Extend the Life of your Commercial Cold Brew/Nitro Coffee System Java Supply

Jul 24, 2017
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When it goes, it blows...

Cold brew and nitro coffee are both drinks that have been rapidly increasing in popularity these past few years, which is probably why the coffee keg in your office, cafeteria, or store seems to empty so quickly. While this can put a damper on your enthusiasm and budget for a cold brew/nitro coffee dispenser, don’t fret - Rapids has a few tips on how to make your keg last as long as possible (as well as offset the initial commercial cold brew/nitro coffee tap system cost).

Educate Your Employees on the Increased Nitro/Cold Brew Coffee Caffeine Content

One of the reasons why your employees/customers drink so much coffee is because they need a certain amount of caffeine to get them through the day. What they might not realize, however, is that cold brew coffee and nitro coffee tend to have more caffeine than traditionally-brewed coffee.

A typical 8 fl. oz. cup of coffee contains around 95 mg of caffeine (this can vary considerably depending on the brewing method, temperature, etc.). Thanks to cold brew’s higher coffee-to-water ratio, most people agree that the caffeine level is higher as well (although we did find a few mixed messages regarding this in our research, as cold brew cut with extra water or creamer can have the same or a lower amount).

Nitro coffee is a different story – pretty much everyone agrees that it’s much more potent. According to Dr. Axe, nitro coffee has 30% more caffeine per ounce than hot coffee, which should drastically reduce the amount someone has to drink to get the expected effect.

Create a little infographic (like the one above) to attach to the side of your dispenser or send out a fun email to spread this information quickly and easily.

Reduce Waste and Increase Coffee Keg Cup Capacity with Smaller Cups

Another way to get the most out of your keg is by reducing the size of the available cups. Coffee cups normally come in three sizes: 8 oz., 12 oz., and 16 oz. By providing only a 12 or 8 oz. coffee cup option, you can easily ensure that people will be taking less coffee, thereby increasing your coffee keg life.

For example, if you have a 5 gallon keg and 16 oz. glasses, you can probably expect to get around 40 cups. When you switch to 12 or 8 oz. glasses, this number increases to 53 and 80, respectively. If you have a 2-1/2 gallon keg instead, simply halve these numbers for the expected results.

Use Ice to your Advantage

This option will not only reduce the amount of coffee taken, but it will also be seen as going above and beyond for your customers/employees. They will love the ability to keep their coffee cooler longer.

The two best cube types for coffee are dice and half dice. They are slow to melt, preserving the flavor, and take up a decent amount of space in the cup without packing together and becoming an inconvenience when someone takes a sip.

If you don’t already have an ice-maker, Rapids recommends the Manitowoc NEO undercounter ice machine with a 130 lb. daily capacity. It has easy-to-read lights that indicate when the bin is full, when it needs to be cleaned, and when it needs to be serviced. It also comes with a 3-year ice maker warranty, a 3-year compressor labor warranty, and a 5-year compressor parts and evaporator warranty. Once this is installed, make sure you are preventing ice cube contamination by following these tips.

Offset the Cost of your Commercial Cold Brew Coffee Tap System with a Tip Jar

If you aren’t selling your cold brew or nitro coffee, a good way to help offset the initial cost of this dispenser is by setting out a tip jar. Your customers will no doubt be more than happy to give a dollar here and there now that they don't have to stop and buy a $5 cup of coffee every morning.