How To Make Iced Gas Station Coffee Taste Café-Worthy

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It's hard to find convenient coffee shops on the road. Sure, you could always stop in a town to grab an iced coffee to go, but this means delaying the trip. While you might wince at the idea of opting for a gas station coffee, there are a few tips and tricks to make the hot coffee from the dispenser into a cold, tastier version. And don't worry — coffee is not on the list of items you should never consume from a gas station.

For starters, you're going to want to make the coffee iced, and yes, this is the most challenging part. Gas station coffee almost always comes from a dispenser. Since it is not concentrated like espresso, it cannot be added directly to ice without watering it down a bit.

Option A is to pour yourself a cup of coffee and stir in whatever sugar and creamer packets you want. Stir, and keep stirring ... this motion will help cool the coffee down faster. Next, from the soda fountain, grab a large cup and fill it with ice. Or use your travel mug to save what you may have been charged for the cup, and also avoid unnecessary plastic waste. Pour the coffee over the ice, stir, and if more ice fits, top the coffee with more. If you happen to have a metal spoon, follow this hack to reduce some of the coffee's heat before pouring.

A few more tips and tricks for better gas station iced coffee

With the method listed above, the iced coffee may be somewhat watered down. To avoid this, instead take your cup of coffee and cup of ice to go separately, and wait until later for the coffee to cool down to pour it over the ice. It's slightly inconvenient to have to wait around 30 minutes to an hour, but it will definitely help prevent the watery coffee problem.

If you're normally a fan of flavored iced lattes, it's possible that you can dress your iced coffee up even further. Sometimes flavored syrups are stored next to the soda station, and you may get lucky with a vanilla, chocolate, or hazelnut flavor. Most gas stations at least offer basic fixings like sugar, stevia, and small packets of coffee creamer.

Unfortunately, if you're dairy-free, you might not get so lucky with alternative milk options at a gas station. If you brought your travel cup from home, you could always pour some non-dairy milk into it before heading to the gas station. On a longer road trip, consider keeping a packet of instant creamer in the car, like Laird Superfood Non-Dairy Superfood Coconut Creamer. When mixed with water or coffee, this shelf-stable powder turns into instant plant-based creamer.

Be choosy with where you stop

When you step into a gas station food market, you shouldn't have high expectations when it comes to iced coffee. That's why you should have an idea of how to make the coffee taste more cafe-worthy, even with the most basic setup.

That said, you can be more intentional with what gas stations you choose to stop at, because some offer a more extensive coffee setup than others. Some even have the option to make iced coffee with no tricks or hacks! For example, Circle K provides a machine that allows customers to make hot or cold coffee with the click of a button. Out comes concentrated espresso, and then ice, flavored syrups, and fresh creamer from a dispenser can be added to your liking. Pilot also has a similar setup where your iced coffee order can be customized using a machine with a screen.

Smaller, regional gas stations may also go above and beyond with their offerings. In Tasting Table's ranking of gas station coffees, the top choice was Quick Chek, an East Coast chain in parts of New York and New Jersey. Their impressive iced coffee offerings include espresso-based drinks that can be customized with syrups, honey, fresh milk, plant-based milk, and seasonal specialties.

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