In my eyes, nitro cold brew is one of the java industry’s hidden gems. With its smooth and velvety texture, I’ve always felt that nitro cold brew doesn’t get the hype it deserves. For those who do appreciate nitro cold brew, we often spend so much time admiring its taste and texture that we forget to acknowledge just how much caffeine is hiding in each cup. Does nitro cold brew have more caffeine than traditional cold brew? Here’s what you need to know about the caffeine levels of nitro cold brew and why you may need to remind yourself to slow down to avoid the caffeine jitters.
Does nitro cold brew have more caffeine?
Does nitro cold brew contain more caffeine? Unfortunately, the answer to this question isn’t quite clear-cut — and the internet is divided. A quick Google search will conclude that nitro cold coffee tends to have more caffeine than regular cold brew coffee. However, if you dig a bit deeper (and think about the question logically), you’ll find that this doesn’t quite make sense. After all, nitro cold brew starts with regular cold brew coffee.
To make nitro cold brew, tiny nitrogen bubbles are infused into cold brew, creating that unique texture we associate with it. This process, however, doesn’t change the caffeine content in cold brew. Which then leads to the obvious question: Does nitro cold brew actually have more caffeine?
Caffeine in cold brew vs. nitro cold brew
As Superlost Coffee describes in his TikTok, there’s a lot to unpack about this question. He shares that nitro cold brew can’t have more caffeine than cold brew because it is cold brew. Cold brew and nitro cold brew are the same liquid, but nitro cold brew is highly pressurized with nitrogen gas. Given that most places add a full cup of ice to regular cold brew, which displaces about half. “In theory, the caffeine content in regular cold brew should be about half of what’s in nitro cold brew”, shares Superlost Coffee expert. Of course, portion sizes vary depending on where you order your nitro cold brew coffee, posing another hiccup in answering this question.
While we can’t always know the exact amount of caffeine in every cup of nitro cold brew, it’s safe to say it’s pretty high. Take Starbucks’ options, for example — one of the most popular national coffee brands that offers both nitro cold brew and cold brew. According to Starbucks’ nutritional facts, a 12-ounce nitro cold brew contains 215 mg of caffeine, and a 16-ounce one contains 280 mg of caffeine.
Given that the FDA recommends adults keep their caffeine consumption under 400 mg per day, one order of nitro cold brew takes up a significant portion of this limit. In comparison, Starbucks’ regular cold brew contains 155 mg of caffeine for a 12-ounce cup and 205 mg of caffeine for a 16-ounce cup.
From a bird’s-eye perspective, comparing these caffeine levels, it appears Starbucks’ nitro cold brew contains significantly more caffeine than the traditional cold brew. Yet, here’s where we need to look at the fine details. Starbucks only serves nitro cold brew in tall or grande sizes (12 and 16 ounces, respectively), and it is served with no ice. That means you’re drinking a lot more volume of liquid compared to a regular cold brew order (where the cup is filled quite a bit with ice). Unlike the nitro cold brew, Starbucks offers its regular cold brew in Venti and Trenta sizes too — which then surpasses nitro cold brew in caffeine content based on sheer volume alone.
Is too much nitro cold brew bad for you?
Determining the amount of caffeine in your cup of coffee is never an exact science. Given that we can only ever estimate, it’s always a good idea to pay close attention to how your body responds to caffeine. Compared to traditional drip coffee, which contains about 90 mg of caffeine per cup, most orders of nitro cold brew coffee contain a decent amount.
While I haven’t quite determined why, something about the caffeine in nitro cold brew seems to affect me differently than it does when I drink other types of coffee, like drip coffee or espresso. Some Reddit coffee lovers speculate that this is due to how nitrogen gas affects caffeine in the bloodstream (although I haven’t found any objective scientific evidence to support this in my research). No matter what type of coffee you consume, if you’re feeling jittery, anxious, or having any other caffeine-related symptoms, you’re probably drinking too much. Many decaf and half-caff cold brew coffees have been released recently, but I haven’t seen a decaf version of nitro cold brew. I hope that’s the next big coffee trend to arise.
