Ahh, iced coffee: The unofficial sign that summer is in full swing.
This summer, a certain kind of iced coffee has been popping up just about everywhere.
And it's infused with ~nitrogen~.
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The nitrogen affects two main things in the coffee: taste and texture.
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"Compared to regular cold brew, this version is crisper and slightly sweeter," Diane Aylsworth, director of cold brew for Stumptown Roasters, told BuzzFeed Life.
It's also creamier, even when served black:
Which means it's not uncommon for some coffee drinkers — who usually swear by adding milk and sugar — to drink this stuff straight.
At coffee shops, the icy brew is usually stored in a keg, pressurized, and poured from a tap:
The result is a foam finish, and those little champagne-like bubbles rising to the top.
Also worth noting? This stuff is strong.
Or at the very least, the caffeine rush can hit you faster. With some brews, that's because of an amped up coffee-to-water ratio, said Josh Brodey, coffee manager at Slipstream in Washington, DC. (Another theory? That the nitrogen might lead to faster absorption rates.)
Packaged versions are also popping up in some markets.
In Austin and Houston, you can find ones from Cuvee Coffee and District Roasters. Stumptown is testing a canned version in Oregon and California, in addition to serving it on tap at its locations in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and NYC. “Shipments are selling out every week,” said Aylsworth. “This year feels like the tipping point."
But for coffee aficionados who can't find the stuff locally — or for those not buying the hype — Brodey suggests a similar DIY alternative, sans the fancy nitrogen.
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"If you have a pour-over coffee maker, brew the same amount of coffee that you usually do," said Brodey. "But use 2/3 of the water that you usually do, and replace that last 1/3 with ice. You'll have what's basically a flash pour-over, or a Japanese iced coffee."
You won't get the slightly bubbly feel, but you'll get a crisp, concentrated cup — in less time than other iced coffee methods.
Cheers!
All original photos by Laura Metzler; shot on location at Slipstream.
