Nitro coffee is a tasty and unique cold brew coffee typically found in outlets like Starbucks. It comprises a cold brew infused with pure nitrogen to offer a creamy drink with a gorgeous head and cascading bubbles.
However, until recent years, your options for making it at home were limited. Some techniques, such as using a whipped cream charger, leave an unsatisfying foam of large bubbles, meaning it doesn’t quite replicate the coffee shop experience.
The NitroPress changes that by using nitrogen capsules (rather than inferior nitrous oxide cartridges) and a siphon that closely replicates an authentic stout faucet. This review will examine whether this device is the answer to your domestic nitro coffee-brewing problems.
NitroPress is one of our best-picked Nitro coffee makers for home use.
NitroPress Review
Design And Build Quality
When you open the box, all the components are neatly laid out. Everything looks suitably high-end, lending your purchase a premium-quality feel. This is more than borne out in the product. For example, the 500ml canister is fully stainless steel, while the smaller parts, including the nozzle, are primarily built from the same material.
As well as the nozzle parts and main canister, there’s also the lid with an attached lever for dispensing your nitro brew, a plastic o-ring, a small mesh filter, and a cleaning brush.
One thing you won’t find in the standard 500ml NitroPress is the gas chargers. While there are options for buying them with the purchase, you will generally need to buy them separately.
When put together, the NitroPress resembles a whipped cream charger, but this is far more robust. Also, the parts fit together beautifully, meaning issues like leakage shouldn’t be a problem. Overall, its design is reassuringly professional with superb build quality.
Ease Of Use – How Does The NitroPress Work?
The NitroPress, which Hatfields London makes, is essentially a whipping siphon with a specialized dispensing nozzle that mimics a stout faucet for dispensing beer. Combined with the nitrogen capsules (rather than nitrous oxide), the idea is that it provides the necessary creaminess and tiny, cascading bubbles of a nitro coffee bought at Starbucks. Using the device to make nitro cold brew is straightforward, too.
- Pour cold brew coffee into the canister to the exterior max fill line.
- Assemble the nozzle to the canister head. Then, tightly attach the lid to the canister.
- Place a cartridge into the charger holder and screw it onto the lid.
- Shake the NitroPress for around a minute and a half.
- Turn the Nitro press upside down over the glass and dispense with the lever.
Tips:
- The N2 charger is for one use only, so ensure you dispose of it once you’ve made your nitro coffee.
- Don’t fill over 500ml, as you’ll need room for the gas to infuse with the coffee.
- You can put the whole device into the fridge if you can’t drink all the coffee at once. So that you have instant nitro-infused coffee once it’s made.
- You can buy the official NitroPress chargers or some other 2g pure N2 cartridges. You don’t need large gas canisters.
- It also works with N2O and CO2 capsules for making other refreshing drinks.
The Coffee Quality
It’s easy enough to prepare nitro coffee at home with the NitroPress, but how good is the coffee? In a word, excellent. Nitro infusion creates drinks with tiny bubbles cascading to leave a creamy head. Of course, much of the taste will depend on the coffee you use for cold brew, but, assuming you brew to your requirements, it won’t disappoint.
Not only that, but you can use the NitroPress for other beverages, too, including cocktails, tea, and beer. NitroPress’s official website even lists some enticing recipes, including espresso lemonade, nitro strawberries, and cream.
Just ensure you don’t add liquid to the NitroPress over 30 degrees C, and certainly not boiling water. It’s not designed for making hot coffee, only for cold beverages.
Ease Of Cleaning
Cleaning and maintaining the NitroPress is as easy as making drinks with it, and it’s dishwasher-safe. Nevertheless, if that’s not an option for you, simply separate all the parts and handwash them with mild detergent under running water. Then, ensure each component is completely dry before using the device again.
There is also a copper version of the NitroPress. If you opt for it, that isn’t dishwasher-safe, meaning you’ll need to wash it by hand.
Value For Money
The NitroPress looks a lot like a standard (and significantly cheaper) whipped cream dispenser, but they are actually very different. Whipped cream dispensers only use nitrous oxide cartridges rather than nitrogen cartridges.
This results in nitro coffee with larger bubbles and a less appealing cascading effect. The texture and mouthfeel of nitro coffee made with a whipped cream dispenser are also different from the drink you’d buy at a coffee shop like Starbucks. Using nitrogen cartridges in a whipped cream dispenser isn’t an option either, as they’re not built to withstand the higher pressure they generate.
In contrast, the NitroPress is extremely well built, meaning you’ll have no issues using the nitrogen cartridges. The cartridges cost around $1 each, but that’s the only extra cost. When you consider that a coffee shop-bought nitro coffee is around $6, that represents a significant saving.
While the NitroPress isn’t cheap and costs substantially more than a whipped cream dispenser, it will save you money in the long run, and the coffee it produces is far superior. The device is also so well built that you can expect it to last for many years.
Drawbacks
There are very few drawbacks to NitroPress. It looks good, is durable and versatile, can make perfect nitro coffee. However, one issue is its small capacity, the original Nitropress only has a 500ml capacity. This means that you can only make one or two cups at a time, so making more is somewhat labor-intensive and time-consuming. Or you can invest in a one-liter version (33 oz), which can make one more cup in one batch.
However, if you regularly need to brew larger batches of nitro beverages, it may be a better idea to consider a keg system, such as the Royal Brew, which has a 64oz keg (around 1,900ml) or opt for a 128 oz keg.
NitroPress DS vs NitroPress
Arriving in 2022 is the NitroPress DS, which is a docking station that takes nitrogen from the air, meaning it doesn’t need capsules. But how? Well, the air in the atmosphere comprises around 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen [1]. Because you don’t need to use individual chargers, this means making your beverages is more sustainable.
The NitroPress DS is expensive, though, at approximately $1,000, so it’s probably more suitable for commercial use in small cafes. While it will save you money in the long run because you won’t need to purchase chargers, unless you drink one or two nitro coffees each day, it probably isn’t going to be that cost-effective.
Some Great NitroPress Recipes
As we mentioned earlier, aside from nitro coffee, the NitroPress lets you make other incredible nitro drinks. Here are some of the best.
Nitro Espresso Martini
Espresso Martini is an excellent pick-me-up with a boozy twist. The classic recipe includes espresso, coffee liqueur, vodka, and syrup. The cocktail is traditionally made using a cocktail shaker. However, with the NitroPress, you can easily make it with a creamy texture and those hallmark cascading bubbles.
- Fill 1/3 vodka, 1/3 Kahlúa, 1/3 espresso, or cold brew concentrate, then add some simple syrup and ice into a jar and mix them thoroughly.
- Pour the mixture into the NitroPress canister, insert a nitrogen cartridge and shake it for one minute.
- Pull the trigger to pour the nitro espresso martini into a cocktail glass
- Add a garnish of dark chocolate shaving and three coffee beans on top.
Espresso Lemonade
This is perfect for a hot summer day when you need a refreshing drink to sip. It uses 6oz of lemonade, 1/2 oz simple syrup, a double shot of espresso, and candied lemon peel.
- Add all the ingredients to a shaker except the lemon peel and add some ice.
- Stir until chilled and strain into the NitroPress canister.
- Infuse with nitrogen and shake for two minutes.
- Fill a glass with the beverage and garnish with the candied lemon peel.
Recipe source: https://nitropress.com/blogs/recipes/espresso-lemonade You can explore more recipes there.
Nitro Cold Brew Tea
If you enjoy tea, this is well worth trying for a sweeter beverage than nitro coffee.
Make green tea or black tea in a teapot first. Chill it in the fridge. For nitro coffee, the sweetness is subtle, but it gets really sweet for nitro tea. It’s worth trying.
- Place a few tea bags of any type into a jar, and let it steep at room temperature water overnight or in the fridge.
- Strain the tea (if you use the loose-left tea, you don’t want to clog the spout).
- Add the mixture into the NitroPress. Then prepare the gas and shake for one minute.
- Pour the liquid into a glass and enjoy the tea with a smooth velvety texture.
Our Verdict
If you’re a fan of nitro coffee but not the price of individual purchases at Starbucks, over the long run, the NitroPress is an excellent alternative. It’s hard-wearing, easy to use and maintain, and will make almost identical drinks to the coffee shop nitro coffee for far less money per serving,
Another advantage is its incredible versatility, which means it’s capable of making myriad other interesting drinks, some coffee-based, some not.
The main drawback is its small capacity, which restricts you from making just one or two cups per batch. However, if that’s not an issue for you, the NitroPress is a great alternative to buying expensive nitro coffee from your local coffee shop.
Reference:
[1] 10 interesting things about air – https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2491/10-interesting-things-about-air/
