When cold brew coffee came on the mainstream coffee scene, it provided a solution for people who enjoy a cool coffee beverage but don’t necessarily want sweet, sugary drinks like Frappuccinos, or watered-down iced coffee. Cold brew coffee uses a different brewing process and tastes different than traditional coffee. And those differences continue to gain in popularity. The latest findings from the National Coffee Association's annual report showed that 12% of coffee drinkers had purchased cold brew within the past week. If you haven’t hopped on the cold brew trend, here’s what you need to know.

Cold brew coffee is…well…brewed cold. Coffee beans are coarsely ground and steeped in cold water for 12-24 hours to extract the flavor. The coarser the grind, the longer the extraction time. You can contain the ground coffee in filter bags that can be removed when extraction is complete, or use loose grounds and pour the finished product through a filter into a fresh container for storage.

The cold brew process produces a smooth beverage that has about half the acidity of regular hot brewed coffee. That makes it milder and slightly sweet, without the bitterness of a standard cup of joe.

Nitro takes cold brew to the next level

The addition of nitro is the latest evolution in cold brew coffee—and one that led us to sell a new product line here at PerfectWerks. When nitro gas is infused into cold brew, it imparts a different mouthfeel. Much like a pint of Guinness poured in a pub, nitro cold brew creates a cascading effect when poured in a glass, and results in a smoother, creamy beverage. Historically, nitro cold brew has been sold on draft in coffeeshops, or in special nitro-technology cans from the grocery store. But with the uKeg Nitro, you can finally make nitro cold brew at home.

Our uKeg Nitro lets you brew, infuse and dispense nitro cold brew all from one (very good looking) vessel.