Right now, Starbucks is pretty pleased with itself over the nitro cold brew it’s pouring at select locations around the country.
Just don’t ask where those select locations are (hint: nowhere near you). I asked via their Twitter account and received possibly the most unhelpful tweet ever – in essence, call around and ask all 50 of your local Starbucks.
Now, if you know me, I don’t ordinarily go near a Starbucks. But I’m desperate for nitro cold brew. Since having my first taste of it in Portland, it’s been my holy-grail-white-whale of coffee beverages. With the creamy texture of a nitro-charged craft beer and the taste of super-smooth iced coffee, it’s hard to beat. It’s even spread into Costa Rica, where I recently had a super nitro cold brew.
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Searching for Nitro Cold Brew in Phoenix
But it’s not easy in Phoenix to find nitro cold brew. No sooner did Hazelrock launch theirs after months of delay did they go out of business. And not even Cartel Coffee Lab seems to be able to keep its nitro tap running. Where does that leave you in the Phoenix area if you yearn for a nitro cold brew” Here’s what I’ve found so far from independent coffee houses.
Chime in with your own leads!
Songbird Coffee & Tea House
This downtown Phoenix site pours nitro cold brew into a very nice glass similar to what you’d use for an imperial stout. The cold brew itself was a good example of the nitros I’ve sampled. It wasn’t the best, but it was far from the worst.
FiftyoneWest
NOTE: I can’t confirm that FiftyOne West is still open.
This is an oddball coffeehouse that hasn’t decided whether to be a coffeehouse or a music venue — and it’s honestly hard to do both, as I can tell you from being a musician and a coffee drinker. Anyway, the barista here screwed this nitro brew royally by putting ice in it. I can’t give a fair evaluation of the taste.
Infusion Coffee and Tea
Here’s a terrific place to find nitro cold brew. All of the coffee drinks are excellent here, just as long as you don’t want them to use any alternative types of milk (sorry, anything but the cow just doesn’t work).
The Refuge Cafe
Here’s an interesting little spot. I understand it has some connections to a local Catholic church. Along with that, they also have a nice food menu. The nitro cold brew is solid here, though I’m not a huge fan of their espresso drinks. Very friendly place thanks to both staff and customers.
Press Coffee
Let me start by saying that Press totally violates one of my rules: They have more than one size of cappuccino. Yet the baristas largely know what they’re doing, so we’ll give them a pass. Press has multiple locations, too, and I believe all of them have nitro cold brew.
Some New Places to Get Nitro Cold Brew (Updated October 2021)
Echo Coffee
Right now, Echo on 68t Street and Thomas in Scottsdale is pouring nitro cold brew. Their nitro brew is also infused with CBD for an extra dose of the year 2021.
Sip Coffee + Beer
Sip has had nitro since the early days of its opening. They also have the distinction of having three different types of nitro beverages: cold brew, CBD-infused nitro and tea. All of them are pretty delicious.
Renegade Coffee
Also clocking in with nitro cold brew and tea is Renegade Coffee on McDonald and Granite Reef. Watch for some sticker shock, though: They’re considerably more expensive than anyone else on this list for a nitro beverage.
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I hadn’t even heard of this before. If I see it, I’ll try it (sans ice, of course).
One word of caution – it contains extreme amounts of caffeine. But it’s sooooo tasty.