A Beginner’s Guide to Kegged Beverages: Kombucha, Nitro Cold Brew, and Beyond

What once began as a unique trend has evolved into a worldwide phenomenon, captivating healthy drink enthusiasts and coffee shop owners alike. As the cold beverage assortments keep evolving and cafes and restaurants seek to upgrade their drink menus with different natural flavourings, the popularity of nitro teas, cold brew, and kombucha continues to grow.

Have you considered offering beverages on tap to your customers? Here is a beginner's guide to getting started.

Kegging is a convenient and sustainable alternative to bottling and canning. It offers faster carbonation, maintained freshness, easy serving, less cleaning, and reduces packaging waste. While it requires an initial investment in equipment, the process of installation, maintenance, and serving beverages on tap is quite easy once mastered.

The most popular kegged beverages

• Kombucha - offers a complexity of tangy, natural flavors complemented by fruity or spicy notes, so there's likely a kombucha that can satisfy your palate. Kegged kombucha was first offered on tap in 2007, inspiring many mixologists to craft cocktails and mocktails with the bubbly drink. Over the years, kegged kombucha transitioned from specialty stores to cafes and restaurants. Kombucha is known for its health benefits, thanks to its probiotics, antioxidants, and organic acids, which support digestion and immune function.
• Nitro Coffee - typically contains more caffeine than a standard cup of coffee, and it is believed that nitrogen-infused coffee helps the body process caffeine better. Additionally, nitro coffee offers a creamy texture, foamy head, and fascinates coffee enthusiasts not only with its stunning presentation but also with its delicious mouthfeel.
• Cold Brew Coffee - has taken the coffee lovers by storm, establishing itself as a delightful presence in restaurants and coffee shops worldwide. While the brewing and serving method varies among users, many restaurants prefer to offer cold brews poured directly from a tap system.
• Matcha - is known for its vibrant green color, smooth, creamy texture, and health benefits like steady energy from L-theanine. Offering matcha and matcha lattes on tap is an emerging trend in coffee shops and specialty tea stores.
• Nitro Tea - is also rapidly gaining popularity due to its visually appealing creamy head and velvety taste. Any type of brewed tea can be infused with nitrogen gas. The nitrogen bubbles add a thick, yet silky texture to the tea and enhance its flavor.

Offering Beverages On Tap

As the demand for these innovative beverages continues to surge, it comes as no surprise that cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants are embracing the trend and the benefits it brings to their businesses. Installing a kegerator or a draft system may seem challenging at first, but once you learn, it's easy. Pre-mixed beverages are stored in large kegs and served through food-safe lines pressurized to dispense when the tap is opened. Kegs remain airtight, keeping the beverages cold, fresh, and flavorful longer. Purchasing a draft system requires an investment in specialised equipment and ongoing maintenance, but pouring the first glass of a fresh, bubbly drink will show why it is such an emerging trend.