Nitro Coffee: The Latest Trend in Cold Brew Coffee

It’s called nitrogen brew—or nitro brew for short—and it lives on barista countertops in a contraption that looks similar to a beer tap. The keg, filled with cold-brew coffee, is attached to a pressurized tap that infuses the brew with nitrogen gas, which makes the coffee bubble up, giving it a creamy chocolaty taste that’s been described as being similar to chocolate milk. And after giving it a try ourselves, we have to agree. Nitro brew boasts an underlying chocolaty flavor and tastes much smoother than traditional iced coffee. The foam at the top also adds a pleasing texture and seems to help cut through coffee’s naturally bitter taste.

A photo posted by Stumptown Coffee Roasters (@stumptowncoffee) on Jul 1, 2015 at 12:23pm PDT

Nitro coffee doesn't boast any health benefits the conventional variety doesn’t carry, but since it’s naturally rich, you'll probably be able to drink it sans milk or sugar—which is good news if you're trying to get a flat stomach. If you typically take your daily coffee with a quarter-cup of whole milk and a pack of sugar, axing the add-ins will save you 350 calories a week. That adds up to over five pounds off your frame over the course of a year! Now that’s a buzz we can get behind.