Undoubtedly, the new trend in coffee culture is nitro coffee. Did coffee connoisseurs go crazy or something like that, nitrogen has been incorporated into the professional kitchen for a few years now.
And why not use it for making coffee? The same was asked by coffee professionals or barista. This is how #nitro cold brewed coffee or its translation into nitrogen Spanish cold coffee was born.
The coffee culture has been expanding especially in recent years, and more and more people are interested in knowing and learning new ways to enjoy their favorite beverage.
Nitro #coffee is the new trend in the world of coffee and here we'll explain everything you need to know about this new way of drinking our coffee.
What exactly is nitro coffee, what equipment do you need to prepare nitro coffee, and other concepts that will help you at least understand the basics of this new technique.
In addition to getting a refreshing, creamy and smooth drink, we will give you a little additional information. And nitro coffee helps to save calories for people who always take care of their figure.
What tools do I need to prepare nitro coffee at home or in a cafe?
Whether you're a coffee lover, working as a #barista or owning a specialty coffee shop, you know how important it is to innovate and find new options for preparing coffee.
If so, and if you are really curious about this new way of drinking coffee, we can say that its main drawback is that it requires a somewhat complex system and equipment and a beverage dispenser very similar to those used for Beer.
This makes the setup a bit expensive and of course not profitable at all if we just want to experiment or try this new coffee brewing technique at home.
Fortunately, here we will tell you a second option for preparing a much cheaper nitro coffee at home or in a cafeteria. Either to try the nitro coffee experience or to decide if it's worth it in your coffee shop business.
What you need:
Coffee machine for preparing cold coffee.
#Nitrogen distributor, like those used for whipped cream.
Nitrogen loads.
Coffee is your favourite. We recommend using specialty coffee.
Ice.
A big glass. Ideally similar to those that used to serve beer, but you could also use a wine glass.
What is nitrogen coffee?
In a few words, we can define nitro coffee as cold coffee to which we add nitrogen as an additional element. What happens here is that the nitrogen gives the drink a sweet taste and a creamy body with a very thin layer of foam very similar to that of beer.
Also if you can see closely you will be able to see the cascading little bubbles and it is none other than nitrogen in action.
Where is nitro coffee born?
This new trend was born in gourmet coffee shops in the United States. Gradually, it would start to become popular until it reached large dealers who focused on the coffee industry and did not miss this new method of serving coffee to improve their business.
This new coffee preparation technique is well known in countries such as Australia.
How is nitro coffee prepared?
Let's say that the only problem when preparing nitro coffee will be the preparation of our base coffee, which can take 20 to 24 hours, using the cold infusion technique.
Although there are several methods of preparing cold coffee, we will explain the method that we think is the simplest and easiest to understand in order not to complicate ourselves.
What we will do is use a 24-hour infusion method, now we recommend that you brew for at least 15 hours if you don't want to wait that long. Very well, here's what we're going to do:
We need to grind the coffee beans with a coarse grind as if we are going to make coffee in our French press.
Now we will use 100 grams of coffee to 7 glasses (approximately 700 grams) of cold and filtered water, ie 1:7. Of course, this all depends on the amounts you will actually use.
We will also need a container to store our infusion. For this, you can use a special coffee machine to brew cold coffee, you can also use a piston coffee machine or, as a last resort, you can use a lidded jar that you can store in the refrigerator.
We will mix it slowly so that the coffee releases its properties, and then let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 15 hours. We recommend 24 hours to achieve a more intense and balanced flavor.
If you use the jar option, you will need a paper filter or other method to filter and remove any foreign matter.
We already have a delicious instant coffee infusion. Now we move on to the part that interests us, we prepare our nitro coffee.
What we're going to do now is pour our coffee infusion into the nitrogen machine.
We put the nitrogen load in the container and squeeze it. This releases the nitrogen in the container.
What we have to do now is to mix the pieces for about 5 minutes. For this, we can mix it with our hands by beating it from top to bottom, or we can put it on our legs and roll it.
The reason we've been mixing it for so long is because nitro and coffee are the dark chocolate bars that usually appear on top of our drink.is that we want it to mix enough to form theristic microbubbles. It is this microfoam that gives our nitro coffee a truly creamy, sweet texture.
We also recommend letting it sit for another 5 minutes. But if you can't wait any longer and your mouth is watering, you can serve it in a glass or cup of the size you prefer.
The end result should be a visually creamy beverage with a characteristic array of bubbles produced by nitrogen that you can't deny, good to appreciate.
How does nitrogen coffee taste?
At first, your mind may play a little trick, because you know from the very beginning that it's a cup of coffee to drink. But things change when you take the first sip.
Nitro cold coffee tastes like a draft beer, a bit bitter but also much milder, you could say. In addition, the thin micro-bubble layer on top is what gives it the creamy and sweet taste that is characteristic of nitro coffee on the palate.
It's a completely new experience that we're sure you'll enjoy. It is also a very refreshing drink for those hot days.
Caffeine in nitrogen coffee.
Theoretically, hot coffee should contain more caffeine than cold coffee. This is because the solubility of caffeine responds better at higher temperatures.
And of course we're getting into a little discussion here, because if we use the same ratio of coffee and water to make hot coffee in a cold coffee, we'll obviously get less caffeine.
On the other hand, cold brew is typically brewed with higher coffee/water ratios, as cold brew needs to be somewhat concentrated. So we're definitely going to get more caffeine.
Is nitro coffee healthy?
Nitro coffee is a cold coffee mixed with nitrogen. And basically, a high pressure is created that creates microbubbles, you already know that. Maybe you think this is not healthy at all.
But technically nitrogen is an inert gas, a dead gas, meaning it doesn't react with anything. Unless we add a lot of nitrogen that can replace oxygen because it's lighter… And chemical stuff, but you're not going to do that, are you?
Having said that, and as we've said before, nitro coffee is a cold coffee, so it essentially has the same benefits as a regular hot coffee. Both contain antioxidants and other essential micronutrients for health.
On the other hand, an advantage of nitro coffee is that since it is a drink mixed with nitrogen, it creates a natural sweetness sensation on the palate, so there is no need to add sugar to our coffee. This means fewer calories for our body.
Since the acidity of nitro coffee is very low, it is also an ideal drink for people with a sensitive stomach or suffering from heartburn.