Imagine the delicious taste of cold coffee in your cup. Splashed against ice cubes and sweetened with your favorite choice of dairy or non-dairy milk. A drink so good, it commands a whole new level of attention for its caffeinated super powers. Yes, you guessed it, we are in fact dreaming of the best coffee beverage on the planet known as cold brew.
If you have yet to try cold brew coffee, what exactly are you waiting for? We may or may not be shaking our heads in disbelief along with every other coffee drinker in existence. If you claim to love coffee as much as you do, then why haven’t you dived deep into a glass of arguably one of the strongest, caffeinated beverages of the 21st century?
Oh, we know why, because you’re a little skeptical. It’s that “too good to be true” type of mentality, right? You’re not really sure about how cold brew is made or what goes into the process, so you’re taking a step back to gather the facts.
Are we getting warmer?
Like a glass of quality cold brew, it’s chill. We understand you want to get your facts in line before you fall into the cold brew phenomenon sweeping the nation. So, to give you a little push in the right direction, we’re going to break it down for you.
Let’s give you an overview of cold brew manufacturing, how it works and how we handle our production at Rise. Once you know the facts, don’t blame us for your new cold brew addiction - we tried to warn you.
A Cold Brew History Lesson
Would you believe us if we said that cold brew has been around since the 1600s? Yep, it’s true - despite what you may have thought, cold brew is anything but a new invention.
Cold brew may have gained increasing popularity over the past several years, but its conception began in Asia and Europe by way of the Japanese and Dutch cultures.
According to Timeline’s article, The History of Cold Brew is Fascinating, “Cold brew perhaps found its first dedicated audience with the Japanese in the 17th century, who had already been cold-brewing tea when Dutch trading ships introduced the beverage as a way to transport and make coffee that did not require dangerous fire.”
These Dutch travelers created cold brew concentrate in order to bring the beverage with them during long trips. Even back then, coffee was considered an essential beverage. And, as time went on, the invention of cold brew by Japan and the Netherlands would eventually make its way to other countries in Europe, South America and the United States.
It’s safe to say that cold brew is a beverage with a long history and has been influenced and reimagined by countries around the world. Today, it may look a bit different to us, but the same delicious principles apply. Let’s jump right into how cold brew is manufactured in 2020.
What Is Cold Brew Manufacturing?
Did you know that cold brew manufacturing is just a fancy way of saying making cold brew? We knew we couldn’t get anything past you. There’s no need to get hung up on nomenclature, instead we need to focus on how cold brew manufacturing actually works and what goes into this process.
Considering that every coffee company is different, we’re going to pull from the knowledge bank of Tea and Coffee to give you an educational background on making cold brew.
They note that there are many ways to manufacture and package cold brew. First and foremost, you’ll need to comply with the FDA’s regulation in order to make your beverages.
“Cold brew is a brewing method, not a singular final product. In most cases, the brewing process trades time for temperature; instead of brewing with very hot water over a very quick duration, cold brew typically uses ambient or cooler water and extended periods of time to extract an optimal amount of flavor compounds and solids from the beans.” - Tea and Coffee, Manufacturing Food Safe Cold Brew.
How Cold Brew Manufacturing Works
During this process, the manufacturer must account for general health risks and hazards that come with any type of food or beverage production. Specifically with cold brew, there is the worry of a deadly pathogen that can be found in unsealed containers called Clostridium botulinum. Therefore, cold brew manufacturing requires that the brewers test for organisms during every stage of the process.
Cold brew is made in industrial sized brewers over an extended period of time. While other beverages are made quickly, cold brew’s signature is its extended brewing time. With cold brew, the longer the brew, the better.
If you’ve ever made your own cold brew at home, you know the drill. Essentially, the beans are first ground up into a coarse grind. This will result in ground coffee. Then, the ground coffee is combined with water, stirred and set to steep for a set time period. Once the coffee has been brewed, the coffee concentrate is strained out and the cold brew is transferred to its own clean jar.
And, just like that - you have fresh and ready to drink cold brew.
In addition to the actual brewing process, a manufacturer will also offer recipe development and packaging. It depends on the needs of the specific coffee company, but you can assume that most full stack breweries will take care of the supply chain from start to finish.
Now that you know how cold brew is manufactured, let’s talk about how Rise makes our own nitro cold brew beverages.
How We Make Nitro Cold Brew At RISE
Here are a few quick facts that you should know about RISE Nitro Cold Brew Coffee:
- It’s highly caffeinated: Rise has 1.5x more caffeine than standard coffee
- Low Acidity: RISE is 70% less acidic than standard coffee
- Naturally Sweet: RISE sources naturally sweet, chocolatey beans
- Purified Water: RISE uses a state of the art water filtration process
- Nothing Artificial: RISE is free of harsh chemicals and additives
So, now that you know what our coffee is all about, we’re going to let you in on our cold brew process.
Our cold brew manufacturing is a bit different from other coffee companies for one stand alone reason - we use nitrogen. Yes, we actually infuse our cold brew with nitrogen which results in a far better cup of joe than anything you’ve ever had before. Taste test anyone?
So, how exactly does that process work?
Nitro cold brew coffee is made with a pressurized valve that pushes nitrogen into the liquid through tiny holes. Considering that nitrogen doesn’t dissolve quickly in water, the result is a rich, creamy head with a beautiful cascade and refreshingly smooth finish. If you’re a beer drinker, you could easily compare the consistency of a nitro cold brew to a pint of Guinness.
So, why did we choose to add nitrogen to our cold brew? Nitrogen is natural, healthy and organic - so, it’s definitely safe for you to drink in your coffee. And, adding it our cold brew allows us to preserve our products for several months while still giving you that fresh, bubbly, creamy texture.
Nitrogen Is What Makes Us RISE
Without the inclusion of nitrogen in our cold brew formula, there would be no Rise as we know it. The added step of infusing nitrogen is what makes our coffee incredibly unique and worthy of taste buds everywhere.
All of our award winning nitrogen-infused cold brew products are made with only purified water and organic coffee. To see our labor of love in full effect - pop open the can, pour your coffee into a glass and watch it rise.
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Now that we’ve laid it all out on the line, could you do us a solid and grab yourself a nice, refreshing cold brew? You know all about cold brew manufacturing and the process of adding nitrogen, so we think it’s about time you stopped sleeping on the best coffee beverage in the caffeine game.
Whether you like your coffee black, with a touch of oat milk or a hint of mocha - Rise has four different types of nitro cold brew for you to choose from. Go ahead, shop around a bit and let us know what you think. Try not to get addicted to the incredible creation that is nitrogen-infused cold brew.
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