Starbucks Introduces Nitro Coffee

Starbucks Introduces Nitro Coffee

by Mike McKim

Lugging kegs and couplers around in my car back in 2012, I believed with all my heart that coffee on tap would be something big. In 2011, I had set out to create a nitrogenated cold brew coffee that could be served anywhere, and now hearing that Starbucks intends to rollout “Nitro Brew” nationwide just makes me feel, well, warm and fuzzy inside.

But nitro coffee was not always an easy sell. I remember driving back and forth between Austin, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio, installing nitrogen lines, couplers and stout taps--people had to see the product to realize its potential. And I had many nay-sayers accusing me of an “identity crisis”. But regardless, I visited bar after bar, restaurant after restaurant and coffee shop after coffee shop.

Four years later, here we are. Starbucks will soon pour nitro coffee from a tap in thousands of locations, and I’m beyond excited. It was Starbucks that brought lattes and cappuccinos to millions of consumers, ultimately creating the space where specialty coffee roasters like Cuvee can thrive. Now they are perfectly positioned to do the same with nitro coffee.

And Nitro Coffee will inevitably thrive. Black & Blue will do likewise. And my hard work back in 2012 will be rewarded. Nice work, Mr. Schultz. Nitro Coffee is a tremendous idea. You’re welcome. :D





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Read more:
> The Origins of Nitro Coffee
> "What?! No Wi-Fi?!" by Mike McKim
> "I loved Budweiser’s Super Bowl Advert" by Mike McKim
> Specialty coffee’s newest artisanal headache: Starbucks’ Flat White.
> Coffee Is Communal

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