Must-Have Nitro Cold Brew Equipment

1. Cold Brew Sourcing and Production

Operators generally have three options for sourcing cold brew coffee:

• House-Brewed Cold Brew: Staff steep and filter coffee in batches before transferring the finished beverage or concentrate into a keg. Of these three methods, house-brewing gives operators the most control over the brewing process, as staff can adjust the steep time and filtration method.
• Ready-to-Drink Cold Brew: The beverage arrives at serving strength and can be connected directly to compatible dispensing equipment, reducing prep labor.
• Cold Brew Concentrate: Staff or the dispensing system combines concentrate with water at a specified ratio, reducing storage requirements and supporting higher serving volumes.

2. Refrigerated Storage

Nitro cold brew must stay cold during storage. A standard system may use a refrigerated kegerator or undercounter cabinet, while some tabletop machines pull the beverage from a separate container and chill it as it travels to the tap. When choosing a storage system, operators should evaluate:

• Internal keg or reservoir capacity
• Recovery time following consecutive pours
• Clearance around ventilation openings
• Ambient temperature limits
• Electrical requirements

Traditional nitro systems may use a cylinder of compressed nitrogen or a nitrogen generator. Cylinders store supplied nitrogen, while generators separate nitrogen from the surrounding air using pressure swing adsorption (PSA) or membrane technology. This nitrogen is then delivered at the correct pressure to infuse cold brew coffee. Nitrogen pressure can dispense cold brew, but the equipment must introduce nitrogen into the liquid to create a pronounced cascade and creamy head. Nitrogen cylinders require storage space, periodic replacement, secure positioning, and staff procedures for monitoring pressure.

Tankless tabletop machines handle the process differently. For example, FETCO’s DRNX by BROOD draws the beverage from a container, chills it at the tap, and infuses nitrogen on demand without a separate nitrogen cylinder.

"FETCO’s partnership with Brood supports operators who want a tabletop nitro system without relying on a traditional nitrogen tank." — Mark Tilson

• Beverage lines
• Gas lines
• Fittings and couplers
• An infusion module
• A tap tower
• A stout faucet or nozzle

1. The System Receives the Cold Brew: Staff either brew, filter, and chill the cold brew or connect a ready-to-drink product. Machines that use concentrate also connect to a water supply or internal water source when dilution occurs inside the equipment.
2. Refrigeration Cools the Beverage: A kegerator stores the entire product container under refrigeration, keeping the coffee cold during storage. A remote system may keep the keg in a back-of-house cooler, while a tabletop machine chills the beverage as it moves through the unit.
3. Nitrogen Pressurizes or Infuses the Coffee: In traditional equipment, regulated nitrogen pushes the beverage out of the keg, while tankless machines create or draw nitrogen from the surrounding air and introduce it during the pour.
4. The Faucet Controls the Pour: The coffee passes through a stout faucet or nozzle. The pressure change releases dissolved nitrogen, forming the small bubbles responsible for nitro cold brew’s creamy texture.

Operators should estimate demand during the busiest service period rather than relying only on daily totals. Important questions include:

1. How many drinks will staff pour during the busiest hour?
2. How many consecutive servings can the machine produce?
3. How quickly does the refrigeration system recover?
4. How much product can the reservoir or keg hold?
5. Can staff replace the product container during service?

Peak demand is more useful than daily volume because a cafe or restaurant may receive twice as many coffee orders in one morning hour as it does during a typical service hour. The system's container capacity must be able to keep up with that high demand. More information on selecting coffee brewer capacity can be found in KaTom’s Coffee Brewer Sizes article.

Equipment dimensions and available installation space determine the space required for ventilation, beverage containers, line connections, cleaning access, and cup placement. A tabletop nitro cold brew machine can preserve undercounter space, though the operator still needs room for the beverage container. A kegerator occupies more floor or counter space and stores the product within its refrigerated cabinet. Remote systems can store the keg away from the service counter, although longer beverage-lines add installation costs and operational complexity.