Plates & People: Nitrogen-infused coffee on tap in Warehouse District

Cold brew recipe at Maddie & Bella's more than just a Rich cup

10/30/2018

Rich Jambor and the Nitro coffee at Maddie & Bella Coffee Roaster's.

The Blade/Andy Morrison
Buy This Image

“Our first recipe we had to cut back.”

The cold-brew coffee at Maddie & Bella’s was actually a problem. Rich Jambor said his Warehouse District coffee shop that opened in 2015 quickly knew it had a hit on its hands. But that also those hands were likely trembling from the jolt their on-tap nitro brew delivered.

VIDEO: The cold brew at Maddie & Bella’s

“We had to limit, like, you can only have two of those,” he laughed.

Ratios adjusted, the Colombian bean sourced, 18-hour steeped cold brew coffee is kegged, infused with nitrogen, tapped and served in clear glass, so you can see the cascading bubbles similar to a Guinness beer.

I’m a cream, no sugar guy. Always. But the luxuriant, mellow — and still with plenty horsepower — cold brew really needs no milk or cream. We tried it with and without and it stands pleasantly smooth on its own. It is a cool, mild temperature, not ice cold.

“But you can get it how you want it,” Rich told me, like any wise guardian letting the uninitiated roam free to learn from their own mistakes.

We didn’t ask about adding pumpkin spice. But ask nice. It’s tough to tinker with one of the best coffee recipes in town.

For more information, visit Maddie & Bella’s. 

For suggestions on great food and drink to feature on Plates & People, contact Phillip Kaplan at pkaplan@theblade.com