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Nitro coffee is coffee infused with nitrogen, usually cold brew poured from a stout-style tap. Tiny bubbles form in the glass and the texture is often smoother. If the bag says nitrogen flushed, that is packaging: a way of protecting roasted beans by pushing oxygen out.
Nitro coffee means nitrogen has been forced into a finished brew. The usual path is cold brew poured from a stout-style tap. When it hits the glass, the tiny bubbles fall like a waterfall, then settle, leaving a denser foam on top.
If the bag says nitrogen flushed, that is packaging: nitrogen pushes oxygen out of the bag so roasted coffee stales more slowly.
Nitro coffee is a way of serving a coffee drink, not a kind of bean. The same bag of beans can go into pour-over, or into cold brew that is then charged with nitrogen. Nitrogen flushing, by contrast, is there to protect the beans.
This page explains what nitro coffee is, and how it differs from nitrogen flushing.
Chemical & Engineering News reported in 2015 that Nate Armbrust at Stumptown first tried carbon dioxide in coffee and found the carbonic acid harsh. He switched to nitrogen after thinking about Guinness, whose nitrogen bubbles and foam feel smoother. In June 2013, nitro coffee appeared in Portland shops.
Nitrogen does not dissolve easily in water. Lee and Devereux wrote in 2011 that it is about fifty times less soluble than carbon dioxide and does not form an acid in solution. Low solubility means smaller bubbles and a longer-lasting foam. When stout comes off a tap, the liquid has to squeeze through a very fine hole before those bubbles appear. In a can, a small capsule fires gas into the liquid when you open it. Nitro coffee often uses a similar special tap; what comes out is coffee, not beer.
The cup often feels smoother than sparkling water. Some people find the mouthfeel rounder, with a little sweetness as well; the nitrogen process does not add sugar.
Sprudge quoted Armbrust in 2015: controlled high pressure puts tiny nitrogen bubbles into cold brew so they come out of solution when poured, which is when you see the waterfall of bubbles. In a can, a small capsule streams nitrogen through the liquid when the top is popped.
Nitrogen flushing is a different matter. MTPak describes it as pushing oxygen out of a bag before it is sealed. Nitrogen is largely inert, so the aim is slower oxidation. Once the bag is open, outside air is back in. Not every roasted bag is flushed, and flushing is not a promise after opening. Day-to-day storage is on storing coffee.
So nitro coffee is nitrogen in the liquid. It does not guarantee a better cup, and it does not replace pour-over or espresso. How much caffeine you drink still depends on dose, brew, and serving size. If you want to read more, see the caffeine article.
No. Flushing is packaging. Nitro coffee infuses nitrogen into a finished brew.
No added sugar. Tiny bubbles often make the texture smoother. Some people find the mouthfeel rounder, with a little sweetness; the nitrogen process does not add sugar.
Not as a rule. Nitrogen does not set the caffeine. Dose, brew, and serving size still do. If you want to read more, see the [caffeine](/en/knowledge/caffeine/) article.
No. Carbon dioxide makes larger, sharper bubbles. Nitrogen is less soluble, so the bubbles stay smaller and the texture is usually smoother, not soda-like.
Cafes usually start from cold brew. This page explains the drink, not each shop's recipe.