February 11, 2019
Colleen Callahan
Sparkling Coffee - Bubbling Brews
They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Though I don’t dispute that diamonds are fabulous, I think bubbles can certainly give them a run for the money! 
Bubbles Make It Better!
There is not much that isn’t made better by bubbles. Soft drinks are much better carbonated, sparkling water is much more fun compared to still, and that orange juice at brunch is much better with champagne. But what about coffee? We mentioned in this previous post that carbonated coffee and nitro coffee are trending in the coffee world. But why? What does carbonation add to the experience? It’s hard to answer other than the fact that many people find bubbles to just simply be fun. Others say carbonation make things taste better. It appears that it just might depend on the person as to why someone likes bubbly coffee.
How Do The Bubbles Get In There?
In most cases, carbonated coffee is made in one of two ways. In the first instance, an espresso shot is pulled and chilled OR coffee is cold brewed. Next, the coffee is poured into a glass with ice and topped with soda water, seltzer water, or tonic water. Add a little citrus with a lemon or lime wedge and finish with some simple syrup. The citrus keeps the drink from becoming too sweet. Often you will see this version on menus as “coffee soda.” Another way to make carbonated coffee is by cold brewing your coffee with tonic water. Keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator so it doesn’t go flat. Again, you can add citrus and sugar to taste. If you have a SodaStream, it is simple to make carbonated coffee. Either cold brew your coffee or brew it as you regularly do and chill it (coffee won’t carbonate as well unless it is cold). Pour the coffee into one of your SodaStream bottles until it is about half full and carbonate as you would water. Some people have experienced a sourness with coffee carbonated this way. Possibly this could be minimized as above with the citrus or by cold brewing.
How About A Coke?
Another way to add flavor and bubbles to your coffee is by pouring in a soda. Coke or Pepsi can add extra flavor and sweeten your coffee. This popular combination is also popular due to the extra caffeine the cola adds to the drink. Be aware, if you are sensitive to caffeine, that adding a caffeinated soft drink to you brew will compound the caffeine. Another way to add flavor, sweetness, and bubbles is with other types of soft drinks. Think Sprite, Fanta (orange, grape, strawberry, pineapple…), and Mountain Dew as options to kick things up a notch.
Tiny Bubbles
Nitro coffee is a big hit in coffee shops. Starbucks serves a nitro coffee in its stores today. But how can you get this creamy, fizzy brew at home? There are a couple of options. First and least expensive is by using a whipped cream dispenser. Make your cold brew or brew as usual and chill. Pour the coffee into the container of a whipped cream dispenser to the fill line. Attach the lid with a new charger installed and follow the instructions for your whipped cream dispenser. The bulkier, more difficult, and more expensive way to make nitro coffee is with a kegerator. If you have a kegerator already, research or ask the manufacturer how to properly set it up to work with nitrogen. Then cold brew your coffee and strain it into your keg. Finally, tap the keg in the kegerator and you’re ready to serve up your nitro coffee.
Coffee Beer
Yes, you can have coffee and beer together. Let’s learn from the experience of those before us and not just pour coffee into our beer or vice versa. From all reports I’ve seen, this is disgusting. Rather, coffee should be brewed into the coffee directly. You can find coffee beers, ales, and stouts already made and simply purchased from the store. If you are a home brewer, however, maybe brewing your beer with coffee is the next logical step for you. There are plenty of recipes online for brewing a coffee beer at home. Find your preferred recipe and enjoy! Let us know in the comments if you have tried bubbly coffee and what you think about it.
