What is nitro coffee exactly? “It is cold brewed coffee infused with nitrogen gas,” says Common Man Coffee Roasters barista trainer Pablo Białaszynski. “Infusing cold brewed coffee with nitrogen spruces up the tactile experience of cold brew, making it smooth and creamy in very similar fashion to a stout beer on tap.”
No wonder nitro coffee has been likened to a smooth pint of Guinness. But how did it come into fruition? “It’s tough to point out the exact details, but it’s believed to originate from a New York coffee house in 2012,” said Białaszynski.
Later, nitro coffee gained its popularity when famous specialty coffee roaster Stumptown from Portland, Oregon offered nitro in their outlets. In 2015, the nitro cold brew in a can was introduced to the supermarkets, and in the following year, Starbucks hopped onto the nitro coffee bandwagon. As for Malaysia, “Nitro coffee in KL only really kicked off in 2015,” he said.
Not all of us are coffee connoisseurs, hence Białaszynski told us how to spot a good nitro coffee: “A well executed nitrogen setup results in a creamy foam head, where gas is thoroughly integrated with coffee and has a visual cascading effect down the side of the glass as it’s served to you.”
Starbucks Malaysia has only recently joined the nitro coffee game (last July), but they are certainly doing it rather well. Their Nitro Cold Brew Coffee gives off a thicker and creamier texture compared to the regular cold brew and is served cold and fresh from the tap. It’s currently only served in Starbucks Reserve outlets in Publika, Sunway Pyramid, Mid Valley, and Warisan Square.
