Nitro cold brew coffee

Nitro cold brew coffee, commonly referred to as "NCB," is cold brew coffee charged with nitrogen to give it a rich, creamy head, similar to nitro draft beer like Guinness. Though many lighter beers are infused with carbon dioxide, darker stouts are infused with nitrogen, extracting sweet flavors and a smooth finish from the beer. This is a direct effect of nitrogen bubbles being smaller in size than those of carbon dioxide, making it harder for the water in either beer or coffee to dissolve and resulting in a beverage with a thicker "mouthfeel." The nitrogen effect also cuts the acidity that is tied to traditional cold brew, making it easier on the stomach. The process is said by Men's Journal to have originated in 2015 at craft coffee houses Cuvee Coffee in Austin, Texas and Stumptown in Portland, Oregon, but Esquire magazine gives credit to The Queens Kickshaw in New York c. 2011. Stumptown and Cuvee offered canned beverage with a nitrogen disc by 2015. Starbucks introduced the beverage at 500 stores in the summer of 2016, preceded in the Los Angeles market by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. A Korean company, Bruworks, has exclusively made nitro coffee since the founders tried the beverage at the Brewers Association Craft beer Brewers' Conference in Colorado in 2014. Nitro cold brew is available from wholesalers in some markets in kegs. A New York company says it can fill 1,500 kegs a day.