Trend report: Nitro-brew coffee

Can sipping nitrogen-infused coffee really give you a supercharged energy boost and shrink your waistline? A-listers think so! But are they right? FIRST health and wellness columnist Jorge Cruise weighs in

Coffee lovers are buzzing about a new twist on java that takes everything we love about our morning mug and kicks it up a notch for a brew that fans say is more energizing, more slimming and more delicious than the standard cup of joe. It’s a hit in Hollywood, where some of our favorite leading ladies (including Jennifer Garner and Reese Witherspoon, who seem to never run out of sunny energy) flock to specialty cafés that serve the trendy sip.

Called “nitro cold brew” (and less commonly referred to as “draft coffee”), the latest must-have java fix is cold-brewed coffee that’s been infused with nitrogen gas. This unique preparation creates a cascade of superfine bubbles that turn standard coffee into a creamy, velvety sip that’s up to 60 percent less acidic than regular coffee and tastes sweet without any added sugar or creamer. The reason: Most carbonated drinks like seltzer or soda are made “bubbly” by the addition of CO2, which activates the bitter receptors on the tongue. But nitrogen doesn’t react with the taste buds the same way, so the brain expects a bitter flavor but doesn’t get it. As a result, the brain perceives nitro-brew coffee to be much sweeter than it actually is.

Jennifer Garner is regularly spotted picking up cold brew from Alfred Coffee, a popular Los Angeles–area java spot that’s famous for its nitro cold brew

Thanks to this natural creamy sweetness, sipping nitro brew is an easy way to cut sugar and fat from typically calorie-dense coffee drinks—and there’s another surprising weight-loss benefit: Researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel report that women who allow themselves a sweet treat each day find it easier to stick to a healthy meal plan, and they go on to lose three times more weight than those who try to avoid eating the foods they love. Nitro-brew coffee offers the best of both worlds: It’s lower in calories than most of the treats we crave but it feels and tastes like an indulgence to make weight loss effortless.

Another benefit: Nutritionists say that because the sip is brewed slowly over at least 12 hours, the coffee retains more beneficial polyphenols— including chlorogenic acid—than a standard cup of hot-brewed coffee. That’s a plus for anyone looking to slim because chlorogenic acid has been shown to flip a genetic switch that instructs the body’s cellularenergy engines to increase fat burning while also helping preserve calorie-burning lean muscle mass. And the payoff is substantial: One Norwegian study revealed that women who favor coffee varieties that are highest in chlorogenic acid lose three times more weight than women who drink brews that contain lower levels of the polyphenol.

Despite the potential weightloss benefits, though, experts caution that this coffee trend isn’t for everyone. Since the slower brewing process used to create the coffee’s creaminess also concentrates its caffeine content, the 45 percent of American women who are sensitive to caffeine—especially those who experience sleep disturbances from caffeine—may experience increased jitters, anxiety, insomnia and even heart palpitations when sipping nitro-brew coffee.