The expansion of our Nitro product line comes naturally with our brand new release of the canned Single Origin Cold Brew. Packed with 196 mg of caffeine and bursting with bold, unique tasting notes, this nitrogen-charged coffee is an essential summer-sipper.

It's been an exciting couple of years since we re-launched our Nitro Cold Brew into ready-to-drink widget cans. The original line-up consisted of two teas and one black coffee. "Our Original Nitro Cold Brew has the classic caramel and chocolate notes that are loved in cold brew coffee, so we wanted to offer something else that had a different taste experience in comparison," Sam Mirto, Director of Coffee at Ferris, explained.

So, Why Single Origin?

When we started our Nitro Cold Brew product line, we had the vision that it would one day expand beyond the original blend into a diverse selection of coffees. We chose to go the single origin route because it comes back to the core of our business, which is to make specialty coffees more approachable (and affordable. "The Single Origin Cold Brew offers some nuances in the acidity that I personally enjoy," Mirto said. One of the great joys we have the pleasure of having is getting to travel to farms and meet with producers and taste their coffee. Single origins highlight the best attributes coffee-growing countries have to offer. "Coffees that come from a single growing region, or a single farm tend to have more distinct tasting notes, and offer higher flavor clarity," AJ Willet, Head Educator at Ferris and Certified Arabica Q-Grader, explains.

"Think about eating a mixed berry salad, as opposed to strawberries by themselves. The tasting experience of strawberries by themselves emphasizes the quality of the strawberry, and its unique qualities, as opposed to the blend, where all the flavors wash together. So, if you are looking for more distinct tasting notes, with a bit more sweetness, head towards the Single Origin Cold Brew." 

About Colombian Coffee

As with all single origin coffees, Colombia has a rich and vibrant history with the crop dating back to the early 1700's. By 1835, Colombia was exporting coffee to the United States and has now grown into the #3 exporter of coffee in the world (roughly 12% of global coffee.) What makes Colombian coffee so attractive to buyers is that the 100% arabica beans are often produced on small, family-owned lots. Often managing roughly 12 acres of land, Colombian farmers are blessed with high altitudes and quality sunlight that helps the coffee grow in abundance. "Colombia has two harvest seasons making it easier to get fresh coffee year round, so it was a perfect fit for our Single Origin Cold Brew," Mirto said. And with three distinct growing regions in the country (Northern, Central, and Southern), the coffee has the ability to appeal to many different preferences. 

This specific coffee blend comes from the most mountainous department of Colombia, the minuscule but mighty Caldas. The Caldas cooperative was founded in 1960 and today is home to more than 3,600 allied partner producers, most of them smallholders. The co-op operates in eleven municipalities throughout the department and counts with 15 points of sale and centers where producers can drop off and sell their coffee, as well as access agricultural support and guidance from agronomists who work with the cooperative. 

Caldas is located in an area known as the Eje Cafetero, or coffee-growers axis/triangle. Made up primarily of the three departments, this region is historically known as the center of coffee production in Colombia and used to be the biggest producer of coffee by volume. Caldas has a population of almost one million people and is home to approximately 13,000 specialty coffee growers, including 41,000 small farms. 

The Castillo, Caturra and Colombia coffees that make up this blend were grown in the municipalities of Marquetalia, Pensilvania and Man-zanares, at an altitudinal range of 1,600– 1,950 m.a.s.l. These three municipalities create a sort of belt across the central valleys of the state of Caldas. The cherry was carefully hand-selected and de-pulped. The beans are then fermented for a period of 12 to 36 hours after which they were washed and started drying on raised beds for between 14 to 25 days, and then finally finished mechanically for 36 hours.

 

More Than A Drink

While yes, we enjoy popping the tab and hearing the magical hissssss as the widget pumps the coffee with a burst of nitrogen, there's a lot more you can do with Nitro Cold Brew than just drink it! Whether you're looking to create a cool, unique no-bake pie or looking to entertain guests with fancy cocktails (or mocktails)- we got you covered! Trust us, coffee is versatile and there's something for everyone to enjoy when it comes to this deliciously caffeinated nectar. Mirto divulged he'd rather be enjoying a can or two "outside in the summer, otherwise weekend brunch with a little Irish crème or whiskey is a great time." 

 

Recipe: Cold Brew Pie Bars

Nitro Coffee Cocktails

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