What Does "Nitro" Mean in "Nitro Cold Brew"?

Lia F.-P.- 8th grade

I was working a shop shift at Pinwheel when a customer ordered a nitro cold brew, “What the heck is that?” I thought, “is it like a faster powerful turbo drink, does it energize 100 times more?” Sadly, no. The word “nitro” in “nitro cold brew” means nitrogen. 

This drink has some nitrogen bubbles infused into it. The way it works is that there is a keg full of cold brew under the counter that is hooked up to a nitrogen tank. The nitrogen bubbles meet the cold brew, pushing it and making the drink come out of the tap above. Without the nitrogen, we would need the kegs flipped upside down and put it above the tap so that gravity would make the drink come down and out the tap.

“What the heck is that?”

Now that I know what it means, my next question was, “Why is it $1.75 more than regular drip coffee?” Well, for one thing, you have to buy the nitrogen, but a cool fact about cold brew is that it actually takes 24 hours to make! The nitrogen bubbles add a creamy texture to the drink which makes it that much better, like any other coffee, this drink has only five calories by itself!

 When the drink was first created in 2016 it was hard to find in the shops near you. Now it has gained popularity and is easy to find in most coffee shops. Come get yours at Pinwheel now!