quite strong. Nitro coffee is made by taking that cold brew and charging it with nitrogen.

How does nitro coffee work?

Your local barista may have a hard time describing what makes nitro coffee special. After all, they’re trying to serve a bunch of customers and you keep bothering them with questions. Nitro coffee is just cold brew coffee that’s been put into cans or kegs and charged with nitrogen. Have you ever seen a draught beer? It’s charged up in a keg and comes out super smooth with a foamy head, if it’s poured right. Nitro coffee is similar. 

You get your nice cold brew coffee, but it has a super smooth texture and a foamy head on top. When you sip it, nitro coffee has an almost silky mouthfeel. I love nitro coffee so much, I’m trying to apply the technology to other things. Is the world ready for nitro mashed potatoes?