What a wonderful pour!
About a year ago, I became very interested in nitro coffee. I have always loved a good stout beer on nitro so where could I find the same type of experience but with coffee?
So why does nitrogen make a difference? Nitrogen is very small bubble as compared to carbon dioxide (CO2) which is used to carbonate soda and other beverages. Nitrogen provides a creamy, silky mouthfeel and can also enhance the flavor. Good bye coffee creamer!
I would say in the last couple of years, that nitro coffee has started to appear in coffee shops, bars, and taprooms. I think it is a great idea! There are times when you are out with friends and you just want some really good coffee and conversation.
The things that I look for in cold brew coffee and especially when it is infused with nitrogen are:
Bold flavor
Low acidity
Smooth not bitter
So where might I find a nitro coffee like this? Well of course at Green Beans Coffee!
Recently I got the opportunity to sit down with John Sievers, who is the owner of Green Beans Coffee in Omaha, Nebraska. John is a retired Air Force veteran who spent 26 years serving our country. As part of a deployment to Jalalabad, Afghanistan in 2007, John was introduced to his first cup of Green Beans Coffee.
Remembering those that served… John is working toward putting a bronze statue memorial as you come into the cafe
Green Beans Coffee’s mission is “to make a genuine difference in every customer’s day offering a hand-crafted coffee experience. Wherever we serve, our heart’s in every cup”.
A mission John enjoyed as a consumer in the military and now as an owner. If you are not familiar with the story of Green Beans Coffee, then check out how Jason and Jon Araghi started the company and why they did it in on their website.
John and his wife Angela started the first Green Beans Coffee family-owned, standalone cafe in the United States almost 5 years ago. Today, Jason and Jon Araghi own most of the cafes on the military bases and airports. In the last year, several licensees have opened cafes around the United States.
Coming out of the military, John was still passionate to serve members in the military. The other part was having a place in the community where people could come enjoy that same great coffee that he did while serving his country.
The cafe opened serving coffee, baked items, and lunches. It has become a nice place to go with friends and family. I also enjoy all the charities like For One, For All that Green Beans Coffee supports.
So, I bet you were wondering if I would get back to the nitro coffee! About 2 years ago, John started investigating what was possible in terms of getting nitro coffee into the cafe. At that time, the main offering he could get was in keg form. While this was intriguing, the logistics and cost was a little more challenging that John had hoped.
Places like Starbuck’s and Dunkin’ Donuts had started trials in some markets and it seem to be popular. I know in talking with some different coffee shops in the Midwest, that it was an expansion area for their business.
It wasn’t until this last fall when John approached Green Beans Coffee again to see if anything had changed on what they could offer in terms of nitro coffee. There was a new offering and its name is Nitron.
Nitron is a nitro and cold brew system created by Bunn. The machine is specifically created for coffee. The calibration of the nitrogen and cold brew coffee in my opinion has a huge advantage over keg coffee. One of the things that Nitron strives for is a 3 minute cascading bubbling effect that you can see in the above slide show.
What makes this such great nitro coffee is the cold brew coffee that is used. The Mt. Tam Cold Brew that is used and has the following characteristics:
Bean Type - Arabica
Roast - Medium
Region - Central and South America
Caffeine - High
The coffee is extremely smooth and creamy when on nitro!
If you like a place that has great coffee and treats you like family, I highly recommend checking out the nitro coffee and other coffees at Green Beans Coffee at 6831 S 167th St in Omaha, Nebraska!