HOW TO MAKE
Nitro Cold Brew
AT HOME

Nitro coffee, popularized by Starbucks, has taken the coffee world by storm with its creamy, smooth texture and unique flavor profile. But what exactly is nitro coffee, and can you make it at home? In this guide, we'll answer these questions and more, helping you create the perfect nitro cold brew from the comfort of your kitchen.

With just a few simple tools and techniques, you can whip up a delicious batch of Nitro coffee at home—no barista required. Nitro coffee is all about infusing that smooth cold brew with nitrogen gas, and it’s easier than it sounds.

If you're curious about how Starbucks pulls off their famous nitro cold brew, we’ll uncover some of their secrets to help elevate your home brewing game. And we'll also give you the ideal coffee-to-water ratio for that perfect cold brew base.

What Makes Nitro So Great?

Nitro coffee is made by infusing cold brew coffee with nitrogen gas under pressure, creating a creamy, smooth cold coffee that resembles a beer on tap or a Guinness. This process not only gives the coffee a velvety texture but also enhances its flavor, making it less bitter and lower in acidity compared to traditional hot brewed coffee.

Steps to Make Nitro Coffee at Home

1. Brew Cold Brew: Start by steeping coarse coffee grounds in cold or room temperature water for 12–24 hours. Strain the coffee to remove the grounds.
2. Infuse with Nitrogen: Pour the cold brew concentrate into a keg and pressurize it with nitrogen gas. The high pressure and nitrogen combine to create the desired effect.
3. Serve: Nitro coffee is best served cold and can be poured over ice. Alternatively, you can dilute half a cup of cold brew with half a cup of water, pour it into a whipper, charge it with nitrous oxide, and shake for 20–30 seconds before pouring.

Tools and Options for Home Brewing

• Nitro Cold Brew Keg: A reliable option for frequent brewers.
• Whipped Cream Dispenser: A simple and cost-effective method using nitrogen gas cartridges.

Now that you have a snapshot of how to make this iconic brew at home we'll breakdown all the small details that lead to your best cup of nitro brew.

The Story

One day I got a call from my friend who owns a local coffee shop. He told me about some new coffee drink that was like Guinness beer. Being a fan of Guinness too, I had to find out what this was. That day we drove nearly 35 miles to Austin, Texas to try a Nitro Cold Brew coffee. And I haven't been able to get over it since then. See more about what nitro cold brew is.

I'm not a rocket scientist, but my friend and I did a little research and testing to figure out how to make the best recreation nitro cold brew at home. This article is dedicated to our journey and providing you with a step-by-step process to make your own nitro brew today.

About Our Brewing Method

Back in 2013 is when the very first nitro cold brew coffee was made. It was a guarded secret that the owner of Cuvee Coffee in Austin Texas wanted to keep from everyone. Just like every good chef keeps their secret recipe from getting out, Mike was not giving up his secret so easily. All we knew is that it has been infused with nitrogen to get that creamy texture. But there was something more that we didn't know, so we did some digging and found out some facts. Unlike regular cold brew coffee, there was an ingredient that we didn't want in our coffee that was making it taste different.

The Problem w/ Home Brewing

What they did was to brew their coffee under factory-like conditions, keeping their coffee that's brewed at 36 degrees. So naturally, we thought that the coffee just needs to be cold. And that's where we started to find out what happens when you try to brew cold brew coffee at home. We were missing the whole point of something that got in the way. It turns out that air is an ingredient that shouldn't be in your coffee as it cold brews. This is why cold brew coffee is a hit or miss in my opinion. The amount of time that air gets into your coffee, the more time that flavors begin to lose their punch. So we had to do a bunch of experimenting to solve this taste problem.

How to Fix the Problem?

As mentioned before, the problem is with oxygen getting into your coffee as it sits for a whole day. It has to have a container that can be purged to there is no air inside your cold brew vessel. This was a tough choice since we didn't have a lot of money to spend on factory equipment. Not until we discovered something unexpected. We found that using a large wine jug to store our water and coffee grounds were perfect for this. To get the air out, we used a wine vacuum hand pump that has a stopper at the top. It was perfect for pumping-out all the air inside the jug. Our jug was large enough to have one gallon of cold brew coffee. It also fits into the fridge without taking up much room.

When the coffee was steeped for a day or so, I could then pour the remainder of the coffee into a container with a filter a couple of times. The result was amazing and preserved more flavor than I could ask for. After that, it was only a matter of how to get the nitrogen into the coffee. In the next section, I'll tell you more about what experiments we found that worked best.

1. Have Large Glass or Plastic Container
You need to have a large glass or plastic container that is big enough to put in your fridge.

2. put your coffee grounds into the container first
You put your coffee grounds into the container first. For any size container, you'll measure at a 1 to 5 ratio for each batch. This is essentially one measuring cup of coffee grounds to 5 cups of water.

3. Your water needs to be filtered!
Your water needs to be filtered! Any kind of clean filtered water is good, but I prefer a water filter that's attached to my kitchen sink. Bottled water is fine but it often tastes different than freshly filtered water.

4. add 5 cups of filtered water
After putting one cup of course coffee grounds into the container, you'll then add 5 cups of filtered water. That's it, no magic spell and no time spent, that is until the coffee grounds have reached their maximum steep.

5. Your course coffee grounds and water need to be mixed with a plastic spoon a little and then the container should be covered.
Your course coffee grounds and water need to be mixed with a plastic spoon a little and then the container should be covered. If the container has a lid, then use that. I like to use a large wine jug to store a cold brew coffee. This is so I can use a special wine cap that sucks out air from the jug. This keeps oxygen from affecting the steep process. If you have a wine bottle pump, you can't go wrong with this method. And if I could make one more recommendation, you could look into getting Hario’s cold brew bottle. Okay, now that we’re clear on containers, let’s move on.

6. You put the mixture into the fridge and let it sit for 24 to 48 hours.
You put the mixture into the fridge and let it sit for 24 to 48 hours. They say that the best cold brew coffee is made when it sits for a week. But you don't need that much time since the maximum is 24 hours, in my opinion. After 12 hours you should stir-up the contents by shaking the container. This just helps the coffee gets mixed into the water.

7. You need a second container and a fine kitchen filter screen.
After letting the coffee steep for a day, it's ready to be filtered. You need a second container and a fine kitchen filter screen. If you don't have a good filter you can use some pantyhose pulled over a standard strainer. I do this a lot when filtering soups to get out little spices and bits that shouldn't be cruising around in the broth. Make sure the pantyhose are clean first! Or, I guess you can just go with a basic cheesecloth or traditional coffee filter.

8. After the first filtering, you might need to do it again
After the first filtering, you might need to do it again if there are still little bits of coffee ground left-over. You don't want these in your coffee, so make sure that it has all the ground pieces taken out of the liquid.

Infusing with Nitroxide

After your coffee is filtered, it's ready to be transformed into nitro coffee.

The magic of Nitro Cold Brew, its creaminess and frothiness, indeed lies in the tiny nitrogen bubbles. When nitrogen gas is forced into the cold brew under high pressure, it creates thousands of tiny bubbles, smaller than the bubbles formed by carbonation. These tiny bubbles are what give nitro cold brew its distinctive velvety texture and mouthfeel.

Nitrogen is largely insoluble in liquid, which means it doesn't dissolve but forms these minute bubbles. These bubbles are so small that they remain suspended in the liquid for an extended period, creating the characteristic cascading effect when the nitro cold brew is poured.

When the nitrogen-infused coffee is served from a tap, the high pressure forces these bubbles to move upwards, resulting in a frothy head, akin to a pint of stout beer. The bubbles also subtly alter the taste perception, making the coffee seem sweeter even without added sugar, enhancing the overall sensory experience of consuming a Nitro Cold Brew.

You nitro brew is best served cold, but there are some people also like it served hot too. Simply pour the cold (or hot) brewed coffee into your mini-keg or whipped cream container  and prepare it to be poured.

Whipped Cream Dispenser VS. Mini-Keg

Investing in your own home nitro brew equipment can fit any budget, whether you're going all out or just dipping your toes in. You don’t need a pricey barista kit to whip up delicious nitro coffee; a simple micro-keg or even a whipped cream dispenser can kickstart your brewing journey. Why spend $5 at Starbucks when you can create café-quality drinks right at home? Your friends will be impressed, and your wallet will thank you.

Alternative Cold Brewing Methods

Cold brewed coffee has a different taste than freshly brewed coffee that uses hot water to steep the grounds. Cold brew coffee has less acidity which most people know is the bite of fresh brewed. The amount of acid that is removed from the bean makes coffee taste brighter. Cold-brew is often smoother and sweeter, which is why nitro cold brew has such a mellow and smooth taste. To be honest, there are a few methods to make brewed coffee at home. You can have a pour-over method that is more ritual-like than anything else. A standard coffee machine that uses course coffee grounds, an espresso machine, or a French Press.

The French Press

Those who do it the French way like to have a French Press coffee maker. What makes this similar to the pour-over method is how the coffee grounds are nearly identical. The French Press has a built-in filter that pushes the grounds to the bottom of the vessel. Then it can be poured. But unlike the Pour-over method, some small bits of coffee can end-up in your cup if the built-in filter doesn't catch them in time.

The pour-over method

This method is very popular and makes the art of making coffee nearly scientific in many circles. But the method is simple to follow. It's simply pouring hot water (198 degrees Fahrenheit) over medium to coarse ground beans that sit inside a filter vessel. The hot water filters through the vessel and drains into a second vessel underneath.

A standard coffee maker

Nearly the same method as above except coffee grounds can be finer. It's an automatic function, so there's nothing to it except that coffee is filtered into a glass container.

The espresso machine

Since espresso is different than coffee, coffee grounds always need to be ground into a fine texture. The pressure that's used to force hot water through ground coffee grounds produces a strong coffee that has a distinct flavor. It also makes a fine crema that has sweet tan-colored foam that sits on the top of a freshly made espresso

Jazzing Up Your Drink

Once you have your nitro cold brew poured, you can toss in ingredients that enhance those tantalizing flavors.

For That Sweet Tooth

Adventure awaits! Why not take a walk down memory lane and use leftover milk from your breakfast cereal? Strain and mix it into your coffee for that nostalgic cookie crunch or cinnamon toast flavor! Feeling adventurous? Try fruity options like Trix or Lucky Charms—you do you!

Add Some Alcohol or Cream Liqueur

Spice things up with a splash of spiced rum, or go wild with some absinthe for a funky twist in your nitro coffee. Craving a trip down memory lane? Throw in some Midori and ginger ale for a delicious homage to the Windy City with Green River soda.

Make It Refreshingly Different

Looking to beat the heat? A mint julep topped with nitro cold brew is basically summer in a cup. Or unleash your inner mixologist with a Mai Tai in a Tiki mug. Don’t be shy about adding fruit juices; that natural sweetness from fruits knows how to bring the best out of coffee.