Nitro Cold-Brew: How to Make Nitro Cold-Brew Coffee

Nitro cold-brew coffee is coffee brewed with cold or room temperature water (instead of hot water) and then nitrogenated, or infused with nitrogen gas using pressurized nitrous oxide chargers. The nitrogen bubbles form a foamy top, making the coffee look like a Guinness beer. In fact, nitro cold brew was likely inspired by bartenders' practice of infusing dark beers like stouts, ales, and lagers with nitrogen gas instead of carbon dioxide.

Since nitrogen bubbles are smaller than carbon dioxide bubbles (the gas used to make soda), nitrogen-infused coffee has a smoother mouthfeel than carbonated beverages. Coffee shops often serve nitro cold-brew on tap from kegs, but you can also find cans of cold-brew at grocery stores, and you can make your own nitro cold-brew at home using a cream whipper.

The difference between nitro cold-brew and regular cold-brew is that nitro cold-brew contains nitrogen gas. This makes the two drinks visually distinct since nitro cold-brew has a frothy "head" of cream-color foam. The nitrogen gas also changes the flavor—nitro cold-brew tastes slightly sweeter than plain cold-brew. The tiny bubbles also give nitro cold brew a creamy texture. Both types of cold-brewed coffee have lower acidity and less aromatic compounds than espresso or black coffee, which gives them a distinctly different flavor from other types of iced coffee.

The first step to making nitro cold brew at home is to make cold-brew concentrate. After the cold brewing process, you’ll create a home nitro setup using a whipped cream dispenser and nitrogen cartridges.

1. 1. Grind the beans. Using a burr coffee grinder, grind roasted whole coffee beans to a medium-coarse texture. If you buy coffee from a local coffee shop, you can ask your barista for a coarse grind and let them know it's for cold brew.
2. 2. Mix the grounds with cold or room-temperature water. Combine a third of a cup of ground coffee with one-and-a-half cups of filtered water in a jar or other airtight container just large enough to hold the coffee. If your vessel isn't airtight or if there's too much air in the jar, the coffee can oxidize and produce off-flavors. Alternatively, you can make cold brew in a French press to minimize excess air volume and easily filter out the coffee grounds later.
3. 3. Let the mixture steep. Let the coffee sit out at room temperature for 12 hours or refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.
4. 4. Strain out the coffee grounds. Strain the coffee through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth, nut milk bag, or paper coffee filter. You now have cold-brew coffee concentrate that you can combine with water in a 1:1 coffee-to-water ratio. Store your cold brew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
5. 5. Combine coffee concentrate with water. When you make cold brew at home, what you're actually making is coffee concentrate meant to be diluted with additional water. For 2 cups of cold brew, combine 1 cup cold-brew concentrate with 1 cup of cold water.
6. 6. Infuse the cold brew with nitrogen. Pour the cold-brew coffee into a whipped cream dispenser and seal. Charge with one nitrous oxide cartridge and shake for 30 seconds. Let sit until the canister feels cold to the touch, about 30 seconds longer. Holding a pint glass at a slight angle, dispense the coffee through the spout and into the glass.