The nitro cold brew recipe
for your table
Weigh out the coffee and add the cold water. Stir once, cover, and place it in the refrigerator for 12 to 18 hours. Coarse grinding is not a minor detail here: finely ground coffee releases too much bitterness into cold water and makes straining afterward a chore.
First strain the mixture through a paper filter or a clean cloth, then strain it once more through a fine sieve. What remains is cold brew concentrate. The cleaner you strain it, the tighter the foam layer will be later, because leftover grounds burst the bubbles.
Pour the concentrate into a whipped cream dispenser and fill it no more than two-thirds full, leaving room for the gas. Screw on a nitrogen cartridge, shake for a few seconds, and let the dispenser stand for one minute. A pinch of sea salt takes the edge off the sharpest bitterness.
Place a tall, clear glass straight in front of you and pour firmly in one go until just below the rim. The coffee will look cloudy at first, then the cascade visibly settles downward, leaving a beige head about one or two centimeters thick. Drink it without ice and without a straw.
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Send the Nitro cold brew recipe to your own email, so you have it at hand when you are about to make it. You will also receive a € 5 discount code when spending € 50 or more, for the glasses that go with it.
The story
Nitro cold brew is borrowed from the world of beer. Stout infused with nitrogen has been poured on tap for years because nitrogen dissolves poorly in liquid, creating tiny, resilient bubbles instead of the coarse fizz of carbon dioxide. Coffee bars discovered that the same trick changes the character of cold coffee: the same beans, the same steeping time, but suddenly a drink that feels full-bodied and almost sweet even though it contains no sugar or milk. The fact that the cascade also looks beautiful certainly helped its rise. Nitro is now available on tap and in cans with a widget, and at home it works with a whipped cream dispenser.
The right glass
A nitro cold brew calls for a tall, straight and above all clear glass of 35 to 46 centilitres. Tall, because the cascade needs room to sink from top to bottom; straight, because a rounded bowl pushes the foam head towards the centre and leaves the rim empty. Clear is the selling point here: coloured or opaque glass hides exactly what you want to watch. Chill the glass beforehand, and the head will last longer. You can find a model with a handle or a double-walled version in the coffee glasses collection.
Bormioli Rocco Line Long Drink Glass 39 cl (6 pieces)
Stölzle Lausitz Symphony Long Drink Glass 46 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 51,90.
The right tools
For a nitro cold brew, in addition to the glass, use a fine strainer to clarify the concentrate and a jigger to maintain the coffee-to-water ratio. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 35,85.
Which jigger fits a nitro cold brew?
Nitro cold brew is alcohol-free on its own, but a splash of liqueur in the glass turns it into an evening drink. Kahlúa and Baileys are the closest match for the coffee itself. On each drink page, you'll find the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Pour a splash of oat milk over it after the cascade, and you'll have a nitro latte, with the milk slowly sinking through the head. Half a teaspoon of vanilla syrup in the concentrate works better than adding sugar afterward, because granulated sugar barely dissolves in cold coffee. For a sharper taste, use a lighter-roasted bean and steep it for two hours less. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Serve without ice: nitro already comes out cold from the dispenser, and ice cubes break up the head. Let the glass sit for twenty seconds after pouring until the cascade has settled, because that's the moment you're doing it for. Then drink through the layer of foam from the glass, without a straw, because a straw goes straight through it.
Good to know
Why it tastes creamy without milk
Nitrogen dissolves poorly in water. The gas you force into it immediately escapes again in very small bubbles when you pour, forming a dense, velvety layer of foam instead of the coarse fizz of carbon dioxide. Your tongue reads that as full-bodied and almost sweet, even though it contains nothing but coffee and water.
Nitrogen or nitrous oxide in the dispenser
Pure nitrogen gives the driest foam and lets the coffee's flavor come through most strongly. Nitrous oxide dissolves better and makes the overall texture softer and slightly sweeter. Be sure to check which cartridges fit your dispenser, because not every model is designed for nitrogen.
Why no ice goes in
The coffee already comes out cold from the refrigerator and the dispenser, so ice cubes do nothing to the temperature. They do break up the bubbles when the cascade starts and dilute the coffee within a few minutes. If you want it even colder, put the glass in the freezer instead of adding ice to the coffee.
Why you drink it without a straw
The foam head is half the drink. With a straw, you drink straight beneath it and taste only the coffee; drinking from the glass makes every sip pass through the foam first. That is also why nitro is served in a glass at the bar and not in a cup with a lid.
How long the cascade and head last
The cascade itself lasts twenty to thirty seconds. The head then remains for about five to ten minutes, depending on how clean your glass is: grease residue or dish soap makes the foam collapse immediately. Therefore, rinse the glass with hot water and leave it upside down to drain.
The difference from cold brew and iced coffee
Cold brew is the same coffee without gas: cold-brewed, low in acidity, but without a head. Iced coffee is hot-brewed coffee or espresso poured over ice, making it sharper and more watery. Nitro falls somewhere between the two in flavor and looks completely different from both.
Frequently asked questions
What is nitro cold brew?
Nitro cold brew is cold-brewed coffee served under pressure with nitrogen. The small gas bubbles create a dense foam layer and a creamy mouthfeel, without milk or sugar. Immediately after pouring, you can see the cascade settling from top to bottom.
What is the difference between nitro cold brew and regular cold brew?
The coffee is the same: coarsely ground and cold-brewed for twelve to eighteen hours. The difference is in the pour. Nitro enters the glass under pressure with nitrogen, creating a beige head and a fuller, almost sweet flavor, while regular cold brew remains clear and flat in the glass.
Which glass do you use for nitro cold brew?
A tall, straight, clear glass holding 35 to 46 centiliters. Its height gives the cascade room to settle, the straight sides keep the foam head across the full width, and clear glass is necessary because you want to watch it settle.
Why do you serve nitro cold brew without ice and without a straw?
Ice breaks up the bubbles and dilutes coffee that is already cold. A straw takes you beneath the foam layer, while that layer provides much of the flavor and mouthfeel. Drinking from the glass gives you foam first and then coffee with every sip.
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