ICO 10pcs Nitrogen Cartridges N2 Cartridges for Coffee Beer Cold Brew Nitro Non-threaded Nitrogen Chargers 2g Chargers

ICO 10pcs Nitrogen Cartridges: $14.60 for a 10 pack at the time of reviewMy lovely wife got me a cold brew keg for Christmas last year after we practically put the coffee stand kids through college buying nitro cold brews at over $5 bucks a pop. It took me longer than I care to admit to get it set up, but once I did I found I just needed to add the N2. Enter these nitro cartridges from ICO.*What I liked*:Small, no-nonsense package is a small cardboard box with room enough for the ten carts.Creamy smooth cold brew with that signature nitro roil on top after the pour (think Guinness or those Starbuck cold brew commercials). But while we’re at it, why not just use N2O (Nitrous Oxide) for the cold brew. Simple my friend, it’s all about the bubbles. N2O, while cheaper, produces bigger bubbles that expire sooner, leaving you with, well, just cold brew. N2O also has a sweet taste to it so if you like your coffee straight, it’s a no-go.At $1.46 per cartridge, they are one of the least expensive options for pure N2 (get out of here with that N2O stuff).*What I didn't like*:Because the cartridges only hold 2g of N2, you have to use 2 carts to fill the Royal Brew keg. This isn’t ICOs fault. All N2 carts pretty much only hold 2g. It’s still a bummer to have to use $3 bucks worth of N2 per cold brew batch.*The Bottom Line:*This is the best source of N2 that I’ve been able to find on Amazon without having to buy crazy amounts (there is a 360 count pack of N2 on there for $350 bucks, but that’s just nuts). Five stars out of five for giving my coffee that smooth Nitro kick without having to spend over $5 bucks per drink (my recipe, by the way, is dialed in to about 86¢/cup). I order these every time I run out, so I’d certainly buy them again.

So far so good. I use them up fast

I bought a new whipped cream dispenser and decided how much could name brand really matter? Nitrogen is literally just a gas which makes up 78% of our atmosphere. Name brand nitrogen? Ha! I tried again and again with these chargers and got creamy soup instead of whipped cream every time. I changed sweeteners, I went unsweetened. Soup. I used 2 of these charges at the same time. Soup, then after shaking, the cream would whip inside the container and fail to dispense. I decided the dispenser itself was at fault, but before I plunked $100+ down on a brand name dispenser, I decided buying brand name N20 cartridges and instantly noticed a huge difference.These ICO charges don't get too cold to the touch. The name brand ones frost over and you can't hold them. The ICO charges gave a faint hiss as I removed them from the dispenser, the name brand one was much more pronounced. The part which made the biggest difference? I immediately got great whipped cream from the name brand charges. The conclusion? These ICO charges either do not have the full charge they advertise or they're at much lower pressure. They do not work.

I use these in my nitro cold brew maker and they work well. I have to use two for my half gallon cold brew keg but it's worth it. Way cheaper and fast than going to a coffee shop.

So, like an idiot, I ended up buying these disregard my previous comment on this. I am just dumb. These probably work fine for whipped cream, but, I screwed it all up somehow. 🤷‍♂️

The media could not be loaded. i’ve been doing DIY nitro cold brew coffee for a few years and this is the first time i’ve attempted pure nitrogen, n2, and ill never go back now! i’ve always used n2o until now bc there wasn’t a cheaper option. stores use pure n2 for a reason, as i will explain. but n2o certainly has worked for these years bc it’s pretty similar on the cheap (but if u look hard u can find n2 about the same price, i’m discovering); until i finally tried n2. there’s a way to manipulate whipped cream dispensers to dispense n2o similar to n2 if u fill bottle to the tip top then dispense & since there’s no room for gas it mixes only as u dispense (at the nozzle) thus finer bubbles, BUT this only works for the first few ounces then oxygen interferes when it begins to mix inside the container causing courser bubbles then a noticeably diminished taste bc there’s less creaminess not to mention altering the taste since n2 is inert unlike n2o. n2o also separates from the liquid faster after u dispense as u observe it in the glass, thus u lose the creamy mouthfeel much quicker vs n2, and it never gets as velvety. BUT n2 keeps an integrated gas/coffee mix til the last dispense and it stays cascading for a long time, about twice as long as n2o. n2 stays in solution better bc pure nitrogen is less soluble and the finer bubbles easily circulate which results in a much creamier, heavier mouthfeel and for a longer time, thus a huge flavor difference. this is how retailers do it, and also why it’s more expensive. so to keep it cheap, u can use one of these 2g n2’s on a 64oz (2L) whipper vs the standard 32oz/16oz. u prob should use 2 chargers for ridiculous velvet but to keep it price effective u can use 1 per 64oz and it’s still amazing. that works out to 50cents per 8oz cup if u include coffee beans (10$/lb or 2.5$per 4oz beans per 128oz water - my dilution ratio 32:1) & charger (1.5$ per 64oz). n2o loses its froth & creaminess so quickly & n2o for sure is not as silky as n2. so to get the most of every last drop out of your dispenser, thus making it worth even having nitro, u need n2 instead of n2o.

Good for coffee