N7 Nitrogen Ice Cream opens near the BettPlex

N7 Nitrogen Ice Cream, near the BettPlex, opened Aug. 31 and serves ice cream that is injected with nitrogen in order to make an ice cream that is creamier than typical ice cream.

The nitrogen rapidly freezes the ice cream in order to reduce the size of the ice crystals which is what makes the ice cream creamier.

Customers start by choosing a liquid base, ice cream, yogurt, or coconut milk and the customer can choose a flavor. There are many different flavors at N7 including classics like vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate and exciting flavors like nutella, honey, and coffee. Nitrogen is then added in until the ice cream reaches the desired consistency. For 50 cents more, customers can add a mix’ns such as Reese’s, cookie dough, mixed berries, and many more.

“My favorite flavor is probably chocolate or caramel,” Lauren Beck, employee, said.

In addition to Beck, Bettendorf students, Madison Temple and Sophia Del Vecchio applied to work there before N7 opened and now work there after school and on weekends.

“I needed a job, and I like ice cream so I thought that making ice cream in such an interesting way would be a fun way to make money,” Temple said.

The three were trained before N7 opened and learned how to work the cash register and how to safely inject the nitrogen into the ice cream.

“The ice cream is smoother than a lot of other ice creams, but it is the experience that makes it significantly different. When you walk in, you get to see the ice cream being made right in front of you with the clouds of nitrogen coming from the mixers. I’m not going to say whether it’s better than Whitey’s, Whitey’s is a classic here, and I think that is a personal preference, but N7 does have really good ice cream,” Temple said.

N7 is now open Monday through Thursday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 12 p.m.to 10 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Employees injecting ice cream with nitrogen.