Illycaffè has launched a system that infuses ambient air into cold brew coffee to create a nitro effect without the use of nitrogen tanks.
Called Illy Cold Brew Aria, the unit features a tap handle with an adjustable valve that turns cold brew with bubbles into a “richer-tasting and effervescent experience”.
A patent-pending valve captures ambient air – already containing 78% nitrogen – that is immediately infused at high pressure into Illy cold brew coffee as it’s dispensed. The combination is said to create a cascading effect and a rich, creamy head.
The valve is adjustable and able to vary the levels of air and effervescence infused into cold brew, all the way down to no bubbles at all.
Illycaffè said Cold Brew Aria “is the only system that can produce either effervescent or regular cold brew with only one tap handle and one coffee source”.
The system creates a cascading effect in the coffee and a rich, creamy head.
The product arrives as cold coffee sales are booming. A study last year by Mintel suggested that one in five new coffee launches in 2017 was iced and ready to drink.
In the US, more than half (56%) of new RTD coffee launches in the US were cold brew in 2017, according to Mintel.
To pair with Cold Brew Aria, Illycaffè has released Bag-in-a-Box, a five-litre soft package filled with Illy cold brew, eliminating the need for space-consuming kegs.
Bag-in-a-Box cold brew remains stable during nine months of ambient storage time and can be served for up to five days once the packaging is opened.
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